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Category Name |
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More Info
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Social Networking Websites |
A Social Networking Website focuses on building online communities of people who share interests and/or activities, or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Social Networking Websites allow users to stay in touch and share information with friends, family, and other community members via the Internet using profile pages. User profile pages include biographical information, pictures, videos, personal interests, blogs, etc. and can be open to the public for viewing or closed so only specified individuals can view them. Users can create friends lists which include only those users that they want to communicate and share profile information with.
Social Networking Websites are a great way to create new relationships / friendships with like-minded people who have similar interests. Because Social Networking is builted around the notion of community connections, recommendations from friends is an important part of this eco-system as our friends and family are the main influencers of what we do and consume. Social Networks are being used for getting information on jobs, what movies to buy, what music to listen, and anything else friends, family, and community members recommend to other users. Over the past few years, Social Networking has gone from generic websites which try to cater to all types of users, to more targeted services catering to specific groups / verticals. For example, their are Social Networking Websites exclusively for business professionals, Social Networking Websites for parents, Social Networking Websites for College Students, etc. These targeted websites provide more tools and features catered towards those audiences and provide more in-depth, revelant information for that specific group. |
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Video Sharing Websites |
Video Sharing Websites allow users to upload video content that can be shared with other users via the Internet / Web. Video Sharing Websites offer user's profile pages, similar to Social Networking Websites, whereby their videos can be posted and rated by other users, get feedback on quality and other video aspects, and share information about the video. Video sharing is based on community distribution of video content so Video Sharing Websites make it easy for users to share their video content / clips with other users by providing features such as links directly to the videos, code that allows them to embed the video in their own webpages, and other ways for sharing. Some Video Sharing Websites offer ways for content owners to generate revenue by paying them for each video they submit or by sharing a percentage of the advertising revenue generated from users viewing their videos.
Video Sharing Websites offer all types of content including comedy, conferences, commercials, home video clips, movies, TV shows, music videos, and other content types. Videos offered are both short and long and can be anywhere from 10 seconds to many hours per video clip. Most Video Sharing Websites have limits of the time / size of each video file and average clips are less than 5 minutes in length.
Video Sharing Websites take the uploaded content from users and store it on their servers. Once on their servers, they can stream (view the video without actually downloading it to their hard drive) the content to other users. Because video clips are large in size and take up a large amount of computer hard drive space, many users use Video Sharing Websites to not only share their videos, but to store them. Streaming videos is also complicated and expensive so Video Sharing Websites help users get around those problems and expenses by taking care of hosting and streaming of video content. |
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Musician / Artist / Band Services Websites |
Musician / Artist /Band Service Websites provide tools to musicians that help them further their careers and create better music. These services range from online promotion, to selling music online, to hosting websites that allow musicians to manage their fan clubs more effectively. Artist / Musician / Band services websites offer various features and most are based around a band / artist profile page which includes photos, biographical information, a listing of songs, tour dates, news / events, videos, and other things fans may want to know or see related to the band / artist. Musician / Artist services allow the the band / artist to create revenue streams from their music and offer ways to sell the actual music via CD or digital download, sell their videos, sell merchandise (T-shirts, mugs, key-chains, posters), sell concert tickets, and other revenue generative items. Some services also provide additional services including building websites, duplicating CDs, career development advice / tips, song licensing assistance, and more.
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Digital Music Websites |
Digital Music Sites allow consumers to stream (listen without downloading to their PCs) or download (save on their PC's or portable devices) all forms of music. Streaming music is becoming increasingly popular as these services allow the user to stream an unlimited amount of music for one price (monthly or yearly subscription fee). These services are great for users who just want to listen to music and don't have the need to own the file or use it on a portable device such as a phone or MP3 player. Some services offer the ability to download the actual music and pay a fee per song (typically around $0.99 per song). These services are more for users who need to own the actual song file and port it to portable devices such as phones and MP3 players for listing. Because both of these service types are popular, many Digital Music Websites offer both options so that users can choose which is best for them.
Digital Music Websites offer a wide variety of music with some services having libraries with over 6 million songs. Because the Internet of becoming more communal and recommendation driven, many Digital Music Websites are building communities and recommendation services that help users decide which music to listen to. Community driven features include user-generated playlists (collections of songs created by users), user reviews / ratings, user recommendations, and other user-to-user interactivity are driving music discovery across the web. |
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Blogging Websites |
Blogging Websites allow users and businesses to create and manage their blogs (web logs). Web logs are (or blogs) are written by individuals to discuss specific topics or personal diaries for others to read and comment on. Blogs written by individuals are usual personal and topical diaries that allow them to publish content easily on the web. Each ""entry"" or addition to a blog is called a post. Businesses use blogs for the same purposes however instead of personal diaries and posts, businesses focus on things happening within the business and their products and services.
