Change your region Blayney

  • Six web sites you should know about

Clearly, online social networking is a big deal at the moment. Everyone’s doing it—but if you’re not fifteen and desperate to flaunt your “friends”, is there really a point to it all?

My answer is generally a big NO. Partly because this is one of those issues that my subconscious decides I’m going to be deliberately contrary towards, and partly because it seems like such a tremendous time-suck that even I, procrastinator extraordinaire, can’t justify it.

Then I discovered the following sites, and, uh, readjusted some attitudes. Turns out online social networking can have a point! And, you know, be a bit fun at the same time. At the heart of these sites, however, is genuine community, and that’s what sets them apart.

 

Authonomy is ostensibly an attempt to democratise the famous publishing slush pile. Writers sign up, upload their unpublished novels (or works in progress), and wait for an editor or agent to spot them. In the mean time, members read and rate other members’ efforts. The site is run by publishing mega-masters HarperCollins and this is what their About Us has to say:

authonomy is a brand new community site for writers, readers and publishers, conceived and developed by book editors at HarperCollins. We want to flush out the brightest, freshest new literature around – we’re glad you stopped by.

The publishing world is changing. One thing’s for sure: whether you’re a reader, writer, agent or publisher, this is an exciting time for books. In our corner of HarperCollins we’ve been given a chance to do something a little different.

 

Ravelry is a site where knitters, crocheters, and generally woolly-sorts gather to keep track of and share details of their current projects, source contacts for supplies, participate in knit-a-thons (the Ravelympics ran alongside the Olympics) and… wait for it… share a yarn about all things yarn.

According to Ravelry’s About Us section,

The content here is all user- driven; we as a community make the site what it is.

Ravelry is currently in beta-mode, and you must register for an invitation before being able to sign up. My invitation arrived within 48 hours, though, so don’t let that put you off.

 

So you’ve knitted up a storm and kept track of your progress on Ravelry… now your cupboard’s looking a bit full, and you’re wondering what to do with all those scarves. The answer: Etsy!

This site is kind of like a cooler version of your local craft market, plonked online and gone global. This is how they describe themselves:

Etsy is an online marketplace for buying & selling all things handmade. Our mission is to enable people to make a living making things, and to reconnect makers with buyers. Our vision is to build a new economy and present a better choice: Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade.

There’s a vibrant community surrounding Etsy, including forums and the Alchemy section, where you can post your creative ideas, and wait for someone to make them.

Whether you’re after a sea glass pendant or some hand-dyed wool inspired by your favourite TV character, you’ll probably be able to find something on Etsy (even if it’s not what you were after in the first place!). It’s the place for finding something unique and a bit arty, and it’s my first stop for those inevitable birthday presents for the person who has everything.

 

Books! Everywhere! I won’t lie: I’m addicted.

These three sites are basically the same thing: a place to keep track of your personal library and reading, while participating in a literary community. You add books to your “shelves”, review, rate, comment on others’ reviews, join book groups, take bookish quizzes, chat to other book-lovers… and inevitably come away with half a dozen new titles on your to-read shelf.

Each of these sites has its own quirks and strengths. Shelfari is visually attractive, LibraryThing appeals to those more interested in the cataloguing side, but my favourite is Goodreads.

 

So, that’s it. Six alternatives to the dreaded FaceBook and MySpace. Six brilliant new ways to waste some time! And while you’re there, feel free to look me up on Goodreads and Ravelry.

 

 

 

Published: 2 months ago by Katie.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2 comments

Comments

  • Yeah... but!

    I’d have to disagree with you to a certain degree. I mean, sure sites like Facebook and MySpace place a big emphasis on “30082” friends, or whatever number it may be, but of course, it all depends on the user as to how it is utilised.

    I mean, some people add endless amounts of people that they have never and will never meet. I have found friends from primary school and high school on Facebook, who I haven’t heard from or seen for years, but simply through the network have stumbled across them – which is like a digital reunion without anyone having to pick a date that you HAVE to attend.

    These ones you’ve pointed out obivously have a different focus. They are aimed at people with a particular common interest. They’re more like joining a club, and meeting people with a common interest. And once again, only others who have signed up to the network are able to access it [i am presuming] – so bigger networks like Facebook and MySpace, that have soooo many members would probably still have a sense of this community, although there would [probably] be more people accessing it!

    I mean you do make good points, but there are values in massive networking sites as well :o)

    Published 2 months ago by sarah_d

  • I’ll reiterate that the three or four sentences at the beginning of this blog post are purely my own personal response to the online social networking thing rather than a general study of society at large’s response – as you say, it really does all depend on how they’re utilised, and I’m certainly not denying that many people find them useful! Unfortunately I’m not one of them, but I’m glad you’ve had positive experiences. :)

    Agreed that the sites I wrote about are aimed at people with common interests, but I’d argue that MySpace, for instance, is also aimed at people with generally common lifestyles, values and interests, though perhaps in a broader sense. Unfortunately, Facebook and MySpace seem to have this one-size-fits-all image – anyone can sign up! Everyone IS signing up! Rush to it! You’re nobody if I can’t find you on Facebook! – when in fact they don’t fit all and a big part of that for some – including me – is that they offer me nothing more than what I can get with my telephone and an address book, if I were really that determined to seek out people from whom I’ve drifted.

    Because these sites – all of which, presumably, have been influenced and/or inspired by the MySpace/Facebook explosion – are so much smaller the strong sense of community is pretty much their biggest “selling point”; a club at the local library is naturally going to have a more close-knit community than a footy field full of people who may or may not have common interests, and for many people, that, combined with the additional interest-factor of crafts or whatever, makes these sites a much better fit. And that’s my main point. :) They’re some of the social networking sites for people who, like me, find the main hubs a bit pointless.

    Published 2 months ago by Katie

Windy with showers
Windy with showers
8°C

Rainfall Local Rainfall

Member Log In

Remember Me | Forgot your password?

About Author

Vittoriob_medium

Katie North

Copyright OurPatch 2007-2008 [0.9.0 M4 (3682)]