A web gem is a really interesting, different, and often under the radar site on the internet. These sites often offer unique services that aren't provided on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or other mindless popular websites these days. Being in Web/Audio has made me appreciate the vast world of the web, therefore inspiring me to search for these new unique sites in my free time. When I have come across these in the past, I couldn't wait to share them, now I have the opportunity each week to post a new web gem that I have found and want to share with the world.
|
12/14/2010. Recently, I saw a commercial where a Christmas song was playing in the background, but in French. I was so taken aback, it was just beautiful. After seeing this commercial, I was inspired to start a quest for more French Christmas music. So obviously, the next step in my quest was to Google search what I wanted to find. I listened to some French radio stations, and then came upon a link to this Yahoo! Music Blog with beautiful, classic, French Christmas songs. In a time of pure stress (finals), this music was extremely calming to me. http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/yradish/1079/a-french-christmas-playlist/
|
|
12/9/2010. I randomly found this site while browsing the web one afternoon, and I was incredibly intrigued. Lisa Loftus' photography is simply breathtaking. Whether it's fashion, advertising, or child's portraits, the colors, lighting and movement of the pictures work so well. All of her photographs are quite visually appealing and capture pure human emotions. She makes the models, clothes, and products seem so beautiful. After viewing her work, I became inspired to improve my own photography here at Freestyle, and now I have successful photographer to look up to. http://lisaloftus.com/
|
|
12/3/2010. A "popism" is a "connection or reference between two items of popular culture." If you have ever wondered what song was used in a movie or commercial, or anything else within pop culture, this is the perfect site. I have always heard songs within movies and such and it used to be so difficult to find them. Now I can expand my musical and cultural knowledge easily. http://popisms.com/
|
|
11/15/2010. TrendLand is an online magazine that "redefines trend forecasting through a rich visual journey." The site is broken up in to categories: Art, Culture, Design, Fashion, Hearsay, Photography, and Consulting. Every day these categories are updated with the latest trends and big news from each field. It's a great way to keep current with recent trends and to stay knowledgable in such a fast track society.
|
|
11/5/2010. Hello Poetry is a "place for poetry." Users can read, post, and talk about poetry with other users. Signing up is not required, unless you want to share your work. All of the users are extremely positive with their feedback and commentary, and it's just a great environment. I have posted my own poems and received extremely nice comments. Overall, Hello Poetry is a positive online experience even if you aren't an experienced poet.
|
|
10/27/2010. Buzzfeed is a site which allows users to upload, exploit, rate, read, and watch all of the latest viral information circulating the Internet. This website is extremely entertaining because users can keep up to date with pop culture in a lighthearted manner. Pretty much all of the videos, lists, etc posted are not serious whatsoever and poke fun at pop culture. It is also really flippin' sweet because there's just tons of information on it, I could literally spend weeks on it, just searching through the whole site. Buzzfeed does not require a membership which is a plus, websites where one must sign up in order to receive the same perks are just tedious. If one is registered as a member, the privileges include being able to post your own viral findings, and connecting what you see on the site to your Facebook page. Overall, Buzzfeed.com is quite entertaining and a great example of positive use of the Internet.
|
|
10/20/2010. Here is a great site for any one interested in photography. Photography Served is one of many "Served" sites where professionals, and in this case photographers, post their current work. It is amazing to be able to see the art being produced right now. There are photographs that I would never be exposed to without this site, it is a great gateway to art. |