Blog Websites provide various tools for blog publishers to use that allow them to easily create, monitor, and promote their blogs across the Internet. Some of these features include HTML mark-up (adding formatting and traditional HTML tags to posts), adding videos and pictures to posts, submitting posts to search engines and blog directories so other readers can possibly see your blog, traffic statistics tools to monitor traffic and the the number of subscribers to a blog feed, and many other tools. |
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DVD Rental Websites |
Online DVD Rental Websites allow users to rent DVDs through the web. The services allow users to choolse which movies they want through a website via an online que and the DVDs arrive in the mail in 2-5 days. Once the user watches the DVDs, they put them back in the mail to be returned to the service provider. The Online DVD service then ships the next DVD in the user's que and the user receives it.
Online DVD Rental Websites / Services provide many tools and features for easy movie browsing and discovery of new content. Some of these features include user reviews and ratings which allows users to see the highest rated movies chosen by the community, additional content about movies which includes stars and co-stars, movie descriptions, key scenes, etc. A growing number of service providers are offering streaming clips of the DVDs users can rent so that they can view a sneak peak in order to help them choose DVDs. |
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Skill Gaming / Cash Games Websites |
Skill Gaming Websites, also called cash games or cash competitions websites, allow users to play games of skill against other players of similar skill and win cash and other prizes. Games of skill / skill games, unlike gambling, are legal because there is a predominant element of skill vs chance in determining the outcome of the game. Games of skill incorporate variables that eliminate ""luck"" or chance including timers / speed, knowledge, hand-eye movements, etc. Games of skill are legal in most states in the US and overseas.
Games of skill include many of the classic favorites such as card games (Solitaire, Rummy, etc.), puzzle games (Bejeweled, Blocks, etc.), word games (Scabble, WordWorm, etc.). Skill gaming websites offer many types of tournament formats including limited tournaments and progressive tournaments. Limited tournaments allow a specific number of tournament entrants (i.e. 2, 4, 6) and close when the last player has played. The winner is decided by the player with the highest score and all money wagered, minus the house rake %, is awarded to the winning spot (s). Progressive tournaments allow users to enter the tournament with no entrant limits however there is an entry deadline. As players enter the tournament, the prize pool increases and winning positions are paid out once the end date is reached and the higher scores are tabulated. |
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Maps/Driving Direction Websites |
Maps/Driving Directions Websites give users suggestions regarding which routes to take when traveling and the overall mapping of particular regions. Some services give multiple ways to analyze mapped areas including traditional mapping, satellite mapping, traffic assessment, and many other techniques that help users get to where they are going. The simply goal of these services to help people get to where they want to go and / or to see the location of a particular destination.
Mapping services have evolved over the past few years by providing much easier ways to map and recieve map related information. Send to phone technology provides users with easy access to critical driving directions while on the road via their mobile / cell phones. Mapping services are also creating communities around map related data by allowing users to create personalized maps such as gas stations near their homes, positions of relatives in their cities, etc. |
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Fantasy Football Websites |
Fantasy Football Websites allow consumers to create and/or participate in Fantasy Football leagues with the public or within a closed group of friends. Fantasy Football is a game that allows users to create football teams using players from all NFL teams (any player can be selected for any team). Once a roster is created, each team is judged based on the performance of their players each week. There are many ways to win a game each week with the two most popular methods being weekly head-to-head match-ups and weekly high point gainers. In weekly head-to-head match-ups, teams are matched up against other teams in the league and the team whose players perform best each week and accumulate the most points win the head-to-head match-up. The team with the best record at the end of the season enter the play-offs and have a chance to win the league. With weekly point accumulation, no match-ups are involved and the teams simply accumulate points each week. The teams with the highest points at the end of the season make it to the playoffs and have a chance to win the league.
Fantasy Football Leagues have evolved over the past several years and offer lots of features and complimentary content to help players including video analysis by professionals, roster recommendations based on community activity, team and player news, and more. |
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Search Engine Websites |
Search engines are the gateways to the Internet and allow users to search for anything that the Internet has to offer. Search engines create digital robots called Spiders that go out and index web pages all over the Internet. Index simply means store the location of and sometimes the actual page itself. Once pages are indexed (or known) by the Search Engine, users are able to search for information using those pages. Search engines allow users to type in what they are looking for (search query) and the search engine then scours the billions of indexed pages on the web returning those pages that match the users search query.
