Personal Web Applications

As I’ve done throughout this course and on my blog postings, one of the personal web applications I evaluated is on traveling. Big Surprise! ZoomAndGo @ zoomandgo.com is almost like a social network as well. This site allows members, via a short sign-up, to contribute, review and inquire about travel destinations, places to stay and must see sites around the world. Members have posted pictures, videos and text to help give the reviewer ample information in which to make a decision about prospective vacations. Upon signing up the site, they ask a few questions about your interests, places you’ve visited, and the places you might like to visit in the future. I think this is a good goal making tool. I have already begun to look more in depth at New Zealand and it as a possibility for our next travel adventure. I have really enjoyed searching in this application as it is very intuitively set-up. Locations are divided into Continents, then countries, and from there are listed in categories (Attractions, Hotels, etc.) and reviews are based on a number scale, 10.0 being the highest. I am really in love with the video option, and travelers who have posted video of their hotel rooms, and accommodations. It gives a much clearer picture of what hotels offer, and look like, versus just a photo. I will be using this site in the future, and not only for international travel, but also travel in the states.

The other personal web application I researched was myfolia.com. This is basically a gardening diary. It allows me to store garden information; what I planted, when, soil type, location and any notes that I deem important. Again this is another social network too. Individuals can choose to share their gardens, tips and notes with each other. I added a widget to my blog and iGoogle home page. I added a few of the plants I have put into my garden this summer. The site also lets you upload photos of plants, and automatically searches for the plants as you begin to type in the plant name, this is a plus because it also includes the scientific name. I already know I need to pay better attention to my plant labels in the future, because I’m not sure I picked the right type of strawberry from the list, yikes! I can’t wait to use this application mainly for the annuals I buy every year. It will be nice to keep tabs on which plants took off, and those that didn’t.