Tech Crunch: Three Up and Coming Sites

I'm not the biggest tech guy in the world, but I do love to know what's new and up and coming. Here's some sites I think could very much hit it big in the social network world.

First off, Klout. This site is very cool, just because it gives you the statistics on how well you do 'socially' online. It lets you know how many readers you have that 'like', 'comment', 'share', 'retweet', and 'mention on Facebook and Twitter. What makes this site even better, is that you can bump up other people's reputation by +K-ing them in whatever areas they are most influential in. Definitely check this one out if you like knowing who is influential in what areas online.

Second up in the lineup: Spotify. If you haven't checked out this now American Legal site, you NEED to. Think of it like this: if iTunes and Pandora had a online musical baby, this would be it. And their baby is very, very beautiful. The site has free, and unlimited options (unlimited gives you no ads, and other goodies that rock), and gives you the chance to listen to streaming CDs on line. It also connects to your iTunes, so you can play your music from your computer if you want too. You can make playlists, share those playlists with friends who can stream them online, and vice versa. It's one of the best music sites around, and you definitely should check it out. Well worth the time.


And now for what is probably the most controversial of them all right now.

Ah yes, Google+. The Facebook competitor. See, I'm a huge Facebook fan. I loved it the day I signed on. In fact, I deleted my Myspace (kids, for those that don't know, Myspace was once better than facebook. google it, and you'll see.) the same day. But now, we've got what could be the biggest upset in the social networking world. The underdog could take out the heavyweight. 

If you don't follow the tech world news, this is it in simple terms: google has tried to make social sites. "but wait, I've never heard of them" well, that's because they've never really gained traction in the awesome mainstream crowd. 

But now, Google has developed what could be the immensely cleaner, safer site, with much more to offer. So Google has circles, and Facebook has groups. What most ignorant users on Facebook haven't realized yet, is that Google+'s site makes it far easier to post to only a certain group. In fact, that's a large part of their website is circles. Circles is how you categorize people, and what you share with what group. On top of that, with EVERYTHING else that Google has (mail, calendars, blogspot, etc.), they're eventually going to try to streamline ALL of that into Google+, so you have a one-stop shop area for all your computer needs. 

Oh, and did I mention that Google+ doesn't have any of those ads on the side? The difference between Google+ and facebook is that Google+ gets their money from searches, clicks, and what they call 'adsense'. So they don't have to worry about cramming the side bars full of other company ads to generate their money, which means that you, the consumer of Google+, don't have to worry about being solicited to by whatever you type, turning into a ad on the side of your screen. 

I still love Facebook, and I hope that things work out where they stay on top, but with Google+, I'm beginning to wonder who's going to be the king of this Social Networking hill for long. 

With all this said, I do hope you check out these three sites. They're very user friendly, and are fun for social networking. Oh, and if you want a Google+ invite, e-mail me at mainstreetjake@yahoo.com, and I'll send you an invite.