Search engines have evolved significantly over the past several years from really simply results that simply match keywords from the users query with keywords on the pages to more sophisticated algorithms that match a users query with pages that are ranked, scored, and utilize more than just keywords used in a query. Some of the more recent search engines are incorporating human-edited search results which allow users themselves to affect the results generated by search engines based on the accuracy of search results.
Search engines offer complimentary search related services including directories, and anything else that helps consumers find what they need on the Internet. |
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Music Discovery / Recommendations Websites |
Music Discovery Websites allow users to discover and research music in ways that traditional digital music sites have not allowed. The core goal of these services is based on recommending music to consumers that they would have normally not found through traditional listening activity or research. Music Discovery is simply finding new music through any means which can includes friends recommendations, community recommendations, algorithm recommendations based on your listening activity, or recommendations based on any type of quantitative or qualitative variable.
Most Music Discovery Websites are based on communal recommendations incorporating social networking features such as friends lists, reviews, user-generated playlists and profile pages. Some Music Discovery Websites offer plugins that integrate with a user's media player and track listening habits. The data collected from these plugins is then used to recommend music based on what the user listened to, liked, or disliked. Associations are then created by the Music Discovery Websites such as users who liked this song, also liked this song or artists similar to a particular artist you liked or listened to. |
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Trading Community Websites |
Trading Community Websites allow users to trade items they own such as video games, DVDs, CDs, etc. with other users through the web. These services provides users with an inexpensive way to find those items they want without technically buying the items with cash (traded for other items). Trading Community Websites focus on the oldest transaction type know to humans, the barter. The exchange of goods and services without the use of cash.
Trading Community Websites focus on building communities around certain items and only thrive when enough owners of a particular item are matched with enough users who want the items. Without one or the other, the service fails as users will find it hard to find items they want and to trade the items they own. |
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Vlogging Websites |
Vlogging Sites are similar to Blogging Websites however Vlogging entails using Video to express comentary as opposed to written, more editorial commentary. Vlogging services allow consumers to upload and manage all Vlog communications just as Blogging Websites offer. Vlogging Websites allow users and businesses to create and manage their video blogs. Video blogs are (or vlogs) are produced by individuals to discuss specific topics or personal diaries for others to view, listen to, and comment on. Vlogs written by individuals are usual personal and topical diaries that allow them to publish content easily on the web. Each ""entry"" or addition to a vlog is called a post. Businesses use vlogs for the same purposes however instead of personal diaries and posts, businesses focus on things happening within the business and their products and services.
Vlog Websites provide various tools for vlog publishers to use that allow them to easily create, monitor, and promote their blogs across the Internet. Some of these features include HTML mark-up (adding formatting and traditional HTML tags to posts), adding videos and pictures to posts, submitting posts to search engines and vlog directories so other readers can possibly see your vlog, traffic statistics tools to monitor traffic and the the number of subscribers to a vlog feed, and many other tools. |
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Social Bookmarking Websites |
Social Bookmarking Websites allow consumers to bookmark websites on the Web using tags and other forms of categorization. Bookmarking is when a user saves a link to a webpage These bookmarks are available for the user anywhere in the world through with a web browser and an Interent connection. Social Bookmarking Websites also allow the bookmark owners to share his/her bookmarks with others, thus creating a discovery engine for new websites.
Tags, or keywords, allow users to describe / categorize a specific bookmark for easy filing and finding later. Tagging is a form of taxonomy and is a non-hierarchical keyword or term describing to a piece of information (such as a website link, photo, or file on a computer). Social Bookmarking Websites allow all users to tag websites as they see fit and this collection of tags is known as a folksonomy.
Social Bookmarking is slowly becoming common place as web surfers are flooded with new websites and media such as videos, pictures, and music. Social Bookmarking Websites provide convenience for users that want to store their bookmarks but don't want to be tied to viewing their bookmarking on one computer. Social Bookmarking allow access from any computer as long as their is a web browser and an Internet connection.
