Forward thinking is the only immunity websites have against e-Darwinism. Being the best website of 2008 isn't a matter of mere novelty or entertainment. In a time where the aforementioned qualities have saturated the net, there are five websites that surface over others in the spirit of professional, artistic, and leisurely progression. They are the pinnacle of what's to come.
1. Etsy.com: One glance at the collage of product available on the front page of Etsy sums up the experience. There is a 24/7/365 craft fair going on at your fingertips. This is online shopping turned sentimental - a convenient, simple way to exchange products that would otherwise never be exposed to the consumer population at large.
Etsy dwellers have marketed themselves as the pagans of Ebay - the antithesis of mass market personal e-commerce (and the increasingly high percentages one must sacrifice to operate there). Etsy boasts hand-made goods, vintage items, and supplies for creative endeavors as their product range, with a low $0.20 listing and 3.5% sales fee.
The basis of this platform promotes independent artisans and has indefinitely encouraged a generation of internet users to get crafty. Whether you're looking for a graffiti-motif pot holder, a grab bag of antique jewelry trinkets, six dozen fake flower batches for your wedding, or a chic piece of wall art, Etsy has it. You can even input area codes to support sellers in your region - the online version of shopping local "mom & pop" stores. This way if you make an impulse buy, you're not feeding the corporate giants - you're helping the guy next door!
2. Twitter.com: Status updates from everyone in the world, 24/7 - necessary? Probably not. But in the wake of much criticism on the excessive communication capability this website has introduced, Twitter has come through as something of a vital tool for the age of information anxiety. We need to know absolutely everything the second it happens, all the time. Watching news is not enough. Getting email is not enough. Twitter is the answer.
Twitter is used by simply making a profile and typing in your status, which is then broadcast to the bulletin board of updates that appear on the homepage of your contacts. You can network with friends & family, celebrities, contacts from other networking sites, as well as news feeds like CNN.
The website made headlines recently during the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, as real time accounts of the incident were published online via twitter status windows. Internationally, these updates were tracked and some "tweets" even provided information that may have saved lives. While this civilian-driven news feed leaves room for the considerable spread of misinformation and repeat announcements, it also brings to full light the kind of time-wise efficiency journalism of the future will undoubtedly require. Whether used casually or in life or death situations, Twitter is a set to be a major venue of communication in the New Year.
3. LinkedIn.com: Professional networking online is nothing new, but many sites have tried and failed to provide a solid platform for industries to intertwine and develop relations. LinkedIn has been thoroughly designed to allow for a personalized networking experience according to the user's own preferences and expertise.
Upon being invited to LinkedIn, you are prompted to fill out a resume-esque set of fields that will evolve into your professional profile. You can then upload contacts via email provider and see if your colleagues and acquaintances are using the site. Names are displayed along with industry and applicable title, and once you add them to your network you can get down to business.
Profiles are adorned with conditions under which others may contact you, whether it be strictly for consulting, catching up with old employees, collecting references, etc. You can also recommend people in your network for the various plot points in their resume, which acts as a public testimonial to their work. If you'd like a choir singing your praise as well, there's a "get recommendations" button by which you can invite a contact to write you a testimonial for a specific job.
There is real potential for building up an impressive piece of online real estate. LinkedIn's goal is to get you connected (or re-connected), employed, and involved in ventures with people in your vein of professional work. It's no Facebook, but you might discover it's more worth your time than playing with animated applications and uploading Mac Photo Booth experiments.
4. Lookbook.nu - Wonder what the hip kids in Denmark are wearing these days? How about the pretty young things in Mexico City? Lookbook is an exponentially popular source for chic trans-global fashion trends at random, posted by the fashionistas themselves. The internet is positively corroded with fashion and style websites and blogs, but this newcomer has proved an addictive, more-hit-than-miss source of fashion inspiration. One visit should clue you in.
Browse by location, gender, brand, or keyword to turn up fresh ideas and classic sensibility alike. You keep scrolling, and the page keeps loading - and as you descend, you can hype the looks you love. You'll also spot familiar bloggers like Jane of "Sea of Shoes" parading their newest ensembles for the world to see. It becomes clear that various members have cult followings - that anywhere in the world there might be a small fan base of eager netizens guzzling coffee in front of the LCD monitor's glow, refreshing the page for more fashion from their favorite muses.
It's hard not to get addicted with the amount of good taste displayed, but the occasional off-the-wall outfit is what makes it really worth the visit. Drop your inhibitions and learn something from the most stylish inhabitants of planet earth!
5. Tumblr.com - Tumblr is a high-traffic, customizable "share everything" website, catering to the recurring trend of "continuous flow of everything all the time" society we've become. With Tumblr you have the capability to distribute quotes, images, text, links, music, and other forms of media, but it has become most popular for the endless sea of images it contains.
Browsing people's profile pages, you are met with their personal directory of media that inspires or amuses them, spanning virtually every topic. What makes this epic experience more manageable is a stream of links from one page to another, created by users with similar aesthetics networking and exchanging their media. Of course, you may prefer the experience to be completely random, which is also made easy by clicking on various links from the Tumblr homepage.
Everyone might have the same Cocoa Chanel quote displayed, but much of the content that pops up is diverse and worth browsing. You can spend hours perusing Tumblr and fill your hard drive with the results of your searches, or upload your own contributions. What makes the site exciting is a base of users driven by an appreciation for individualized aesthetic beauty and a desire to connect with likeminded people.
The websites that have illuminated the online experience of 2008 are characterized by progress: Increased communication, a plethora of open doors, an expansion of information, rapid fire news feeds, from one time zone to the next. With a "move forward" mindset, it's easy to see why these select sites have what it takes to carry multiple technology-driven generations into 2009 and far beyond.