Standpedia, a new site by the makers of Standpoint, lets you contribute to what the makers call, a social encyclopedia of belief. Similar to Standpoint, Standpedia lets you submit a question or belief, add some related information, and then allow others to agree or disagree. But Standpedia takes it a step further by allowing users to make a map of supporting reasons and links for any side of the question. Although Standpedia is fairly new, I can already tell the site is great for not only supporting your beliefs but for learning as well.

The way it works is simple. As a viewer, pick a question on the main page or search about a specific topic and select a question. You will then be directed to a page with the question and reasons/links that other users have added supporting their stand on the question. On the left is an overview of answers as well as latest comments and on the right is a map that allows you to easily view all reasons/links, each connecting to it’s parent reason. Any user can add a supporting reason to an existing reason, linking them together, or add a new reason to the question. Users can also login and add their own question, preferably a controversial one to get users to contribute.

I’ve always liked Standpoint because you can simply signup and share your beliefs in a matter of clicks, although for a more informative and detailed site, Standpedia is the way to go. What makes it so great is that users can add options to a question and users can support them with unlimited reasons. For example, one question asked, “Should we leave Iraq?” Many users added the options (yes, no, etc.), and others added supporting reasons to each option. It’s like an ongoing discussion for each option to the question and makes for a very interesting and informative read. The service is neat, although one problem is getting users to cooperate with relevant information. It’s like a wiki for opinionated questions and there are some questions that have users adding pointless reasons that just clutter the system, although this was to be expected.

View Standpedia - Social Encyclopedia of Belief.

Pandora, known for its online music recommendation radio, has extended its offerings with Backstage, a service that allows listeners to search and learn about artists. In Pandora’s original state, you login and start listening to the online radio as new artist recommendations come in one after the other, but the only problem was that there was no easy way to learn about the artists. Now, while music plays in the Pandora player, users can access the backstage and search for results based on the artist, song, and album that they are listening to.

Searching an artist returns the artists full biography and discography, powered by All Music Guide, as well as a list of similar artists. Furthermore, users can narrow down into artists albums and listen to sample music, learn about the album, and even learn about individual songs from an artist. Users can also bookmark artists to their profile, create a radio station for recommendations, and purchase their music with the iTunes and Amazon buttons on the left of artist biographies.

This is a great move for Pandora. I’m a big fan of music recommendation services, such as Pandora and Last.fm, and until the recent launch of Backstage, Pandora didn’t have any real information to provide its listeners about the artists. Last.fm however has done this for quite some time, but in a more social manor where listeners can improve biographies, tag artists, and even view overall statistics of the artists activity on the service. I don’t know if Pandora is headed in this direction or not, but whatever the case, it is great to finally have a built-in resource to learn about the artists that are being recommended.

(Via Mashable)

ZapZap is a new site built to aggregate channels of podcasts and video in a user-managed podcast episode directory. Although, calling it just a podcast directory does no justice because ZapZap also features digg like qualities where popular episodes are based on the amount of times a user saves an episode to their account. When registering with ZapZap, users are given the ability to “zap” postcasts and videos which will then add them to their “Zaplist”, or in other words, playlist. Everytime a user zaps an episode, ZapZap takes note of it and creates a popular listing of episodes similar to the way Digg works. The one big difference is that ZapZap is a directory and channel aggregator that automatically puts podcasts into the rotation rather then relying on users to submit them.

The main page of ZapZap displays all recently popular episodes, or in other words, episodes that have been added to user Zaplists the most in a specific timeframe. ZapZap also has seperate sections for audio episodes and video episodes where users can filter by category and language as well as an option to view only popular listings. Users can listen to any podcast and watch any video listed on ZapZap without leaving the webite making it easy for anyone to enjoy the episodes whether they have their own podcast player or not. If you listen to a podcast and like it, zap it to your Zaplist so you can listen to it later in the “My Page” section or by syncing it to iTunes or your favorite podcast player.