Social Bookmarking Websites began as a way for those in the educational field to share data and sources of information with others however it has evolved into a mass consumer service that is beneficial to all web surfers. Current service providers are focusing more on community features such as sharing bookmark lists and providing recommendations. |
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Movie Downloading Websites |
Movie download sites allow consumers to download full length movies and/or TV shows. Typically, you can either purchase the movie outright and always have access or you can rent the media which means access for only a specified period. |
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Personal Start Page Websites |
Personal start page sites allow users to create personal start pages that incorporate information that helps them centralize major content types like news, favorite sites / bookmarks, etc.. These sites try to get consumers to make these personal start pages their home page and gateway into all of their daily Interent activities. |
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File Hosting Websites |
File hosting sites allow users to upload and store various file types including videos, photos, documents, etc. These services free up space on user hard drives by allowing them to virtually store their files. |
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Mobile Video Applications |
Mobile video applications allow cell phone users to upload, share, and view video content through their cell phones. |
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Video Search Websites |
Video search sites allow users to search for video content across multiple video sites (not just one site). |
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Video Mash-up Websites |
Video mash-up sites allow users to create video collages by using different pieces of video, photo, and music content to create a mash-up. A video mash-up uses various components or clips from other media sources including video clips, music, photos and creates an ""original"" work that is considered a derivative of the original pieces. Video mash-ups are used by many users to refurbish old media and create a cool new work or art.
Many companies such as record labels and photo companies allow users to utilize their works for use in video mash-ups to create visibility and renew interest in their older, works. Video mash-ups are similar to music remixes in that there are a considerable amount of the original work but things are different enough and enough new pieces are added that it feels like a new creation. |
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Audio / Video Converter Websites |
Audio / Video converter sites allow users to convert their audio and video files from one video format to another. Standard video file formats include MOV, WMV, MPEG4, FLV, and others. Audio file formats include MP3, WMA, AAC, and others which allow users to play the audio files on multiple playback devices (i.e. CD players, iPods, car radios, etc.). |
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Video Editing / Editor Websites |
Video editing / editor sites allow users to edit their videos for publishing. Editing can include adding sound, cutting out video clips, re-arranging clips, adding captions, adding photos, and many other editing tools. |
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Internet / Web Radio Websites |
Interent radio / web radio websites allow users to stream (not download) programmed music using their computers just as they would listen to the radio in their automobiles. Internet radio sites offer all types of radio station formats ranging from independent (non-major label) music to Top 40 Pop music. |
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Music Collaboration Websites |
Music collaboration, or ejamming sites, allow musicians/artists to colloborate through the web to create or edit musical compositions. |
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Karaoke Websites |
"Online Karaoke Sites allow users to sing along to their favorite songs and record karaoke tracks to share with friends, family, and other community members.
Karaoke performers choose from the site’s library of songs and then record their vocal track through their computer’s microphone (or a microphone connected to their computer) as the song’s lyrics are displayed on their computer screen. Performers can then choose to share their recordings with friends or community members. The tracks that are available to be heard by community members can be rated and usually top rated tracks are featured on the site."
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Music Remixing Websites |
Music Remixing Sites allow artists to create, mix and edit music through a web-based interface without the need for large, downloadable software. Users can create original mixes or re-mix other community members' recordings. Users can then share their remixes with family, friends or the community.
Users can upload their own tracks, however with Music Remixing Sites, users are not required to have any recording equipment because they can utilize instruments, sounds or tracks available within the site’s existing library. In addition to uploading, recording and mixing, users can utilize community aspects of the sites to discover new music, get their music discovered or make new friends. |
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Mobile Music Services |
Mobile Music Services allow users to download or stream music tracks to their mobile phones. In order to get the music onto cell phones, users can download or stream tracks directly from their music service provider, or "side load" tracks. Side loading enables users to transfer songs from their PCs onto their cell phones.
Depending upon the terms of the service, users may pay on a per-track basis, or subscribe to a monthly or annual contract. Digital music downloaded from mobile music services usually comes with Digital Rights Management (DRM), enabling the user to only play the music from their mobile phone, and in some cases, their PC. |
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Song / Artist Database Websites |
Song / Artist Database Sites allow users to find music related data, including information on songs, artists and bands. These databases include everything from artist biographies and discographies to genres info and related artists.
Visitors to these sites can conduct a search on the site to find particular information of interest (ie. What year did the Beatles release Let It Be?), or “surf” the site to discover new music and artists. |
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Music Lyric Websites |
Simply put, Music Lyric Sites provide the lyrics to songs. All of the lyrics (words) to songs are provided, and may include other related song data, such as song release date and artist information.
Music Lyric Sites may also provide additional services such as ringtone downloads, music-related forums and links to sheet music or sites where the track may be purchased. |
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Music Search Engines |
Music Search Engines allow users to search for music on multiple networks in order to purchase, download and/or stream the music. As these search engines specialize in music search, they typically provide better search results than other generic web search engines.
