There are so many web applications out there that I have resisted at first glance. A prime example are all of the Google applications that don't have to do with searching. (The exception being that I have a Gmail account that anyone can write to, but only because storage isn't an issue with Gmail and I don't want to deal with that on my personal server.) I like desktop applications for a number of reasons. The biggest of which, although my friends and family may not agree, is because I am not always connected to the net and like the opportunity to work independent of that connection. The other part is functionality; I like stand-alone applications because they are consistent in functionality and do not necessarily rely on browser API's or hooks that may not be available on my latest favorite browser.
Lately, though, two web services/applications have become favorites of mine, because one solves a very simple problem and the other is simply fun to use - and accents my current use of weblogs. I started using del.icio.us a month ago because I finally outgrew my own personal bookmarking system that had resided at Cogito Ergo Sum (rescogitans.net/blog/bookmarks/) for years. I had so many bookmarks that I was finding it difficult to find old ones that I rarely used and couldn't edit the system such to handle "fluid" and changing needs. The relatively new concept of tagging hit a cord with me (i.e. take a term or URL and tag it with various words to define what the URL is for and/or about) and I watched on the sidelines as del.icio.us grew and I saw more and more people I tracked use it. With some extra insomniac time one weekend, I decided to take the plunge and try it. I haven't looked back since. Tagging is über convenient for me and the search utility works well for all of my needs. Since moving to del.icio.us's system, I've found myself tagging more and more content, making it easy to find later on and keeping track of some of my changing interests.
The second service I just started using is Twitter. The service is ridiculously voyeuristic, but at the same time, a fantastic compliment to my blogging habits. I go for days and weeks without posting anything to my weblogs. Often this is because of lack of time, not for lack of ideas and/or want. With Twitter, I can create a trace of the ongoings (for my own good) in my life and yet, because the service is intended to be short twitters of what is happening, it never becomes the burden I sometimes feel when I sit down to actually write a post for one of the blogs.
Technology ought compliment your lifestyle. For those addicts like myself, it is difficult to find pieces that actually fit together well and in the case of those things I need/want, del.icio.us and twitter have filled a nice void.
me @ del.icio.us
me @ twitter
Technorati Tags: web applications, technology