ZapZap also has a neat feature called AutoZap which can help you keep up to date with your favorite podcast channels. It is basically like subscribing to your favorite channels except it also automatically zaps them to increase the episodes chance of getting on the main page. Simply browse to a channel by going to the Channels section or by selecting the channel name in an individual episode. On the right of the channel page with be a button that says “AutoZap.” Clicking it will add the channels most recent episode to your Zaplist and will zap any new episode that comes in so you wont have to worry about checking back for them. Now I can either use iTunes or a different podcast player to automatically download latest episodes or just browse to the “My Page” section so I can view and listen to the latest episode.

Overall, I like what ZapZap has accomplished and hope it does well. It has turned your average podcast directory into an interactive Digg style site that also provides users a method to manage a playlist of episodes (Zaplist) and sync them to iTunes or other podcast players.

Lasty, If you are a podcaster and want to add your podcasts channel to ZapZap’s directory, you can do so by going to the bottom of any page and selecting, “Add a Channel.”

View ZapZap: Digg Style Podcast and Video Aggregator (via nblog).

I come across many services a day while researching for Solution Watch, and as many of you know, I take a lot of notes to organize my thoughts about them. Until recently, the only method that I used to keep organized with the services I wanted to write about was by reviewing my notes and email, then selecting one from the list. Now, I’ve learned to review all my notes at the end of the day and add each service that I would like to review to an organized to do list.

The problem I was having was that I would write all these notes, but I wouldn’t always get to writing about the services I wanted because sometimes I simply forgot (A Not-To-Do List) or the service got carried to the bottom of my notes archive. I then started to use a to do list and now I am much more organized and every day open my to do list and get a clear overview of what’s on my plate to review. All products are clearly listed all with open check-boxes waiting for me to check them off. I really didn’t think at first something so simple could help so much, but it really did. In fact, even this very post was marked on my to do list to write which I added a couple days ago.

There are a few things I look for when working with an online to do list. I like the service to be clean and organized displaying uncompleted/completed tasks. It also must allow for simple adding and editing of tasks. And lastly, don’t hate me for this, but if I am going to be using this to do list every day for who knows how long, it must be attractive. The way it appears may not matter much to some of you, but it does for me because if I want to get in to the habit of using it, I have to be comfortable when using it. Other then that, any extras are welcome as long as they don’t cause a loss of focus on the to do list itself.

Top 5 To Do Lists: (No Specific Order)

Orchestrate uses a unique method to help you ogranize your to do lists. Rather then simply allowing you to create a list, it lets you create multiple lists each with their own name. Orchestrate then allows you to select the ones you want to see and display them in your little workspace. You can have them all open at once or just a select few, as well as get a basic overview of all lists. Orchestrate has a neat interface with a lot of your usual Web 2.0 type design elements with Ajax and Javascript animations, although it took me a minute to understand how to use it because the way you manage your lists is fairly unique.

Ta-da List, a 37signals product, has always been at the top of my list. It’s strong point is that it’s a to do list and nothing more. It’s clean and simple, gets right to the point, and only provides feature that you actually need. You can create multipe lists and add, edit, re-order, and remove tasks from each list. You also have the ability to share your lists to friend or by using a public address. There’s not much more to it and that is why I like it so much.

Wallnote caught my interest because it allows you to manage your to do list in two ways. You can either access your to do list online at the Wallnote website or you use it on your Windows Desktop. The creator of Wallnote had the idea that, why limit users access to a web browser when they can easily included on their Windows desktop using Windows Active Desktop. It’s a neat idea and effective because when a user starts up their computer, they instantly see the to do list. Wallnote has your basic to do list features where you can add and edit tasks, although the only way to get a task off your to do list is by completing it (no remove option). It also has a little notes area on the left of the task list which I found to be helpful at times.