Users simply type in the name of a song or artist and the search engine returns links to pages where the requested song, or songs by the requested artist can be purchased, downloaded or streamed. These sites may also provide other information such as a song preview, links to music videos and track information. |
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Music News & Info Websites |
Music News and Info Sites provide information on what's happening in the music industry or around the music industry, including news, gossip, reviews, chart rankings and editorial.
Utilized by both fans and industry employees, these sites give insight into current events and issues surrounding the industry, as well as features on artists/bands. In addition to news and current events, many of these sites also maintain libraries of music-related content, such as artist biographies, music videos, editorial archives, song downloads and lyrics. |
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Photo Editor / Editing Websites |
Online photo editor / editing sites allow users to edit their personal photos for publishing. Editing can include clipping (cutting unecessary portions, adding captions, changing resolution, changing colors, and many other editing functions. |
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Photo Sharing Websites |
Photo sharing sites allow users to upload their personal photos and share them with friends, family, or other community members. These sites also allow other users to rate and add comments to photos from other users. |
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Photo Hosting Websites |
Photo hosting services allow users to store all of their photos online without the need to use their computer disk space. Users can simply upload their photos or albums and have access to them from any computer with an Internet connection by logging into their photo hosting account. |
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Photo Mash-up Websites |
Photo mash-up sites allow users to create photo collages (or scrapbooks) using their photos or photos from other users. Mash-ups utilize different photos and music content to create a unique piece of photo art for personal use and/or sharing. |
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Mobile Photo Websites |
Mobile photo services allow users to upload, view, and share photos using their cell phones. |
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Photo Mixing & Slideshow Websites |
Photo mixing and slideshow sites allow users to create interactive slideshows of their personal photos and share them with friends, family, and community members. |
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Photo Search Websites |
Photo search sites allow users to search for photos on multiple networks. Searching across multiple networks allows for more efficient search results as relying on results from one site or service. These services typically provide better search results for photos than typical search engines. |
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Stock Photo Websites |
Stock photo sites allow users to search for and/or purchase stock photos, photos specifically created for use by third-party use. Typical stock photo use includes using photos for website pictures, photo mash-ups, etc. Stock photos allow users to obtain high quality photos specifically designed for personal and commercial use without the need to take the photos themselves. |
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Photo Printing/Book Creation Websites |
Photo printing sites allow users to manage their photo libraries and manage photo printing using their home printers. Printing sites provide users with features designed to make photo printing very easy including frame templates, print out previews, printing captions, etc. |
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Web Browsers |
Web browsers allow users to surf the web. Web browsers translate web page and graphics code to create what you see, a legible webpage. Web browsers are a user's eyes for viewing the web. |
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Browser Toolbars |
Browser toolbars are extensions of web browsers and add additional functionality to the web surfing experiece. Toolbars allow users to do things such as bookmark webpages, send content to friends, see information on websites, and a ton of other value added functionality for surfing the web. |
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Email Services |
Email services allow users to create and manage their personal email accounts. Email services allow users to choose an email address and subsequently send and recieve emails to and from that address. |
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Document Sharing Websites |
Document sharing sites allow users to create, edit, and send various types of documents via the web. Instead of being forced to use an installed program only available on a specific PC, online document sharing sites allow users to create and manage documents from any PC with an Internet connection (no download or install needed). Types of documents include spreadsheets, presentations, etc. |
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Calendar Websites |
Online calendars allow users to create, edit, and send calendar appointment invites via the web. Instead of being forced to use an installed program only available on a specific PC, online calendars allow users to create and manage their calendars from any PC with an Internet connection (no download or install needed). |
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Contact Management Websites |
Online contact management sites allow users to create, edit, and organize their personal contacts via the web. Instead of being forced to use an installed program only available on a specific PC, online contact management sites allow users to manage their personal contacts from any PC with an Internet connection (no download or install needed). |
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Domain Name Services |
Domain name services allow users to buy domain names for personal or commercial use. |
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Instant Messenger Services |
Instant messengers allow users to communicate with other users in real-time via a messenger client using short text messages. With instant messenging, both users type into a visible interface and are able to see the other person's messages as well as interact in other ways such as mics/voice, webcams, sounds, emoticons, etc. |
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Wiki Info Websites |
