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The internet is a revolutionary invention that makes our lives easier and better, but only at the limit of the innovators who make that happen. I am constantly surprised by how the new medium of the internet is evolving and developing new ways of improving on past ideas. Some of the most innovative and impactful websites of 2008 that I will cap at 10 since it's a nice round number and keep the descriptions brief:

1. The Innovation of the year: social network bookmarking as exemplified through www.digg.com and www.delicious.com: Long before chessmater Gary Kasparov did battle with a super computer, mankind has always done battle against its own inventions. This year was a victory for man against the computer algorithims of google's search function. Digg and Delicious feature networked bookmarking in which people publicly save their bookmarked sites (in the case of delicious) or articles (in the case of Digg). In addition to allowing you to share websites that you like, a system in which the frequency in bookmarks or "diggs" makes the site or article more visible creates a user-generated search engine that is validated by the personal experience of an entire network.

Other sites (in no particular order):

2. www.Hulu.com: Finding a happy medium between how many commercials viewers are willing to put up with and how much they value the convenience of access to their favorite programs without having to resort to illegal websites, hulu.com has saved the TV industry from falling to internet piracy. And not a moment too soon! Hulu has new shows, classics, and even a handful of movies.

3. www.funnyordie.com: Founded in conjunction with Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, this site has successfully carved a niche out of the online video uploading craze. The site features funny videos by celebrities such as Ferrell, John C. Reilly, James Franco, Brooke Shields, and Danny DeVito, although the site allows amateur comedians and filmmakers to upload videos and be voted and ranked alongside their idols. Some of the content, particularly videos created by the funnyordie team (Ferrell, McKay and Reilly among others), are exclusive which prevents people from bypassing the site and skipping straight to youtube. The site's bread and butter is when a video like "The Landlord" or "Green Team" goes viral and funnyordie is the only place to check it out. Additionally, the site's parent corporation has also taken the model to launch the spinoffs eatdrinkordie.com (focusing on cooking videos) and shredordie.com (sports action videos).

4. hwww.geni.com: Geni is a unique social networking site that allows you to connect and learn about your family. People start by building a family tree and inviting other relatives to join the site and contribute information. People can personalize their family trees and chose how far out they want to hear updates about. It also serves as a useful birthday reminder.

5. www.gasbuddy.com: Your best friend in the current gas crisis, gas buddy is the ultimate comprehensive web site for gas prices and related issues. The site's main draw is the gas temperature map which allows you to see the gas prices in every zip code of the U.S. Other features include tips for saving on gas, a network of gas price spotters, historical gas prices, and polls. Gas prices are complicated and difficult to understand but this site enables you to understand and take control of it.

6. http://answers.yahoo.com: A question-and-answer web community that allows you to ask advice on a variety of issues and gives you the opportunity to play Dear Abby in answering others' queries. Questions that sound too much like homework are usually refused by the users. In certain areas, however, it's a very useful tool and presents an opportunity to help others with your wisdom. Users are also encouraged to be altruistic through a point-rewarding system. Users are given points for answering the questions of others and additional points if their answers are selected by the asker (or other voters if the asker doesn't take the option) as the best answer to the question.

7. www.cracked.com: A humor magazine with a 50-year history of low sales was recently revived on the news stands before folding again after just two issues. The story didn't end in failure, however. The launch of the companion web site, however, has become an immense hit and the best source of humor articles on the web. The sites articles are mostly a compendium of lists including, "The 9 most Overtly Racist Disney Cartoon Characters," "The 5 Most Pimpingest Historical Figures," and "The 8 Most Baffling Theme Parks Around the World." The humor articles are submitted by users but they screen heavily for quality and the articles are both hilarious and informative. In addition, cracked has weekly Photoshop contests, a caption of the day contest, and a team of 5 humor writers who blog on a weekly basis.

8. www.howcast.com: Howcast presents a series of 1-3 minute professionally done "how to" videos on pretty much anything from how to survive a bear attack to how to hook up with your girlfriend's roommate to how to get out of your cell phone contract for free as well as a lot of very practical guides. The videos are informative, interesting and occasionally humorous. The site has a large presence on youtube but if you log into the site, you have the option of contributing to wikiguides, suggesting titles and rating videos.

9. hwww.tripadvisor.com: Trip advisor allows you to create a map of everywhere you've been and see it presented on a map. It also includes an incredibly fun and addicitve geography IQ challenge game. The website also has comprehensive information on hotels, flights and attractions that helps you plan your own trip.

10. www.helium.com: It's hard to deny the growing impact of helium and it's clear evidence of helium's growth that a year ago I had never heard of this site and many of you reading this article likely hadn't heard of helium either. Helium has allowed people to write to their heart's content on a variety of topics in a very visible way and read entries from others who have posted on those same topics. There are also ways of making money through contests, a freelance marketplace and through revenue on your own content. Community features and rankings allow you to get feedback and hone your craft while developing a portfolio.

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