Remember the Milk is a more feature packed task management solution. It allows you to organize your tasks into tabs and tags, make time specific tasks with automatic reminders and repeat intervals, and even has collaborative features. Remember the Milk may have a lot of functionality, but I felt it did a great job at allowing you to keep the service as simple as you’d like, not making you feel forced to use the extra features. Although, even if you use it with the bare-minimum functionality, you’ll eventually start using all the features. I started testing the service out with my original intent of just using it as a basic to do list without using anything special. As the days passed I found that I started to use the extra features more and more and I found it’s because they really did help me with productivity. Because of this, I decided to make it a top selection.

Rough Underbelly is on my favorites list because it is the only one that really got me motivated to use it. It’s entirely based on the Printable CEO, an idea that has proven to be effective where you give yourself points for completing a task. Rough Underbelly took the Printable CEO a step further and created it into a Ruby on Rails based to do list. You add tasks to your list and set a specific amount of points to each. You can create your own measure of importance for each point amount or use point system provided as example on the left. You then want to make a game out of your list by trying to knock off as many tasks as you can in a day and seeing how high you can get your score. It’s a great feeling completing a task, especially ones with high points!

More Online To Do Lists:

Now, I know many of you know of other to do lists and feel they may be better options then the five I have selected, and that may very well be true. The above five are my personal favorites and everyone has their own preference with these sort of things and because of this, I have decided to list other web-based to do lists that I know of. And yes, I’ve tested every single one and more.

To Do Lists

• Toodledo - On the more advanced end, Toodledo allows you to organize your tasks into different folders or projects, assign due-dates and priorities, and attach notes to tasks. There is also a pro package available.
• TaskThis! - You can create tasks with notes and publish them via RSS, or share them so that others can add/complete tasks on your list. Last I used it, it was running a bit slow, but great functionality wise.
• ListPool - A neat solution that allows you to build your own to do list selecting only the fields you want to add and share them when complete. You can select from preset types of lists or start from scratch.
• TaskFreak! - Although it’s not a hosted solution and requires you install it on your own server, it’s a great system. Features excellent organization, status marking, and priority control. TaskFreak requires PHP and MySQL/SQLite and installation on your server. Online demo available at site.
• Time Tracker - Keep track of the time you spend on any task. Add a task and record time-splits until completing the task. You can also view an overview of total time to complete your tasks.
• voo2do - Advanced task and priority management for busy, ambitious individuals. Features organization by project, deadlines and time tracking, collaborative functionality, and more.
• Tasks - King Design, makers of Feedlounge, offers Tasks, a commercial suite of web-based task management software. Tasks requires installation on your own server and comes in three packages: Tasks, Tasks Jr., and Tasks Pro.
• TaskToy - Todo list service with note taking, bookmarking, and projects. Also gives a lot of options for list items.
• e2doList.com - Allows you to create and manage multiple lists, add notes to individual tasks, share them with others, and set email reminders.
• Sproutliner - a “supercharged structured to-do list” that has the more advanced feel to it. Source is also available.
• Tudu Lists - Nice todo list that has a simplistic style to it and features sharing and cool priority functionality.
• Bla-bla List - Simple and sharable todo lists that uses Macromedia Flash. It also features RSS updates and private sharing.

Online Planners

• Backpack - A 37signals product that is a personal and business information manager. Add notes, create to do lists, and more. The incorporated to do list is almost an exact match of 37signals product, Ta-da list (mentioned in my favorites above).
• Zoho Planner - Right up Backpack’s alley, Zoho Planner is a web based planner that allows you to save notes, create to do lists, and manage files and images.

Start Pages

• Netvibes - Known for its personalized start page, Netvibes provides a great To Do module that allows you to easily add, edit, and remove tasks. If your a Netvibes user, it is a must have.
• Pageflakes - Related to Netvibes, Pageflakes is also a start page that has a great To Do module. The module features add, edit, and remove of tasks as well as setting due dates to each.
• TODO List Google Module - Add a to do list to your Google Personalized start page. Includes simple add, edit, and removal of tasks as well as setting due-dates.