Wiki information sites provide users with basic forms of information through the use of wikis, which are human edited pieces of information. Wikis use the power of the masses concept to allow users to create and modify each others content indefinitely. |
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Web Hosting Services |
Web hosting services allow users to host their domain names and websites. Users simply upload their webpage content to the web host and manage their webpages using online tools provided by the web host. Web hosts are the platforms (the land) by which the webpage (the house) is built on with the domain name acting as the address for the house and the land. |
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Web Traffic Stat Services |
Web traffic stat services allow users to get traffic and activity statistics and information on websites. These services typically provide information such as how many people visit a given site over a specific period, what sections of the site users use, how long they stay on sites, and other useful information. |
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Job / Employment Websites |
Job / Employment sites help users find jobs and helps employers find prospective new hires. |
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Dating Websites |
Online dating sites help users find companions, whether short-term or long-term. These sites try to play match-maker by bring together potential mates that are looking for certain qualities or relationship types. |
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Travel Websites |
Online travel sites help users find and book travel including airfare, car rentals, hotels, activities, etc. |
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Video Game Rental Websites |
Online video game rental sites allow users to rent video games online similiar to DVD rentals. You simply que up the games you want and the games are shipped to you and arrive usually within a week. Most services allow users to rent multiple games at a time and ship out new games once the others are mailed back in. |
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Ringtone Services |
Ringtone services allow users to purchase and download ringtones for their mobile / cell phones. |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs) |
Internet Service Providers allow users to get on the Internet. These services own the "pipes" to allow you to connect to their network of "pipes" and gain access to the Internet which enables web surfing, email, and any other Internet related activity. |
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Satellite Radio Services |
These services allow users to listen to music via satellite radio signals which offers a more customized, non-mainstream listening experience that includes both music and talk radio. Satellite radio can be listened to from a car or using a small portable radio with a satellite receiver. Satellite radio services also offer streaming (and sometimes purchase) of the songs via the Internet. |
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Media Players |
Media players allow users to play media (music, videos, etc.) on their PC or Mac computers. They offer the ability to manage your media files and in some cases, the ability to create and edit media. |
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Music Tabs / Sheet Music Services |
Sheet Music/Tabs Sites offer musicians (and aspiring musicians) music tablature (tabs), songbooks and sheet music to playing original or existing songs. Users may use the site’s search feature to find music by artist, song or even genre. The sheet music or tabs are then delivered via a web page on the site, through downloadable content, on CD/DVD or mailed as a book.
Some sites may focus on music for a specific instrument, such as guitar, while others may offer content for a wide variety of instruments. Additional features for these sites may include instrument lessons, musician resources, and wish lists.
Issues regarding the publishing rights of free tablature sites were raised by the music industry, as original songwriters were not receiving royalties from the ad revenue generated from “free tab” sites. In 2005 distributing free tablature of copyrighted music using the Internet was considered illegal by the music industry. Although most sites charge for their products and give royalties back to music publishers, some still operate utilizing user-contributed content and claim to have servers outside of legal boundaries. |
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Video Game Information Websites |
These site help video gamers find information for their favorite games. This information includes game maps, hints, cheats, tips, recommendations, and any other information that help them play better. |
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Product / Service Reviews Websites |
These services provide users with information and reviews on various types of products and services including electronics, technology, websites, restaurants, companies, etc. |
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Online Ad Servers |
Online Ad Server Services provide software to web sites and advertisers to serve ads, count them, choose the ads that will make the website or advertiser the most money, and monitor progress of different advertising campaigns. |
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Affiliate Program Websites |
Online Affiliate Programs provide website owners a way to generate revenue by placing advertisements from third-party affiliates on their website. |
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Email Service Providers (ESPs) |
Email Service Providers provide businesses with email marketing services that range from email delivery systems, to email tracking, to email creation services. |
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CRM Services |
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Providers allow businesses to communicate with customers and manage their customer service and customer information infrastructure. |
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Incentives / Promotions Websites |
Incentive / Promotions Sites allow users to acquire rewards and other forms of coupons / incentives simply for performing certain actions such as registering for a partner product, opening emails, visiting a partners website, etc. |
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Press Release Distribution Services |
Press Release Distribution Services allow businesses and individuals to distribute their press releases to a network of editorial and media outlets. Some services also provide assistance in the creation of the press release and tracking of press release performance. |
