…that is, if you don’t already! Here are some of the ones I use. Some are new, and some not-so-new, but I’ve found all of them to be very useful.
Dropbox is great. I started using Dropbox during my second semester senior year primarily so I had a place to store large attachments instead of emailing to myself over Gmail, like I had before. Now, I have a place to store up to 5 gigs of stuff online (accessible from any computer with Internet), and also have the option of sharing my files with others by providing them an auto-generated download link. Very handy! Dropbox is also useful if you want to use it for online hard drive backup and automatically syncs with your computer’s Dropbox folder. More storage capacity has additional costs, though. Get started here.
Tokbox is an online application that allows you to video chat with your friends. It’s similar to programs like Skype, except that Skype runs natively on your computer, while Tokbox “runs” just at Tokbox.com. Gchat within the Gmail application also has video capability, but Tokbox is a bit more sophisticated, and integrates seamlessly with Gmail contacts, as well. Relative to other services I’ve used, I think the best use of Tokbox may be for big group chats. Also, audio and video quality have been a little lacking in my experience, so keep that in mind. Click here to start chatting!
Gilt Groupe is one of a myriad of online sample-sale sites, which focus primarily on fashion at a steep discount. Assuming you like fashion and have several sites to pick from, why would you pick Gilt over a competitor, say, like RueLaLa? I’ve used Gilt for a while now, and RueLaLa for a few months, and I think it’s safe to say that the overall quality of selection for Gilt exceeds that of RueLaLa, as does the site design. Furthermore, Gilt has expanded its offerings recently and built out its Men’s (Gilt Man) and Travel (Jetsetter) categories, in addition to Women’s (Gilt Fuse) and Home. So even if you’re not a girl or into fashion, Gilt has stuff for you. Want some TaylorMade golf clubs, for example? Gilt’s got your back. Sign up here to check out Gilt Groupe, and read more about Gilt and its competitors in the Wall Street Journal.
Foursquare is an application is one that I use more for fun. It’s essentially an app that allows you to check in at different restaurants, bars, clubs, or even transportation hubs on your mobile phone, so that your other Foursquare friends know where you are. Also, it serves as a handy way of keeping track of “that cool restaurant that I visited two weeks ago and no longer remember the name of.” If you have the most check-ins at a given location, you become “Mayor,” which sometimes comes with benefits like discounts and free stuff. Check it out!
CrunchBase Profiles: Dropbox, Tokbox, Gilt Groupe, and Foursquare.