Calendars

• 30 Boxes - Although 30 Boxes is a web based calendar solution, it also features an excellent to do list where you can add, edit, and remove tasks as well as tag them for organization.
• HipCal - HipCal provides a nice task manager on the right column of the calendar. It allows you to add new tasks along with due-dates, priority, and alerts.
• Google Calendar To Do List - Firefox users can setup this neat Greasemonkey script that adds a to do list to your Google Calendar account. Firefox and Greasemonkey extension required.

That about does it for my list! There should be something for everyone in this list and hopefully it will help some of you with productivity. If you know of other to do list solutions, please feel free to share in the comments. Also, if to do lists don’t work out for you, you may be interested in another Solution Watch roundup, Fifty Ways to Take Notes. Lastly, in case anyone is wondering, the to do list that I use is Wallnote. I don’t know what it is, but I just feel comfortable using it.

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Blue Dot is a new service which moved into public beta last week that has the aim of using social networks for sharing digital information. At first glance, I thought it was just another social bookmarking site, although after I played around a bit, I found that it’s much more then that and has some great potential. As Genbeta put it (thank you, Google Translate), it’s more of an aggregator that allows you to track what your friends in your network are bookmarking or “dotting.” With Blue Dot, you can look at multiple friends in your network at once to view, comment, and dot their shared dots. You can also find new friends, invite friends and family to join your network, explore the Blue Dot community of dotted content, and even customize your profile.

Blue Dot has a great looking design and it’s interface is very well laid out making it easy to use and navigate. The main page gets right to it and displays dots (bookmarks) created by friends in your network. But rather then simply listing all the dots from inside your network like many social bookmarking sites do, Blue Dot creates a seperate container for each friend. Each container shows your friends latest dots, number of new dots since your last visit, and little arrows on the top right that lets you navigate through all of your friends dots within that one small container. I’m really liking the container idea because it allows me to easily see activity of multiple friends in my network on one single page.

Blue Dot offers a great tool which you can optionally use with the service to make dotting the web easier. Firefox users have to drag two bookmarklet butons on their toolbar while Internet Explorer users have to install the Blue Dot toolbar. Then, as you browse through the web and come across a site you want to share with your network, simply click the “Dot This!” button and a new box will appear at the top right of the site. This box allows you to fill in basic information about the site, which also includes pre-fetched descriptions and images selected by Blue Dot. All you usually have to do is just fill in a few tags and optionally select an image to assign with your bookmark. Even assigning an image to your dot is simple because, similar to Kaboodle, Blue Dot will grab all images on the site you are saving to your network and allow you to simply select one of them to associate the dot with. Now, if for some reason you don’t want to use Blue Dot’s tool or you are away from your computing, you may still easily dot any website by using their “Dot From Anywhere” section that is just a basic form on their site allowing you to manually add a site to your network.

One feature that I found interesting that I haven’t seen in a similar social service before is a feature that Blue Dot calls, “Auto Dotting.” The idea is that if you are a blogger, why not publicize your posts that you make in your network of friends? Blue Dot allows you to hook up your blog to the service and will immediately insert your most recent posts. Then, every half-hour, Blue Dot will check your blogs RSS feed looking for new posts and automatically dot it. Only hosted blogging platforms are supported including WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, and MySpace. I’d imagine if the Blue Dot community and your network gets large enough, this feature can really help in getting your blog posts seen. Neat tool.

I feel Blue Dot is very well made and has a unique system that definitely helps seperate it from similar services. It’s like a social bookmarking site, except it has much heavier social networking features implemented into it and I feel that’s where it strikes the gold. You can view bookmarks from individual friends in your network, find and invite friends, and explore the many dottings by other users. You can also add Blue Dot widgets to your website that show your most recent dots. But just like every new social bookmarking site, it makes me wonder how well it will do against its competition. But all-in-all, Blue Dot has a great system and I’m definitely excited to see how the service progresses.

One last note. I’m under the username of “bbenzinger.” If you signup to Blue Dot, look me up and friend me! I’d love to see what you all dot ;-).

Blue Dot - Bookmark with Your Social Network.