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Fax Services |
Online Fax Services allow businesses and individuals to send and recieve faxes via the web, without the need for a physical fax machine. |
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Search Engine Submission Websites |
Search Engine Submission Services submit websites to search engine networks so that those websites show up when people search using those engines. Search engine submission is a critical part of search engine optimization. |
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Website Template Services |
Website Templates Services provide businesses and individuals with templates to easily build and manage their websites. These templates come pre-created and require little work after the template is purchased. |
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Movie Ticket Websites |
Online Movie Ticket Sites allow users to purchase tickets online and also get information on movies including showtimes, reviews, theatre info, etc. |
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Auction / Marketplace Websites |
Online Auction / Marketplace Sites allow businesses and individuals to buy and sell goods via an auction / bidding format and through traditional purchase systems. |
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Dieting Websites |
Dieting Sites help consumers create and manage their diets by providing tools and information that range from calorie monitoring tools, height to weight recommendations, food recommendations, etc.. |
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Real Estate Services
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Real Estate Sites help users find and evaluate real estate properties. |
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Online Advertising Services |
Online Advertising Services allow businesses to advertise their products to users and allow publishers to advertise 3rd party products on their websites. |
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News Websites |
News sites provide users and businesses with up-to date news and press on a variety of categories and industries. |
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Question / Answer Websites |
Question / Answer Sites allow users to get answers to difficult questions that traditional search engines and other online resources have problems answering. Users are allowed to ask the community questions and community members then post answers to the question. |
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Shopping Websites |
Online Shopping Sites allow users to purchase good and services via the Internet. |
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Directory Websites |
Directories allow users to find listings of various products, services, and/or persons in an organized, hierchical format. |
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Web Analytics Services |
Web Analytics services allow businesses to measure and analyze traffic to their websites. |
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Events (Things to Do) Websites |
Event sites allow users to find events to attend and in some cases, purchase the tickets to those events. Events can cover a number of things to do including concerts, plays, conferences, movie screenings, etc. |
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Online Brokerage / Trading Websites |
Online Brokerage / Trading allow users and businesses to buy and sell stocks on various stock exchanges in the US and / or abroad. All transactions are facilitated through the web so no contact with a broker is needed to buy or sell stocks. |
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Casual Game Websites |
Casual Game Sites allow users to play their favorite casual games by themselves or against other players. Casual games include puzzle games, card games such as Solitaire, multi-player games such as pool, and many others. |
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Casino / Gambling Websites |
Casino / Gambling Sites allow users to wager cash on games of chance such as BlackJack, Craps, slots, and others. |
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Poker Websites |
Poker sites allow users to play poker for free and for cash against other players across the world. |
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RSS Reader Websites |
RSS readers allow users to amalgamate feeds (content streams) from their favorite websites. RSS Readers grab the feed / content from your selected sites and displays it all in one place. |
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Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing Websites |
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) file sharing sites allow users to download and share digital files over the Internet. Peer-to-Peer sites allow users to connect to either central computers or directly to other user computers for the purpose of file sharing.
P2P networks are based upon a distributed architecture. In pure P2P networks, each user becomes a “node” of the network, acting both as a client and as a server, while connecting to other nodes in the network. Each node utilizes its own resources (such as storage and bandwidth), thus as more nodes are added to the network, the total resources available in the network increases.
P2P networks are often used to legally share various types of digital files, however, early lawsuits over copyrighs (of music, movies and software) sometimes shared over these networks have caused some of the earlier P2P networks, such as Napster, to charge for services pay royalties to copyright holders. |
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Background Music Services |
Background Music Services (a.k.a. in-store music) provide businesses with audio/music and messaging solutions. Most providers offer digital music and messaging solutions through a host of web-based management tools and deliver the content via the Internet, satellite communications, and / or physical CDs.
Background Music Services can be utilized via many customer touch points including “in-store” music and “on-hold” music for telephone inquiries. Additionally, Background Music Services provide a legal means to broadcast music to customers and ensure all music copyright holders are compensated.
Over the past few years, Background Music Services has evolved considerably, with providers offering advanced features as customized programming to suit each customer’s unique brand, timed/by-store programming and near real-time messaging options.
