Websites to Live For

What is the one website (besides Facebook) that you couldn't live without? I asked that question of my Friends in the social media world and it inspired a long list of interesting answers. I thought it would be fun to share some of those on the Middle Age Bulge blog, along with links in case you're interested in exploring. This could be the activity you've been looking for on that rainy, nothing-to-do day in the future.

Many who responded would feel lost and alone without their favourite email or communication-based website, with Gmail, Hotmail and Skype popping up several times. There were others who jumped to other obvious choices like Google, Twitter, YouTube and MySpace. One suggested that living without online banking sites would be catastrophic, a suggestion that I concur with completely--I can't recall the last time I physically had to be in a bank.

Digging deep beyond the first third of essential websites into the second third, we start to discover some of the more interesting answers. Ken Steele from Academica Group loves an online product by Apple called MobileMe that allows him to sync his calendar and contacts across platforms: laptop, desktop, iPhone and iPad. For a communicator who spends a lot of his time traveling, meeting new people every day, it is a life saver.

I thought the Environment Canada choice of a high school classmate in Saskatchewan was excellent. "It makes sense," she wrote. "We live in a province where if you want the weather to change, wait five minutes." I'm with you Dana. When I want definitive direction on what's happening outside, I gravitate to this website, too.

There were also some intriguing choices of resource websites like CinemaClock, that gives you cinema schedules, movie information and links for trailers for any movie playing in any theatre in the country. Another movie buff must would be imdb.com, the Internet movie database site that I've referred to time and again to look at the cast lists of long forgotten films. Candice is going through a genealogy phase and can't live without ancestry.ca while Jayme,a scrapbookaholic, lives on scrapbookingfanatics.com. Anthony back in Saskatchewan suggested a great photo blogging site called aminus3.com while Barb in Sherwood Park suggested the ultimate site for those who like to cook, foodtv.ca.

Beyond the second third we emerge into the land of the third third ideas, the most interesting, the game changers, the ones the compelled me to go visit right away. For writers, LiveJournal looks exceptionally useful. For television and movie watchers, fly over to TVShack and look at their incredible menu of offerings, all for free. And finally, two websites that are just plain interesting, lettersofnote.com and informationisbeautiful.net.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the conversation. These are great ideas that could alter the surfing habits of many of us.

Note: references to the first, second and third third ideas relate to Tim Hurson's theories on productive thinking from his best-selling book, Think Better.

April 17, 2010 - 191.2 pounds, 29% body fat