NewsDecember 19, 2000
SURFERS RANK TOP SITES FOR 2000
Can you believe it? The Year 2000 is drawing to a close. And what a year it was in terms of the World Wide Web. It was a year of political uncertainty -- and people turned to the Web in record numbers to follow the winners. It was a year of music turmoil -- as Napster became infamous in the music swapping business. ...
Can you believe it? The Year 2000 is drawing to a close. And what a year it was in terms of the World Wide Web.
It was a year of political uncertainty -- and people turned to the Web in record numbers to follow the winners. It was a year of music turmoil -- as Napster became infamous in the music swapping business. It was a year that some Internet companies grew by leaps and bounds, and others were kicked off the island and landed in the Cyberspace graveyard. Certainly the term DotCom became a term more well-known this year as more people surfed and e-mailed.
One of the top-attended chats for the year was with President Bill Clinton, and even the Census Bureau let surfers answer short-forms over the Internet.
Webcasts, e-books and e-commerce. Can you believe that most of us hadn't even heard of the Internet five years ago?
So let's take a look at the top-traveled Internet sites in 2000. Have you visited them? If not, join the crowd and make it your New Year's resolution to surf on by in 2001.
These sites were determined by Jupiter Media Metrix, with the categories of Film and Music added by Yahoo! Internet Life.
OVERALL
For many, Yahoo was one of the first guides of the Internet, and it remains so today. Perhaps its popularity lies in the fact Yahoo continues to change and add new services.
The company was started as a hobby for two doctoral candidates in electrical engineering at Stanford University. They started Yahoo in April 1994 as a way to keep track of their personal interests on the Internet.
In 1995, the two were invited to move their files to the larger computers housed at Netscape, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Of course, Yahoo remains a good directory listing if you're searching for something on the Internet. But it's also much more. It's a gathering place for people, places and events. You can get free e-mail or a desktop messager service. You can read the news or even use enhanced Yahoo! Astrology to "find astrologically correct gifts."
It's a hub for information, shopping and even short films. And this Internet leader is going to continue to grow and lead the pack.
NEWS/INFORMATION
This is a great place to find out information about nearly anything. Started in 1997, the goal was to develop an information network using people. It's been a great success. One in five online users visit "About" each month, making it one of the most popular destinations on the Net.
Experts from 20 countries write the guides, which are the heart and soul of "About." They are informational and very helpful.
The information is arranged by topic, but you can also use an internal search engine. You can also find cards, horoscopes, jokes, recipes and more under resources at the top of the page.
ENTERTAINMENT
This is the parent site for those popular programs RealAudio, RealPlayer RealProducer and others. These programs take advantage of Streaming Media. This has really been a boon to the Internet.
Instead of having to download a file to your computer to listen or watch, you can use this technology to appreciate the sounds and sites of the Internet in real time. There's no download wait or file to take up space on your hard disk.
If you ask me, this is one of the top advancements on the Internet. Period.
It has really spoiled surfers who are not a very patience group to begin with.
This technology has lead to online radio stations and Webcasts. It can become an integral part of everyday surfing.
FILM
This remains one of my favorite sites. If you don't have the latest version of Shockwave or Flash, you can update free from this site. Shockwave suggests you have Flash 5 running on your computer to truly appreciate all the sounds, sites and animation that the Internet has to offer.
At the Shockwave site, you'll find games, film trailers, music and greetings. This is your chance if you haven't sent those holiday cards yet. How about sending an animated card?
Shockwave is also making plans to merge with AtomFilms to create what they call "the world's leading next-generation entertainment company."
On the Internet, life is never dull. Things are always changing (or merging).
Under games, you can find arcade classics, arcade action, puzzles, sports, adventure and classics.
There are South Park features for you fans along with The Critic and "Napster Bad."
Under music, you'll find videos, music news and MP3 downloads. There's also Web radio, music mixers and photojam.
MUSIC
Under the music category, check out Launch. It's a great place to go for music videos, video interviews, downloads as well as news and reviews.
You can also listen to preset radio featuring highly rated songs by fans of your favorite artists. I am a little worried by the fact one of these stations is kept alive by Spice Girl fans. Those girls haven't been together for some time.
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Launch boasts of a wide selection of streaming audio, the Web's largest collection of music videos, concert listings, exclusive artist features and chats covering all genres of music.
Launch also "provides members with the tools to create customized Web pages through which they receive music and music-related content personalized to their individualized tastes." I think I'll give it a try.
SPORTS
Now here's a site my husband would love. Actually, I've come to appreciate the wit and wisdom of the people at ESPN over the years. They know their sports, but they also know how to have fun. I like that in a sports fanatic.
The sports are clearly identified and there's lots of information and news here.
On the right hand side, check out their list of the 10 worst Prima Donnas for the year 2000. It's a funny (and just a little bit sad) story.
You can also listen to ESPN's radio or vote on the SportsCenter's Game of the Week.
There's plenty of chat and discussion board opportunities if you want to hook up with other sports lovers.
PERSONAL FINANCE
The folks at Microsoft network bring you the top traveled money site, aptly named Money Central.
You can find money information in lots of categories: investor, banking and bills, retirement and wills, taxes, insurance, saving and spending, family and college, mortgages and loans.
You can get a quick read on the market indexes or checking out the finance highlights -- including a look at the top stocks or breaking news.
There's also a fund directory, which takes a look at the fund families and review their investment objectives.
This is also a good place to do some research on stocks. Their Research Wizard can help you find out such issues as price history, management, risk and comparison when looking to buy a fund.
There's even a fund screener and 401(k) planner -- plenty of stuff to keep investors busy and up to date.
TRAVEL
This is a great site for travelers, with lots of information on places and packages. You can also find such helpful traveler tools as checking flight status, airport information, health and safety concerns, currency converter, mileage tracker, driving directions, weather and travel gear. You can even send e-cards.
There is an express search for flights, hotels and cars where you can do your homework. You can also check out the hottest travel deals.
As a member, you can plan your trips and profile. You can find flight price matching, flight wizard, fare calendar, and fare tracker.
You can even tune in to Expedia Radio.
TECHNOLOGY/NEWS
This is certainly one of my favorite technology sites. It's a great place for information about computers, gadgets and the Internet.
You can find free downloads of popular programs or read product reviews. You can read the latest technology news or dig into the real pros and cons of the newest high-tech gifts.
Make sure to check out the hottest products, and read the reviews.
You can also look over the categories for more information: reviews, business and tech, tech news, gamespot, downloads, electronics, shopping, help and how-tos, investing, tech life, developer and My ZDNet.
AUTO
This site from Kelley Blue Book been one of my favorite Web sites for some time.
It gives you lots of ideas on prices of new and used automobiles. You can put in the details of your used car and your ZIP code, to get an idea of its resale value. Of course, your definition of "excellent condition" and the dealer's may be two different things.
I used this site to read reviews of vans before we purchased our van locally. I felt like I knew more about the make and model we were looking at as well as the competition.
It's very useful.
Well these are just some of the hottest sites for the Year 2000. What were some of your favorite sites? E-mail me at jonia@sehosp.org.
See you in Cyberspace.
Joni Adams is the Webmaster at Southeast Missouri Hospital in Cape Girardeau, www.southeastmissourihospital.com
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