Background Music services allow companies to build their in-store experience through music and create targeted advertising and promotions while shopping or while on hold. |
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Online Back-up Services |
Online back-up services allow users to back-up their computer data using the web instead of using typical hardware like external / portable drives. Online back-up services allow users to easily store and back-up their data without the need for hardware or software installs. |
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Online Donation Sites |
Online Donation sites allow users, corporations, and foundations to make donations to worthy causes via the Internet. These services are for profit and non-profit organizations that focus on helping various causes with fundraising and raising awareness for causes. |
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Event / Party Planning Websites |
Event / Party Planning Websites help organize all of the essential aspects of event planning from RSVPs, to location details, to invites. |
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Ad Insertion Services |
Ad Insertion Services allow publishers to insert ads before certain types of media are delivered. Ad Insertion services insert ads before video content, music, video games, and any other form of media that is conducive to advertising. |
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Online Advertising Networks |
Online Advertising Networks are collections of websites that pool together advertising inventory for the purpose of selling it to 3rd parties advertisers. Online ad networks provide advertisers with the ability to sell excess inventory and provide publishers with the opportunity to run ads from 3rd party websites. |
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Reputation / Buzz Monitoring Services |
Online Reputation / Buzz Monitoring Services provide companies with analytics and tools that help measure activity around their brand and / or social media campaigns. These tools monitor social media touch points such as social networks, microblogging services, blogs and other areas and try to quantify activity. |
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Social Network Aggregation Services |
Social Network Aggregation Services allow users to manage all of the information from their social networks in one place. Social network aggregators try to eliminate the need to go to each individual network by providing tools that allow users to modify their profile pages, updates, message their friends, and perform other functions. Users update their information one time and the information is syndicated to all of the social networks that the user specifies. |
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Application Hosting Services |
Application Hosting Services allow users to use software and other applications without the need to download them to their local machines. Application hosting services store software and applications on their networks and allow full functionality once a user is connected to the provider. |
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Micro-blogging Services |
Micro-blogging services are similar to blogs with the distinct difference being that messages are typically short in length (less words / characters). Similar also to short-messaging, microblogging allows users to update their friends and the broader community with very frequent, very short microblog posts. Microblogging is very useful for mobile phone users who only want to send short messages. |
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Twitter Applications / Tools |
Twitter Applications / Tools allow users to perform various tasks and functionality utilizing the Twitter, micro-blogging service. Twitter tools / add-ons help users fully extend the power of Twitter by offering different ways to tweet, send various types of media, create revenue streams from Twitter networks, and more. |
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Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games |
Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games allow users to play games simultaneously with multiple players over the Internet. Players are allowed to create characters and use their characters to carry out various tasks inside the virtual community in the form of role playing. Popular genres of multiplayer online role playing games include science fiction and fantasy. |
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Online / Virtual Meeting Services |
Online Meeting Services allow users to hold meetings virtually using video conferencing and screen sharing tools. Online meetings allow users and companies to collaborate without the need to physically be in the same location. |
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Social Media Campaign Tracking |
Social Media Campaign Tracking Services allow provide companies with analytics and tools that help measure social media campaigns such as viral videos. |
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Social Sharing Tools |
Social Sharing Tools allow publishers place widgets on their pages that users can share with their social networks, friends, and colleagues. These sharing tools / widgets allow users to easily share content such as webpages, videos, blog posts, etc. within a few clicks. |
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Browser Toolbars |
Browser Toolbars help users browse the web by extending their web browser functionality. Browser Toolbars add functionality such as the ability to bookmark pages, write reviews post ratings of their favorite content, communicate with their friends, receive information about the pages they view, and other features that most browsers that provide. |
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Web Page Building / Creation Tools |
Web Page Building / Creation Tools help users create fully functional web pages using simply tool and interfaces. Web page creation tools users with little HTML or coding experience to build compelling web pages / web sites. |
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Widget Building /Creation Tools |
Widget Building / Creation Tools help users create fully functional Widgets using simply tool and interfaces. Widget creation tools users with little HTML or coding experience to build compelling Widgets / web sites. |
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Magazine Websites |
Magazine Websites are the online versions of traditional magazines. Magazine websites allow users to read their favorite stories, sometimes without the need to subscribe to the actual print magazine. Some magazine websites are web only, meaning they have no offline physical magazine. |
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User Commenting Tools |
User Commenting Tools allow website owners / publishers to capture user comments. User Commenting tools provide management tools for editing and monitoring comments |
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Personal Finance Tools / Websites |
Personal finance tools / applications help users manage their financial assets via the web. They offer budgeting tools, advice, expense management tools, and other functionality that helps users organize their financial well being.
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Micro-blog Syndication / Aggregator Services |
Micro-blog Syndication / Aggregator Services allow users to post short messages / status updates (micro-blogs) to multiple services with one post. These services also help users organize their micro-blogs in place and update multiple services at one time.
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User-Generated Product Websites |
User-Generated Product Websites allow users to create, sell, and buy "print on-demand" products such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, hats, clocks, etc.. |
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