What's New This Week in Web 2.0?

As a recent survey conducted by the folks over Basecamp illustrated, many people don't have an understanding of what Web 2.0 really is. It's nearly impossible to define, and everyone seems to have their own idea of what it is, or rather, what it should be. As an industry insider, I thought it was time to get to the bottom of this, to help you understand the people, the companies and the applications of Web 2.0, and as such, begin to understand more about the actual concept.

Each week, I'll provide a wrap-up of the new applications, company launches and insider information to help break down these barriers. Are you ready? Let's get started!

Voices.com announced this week that they are launching a new section of their site that will provide companies with a way to easily reach new voice talent for podcasts, and other audio needs. They're hoping to attract around 1 million new users in the next 36 months. If you're interested, get your application in now. Users will be selected for the upcoming official launch on September 1st.

There's yet another entry into the social video sharing arena. Flixyas just launched a beta version of their new site and they have an interesting twist. They have an interesting twist that helps separate them from the current industry leader YouTube and the dozens of other similar sites. They'll be offering a 50/50 revenue split with video producers, which can go directly to the producer, or it can be donated to charity.

RMinder is a popular new service that lets you set up various reminders for events, and then receive a voice message reminder. The service does have a free option and allows up to 8 reminders a month. If you need more than that, their paid options start at $5. You can use this service with your existing iCal, if you are on a Mac, and they also offer integration with several online calendars like Google and Yahoo.

Meebo, a popular site that lets you log in once for several different IM clients to help simplify the process, released a new widget this week that lets you communicate directly with visitors to your website or blog. You can create your own widget at meebome.com and then place it on your page to immediately start chatting in real time with your visitors.

Diigo, not to be confused with Digg, the well used social bookmarking site, is a new "megatool" that will help you research just about anything. The acronym is short for Digest of Internet Information, Groups and Other stuff and it is definitely a powerful tool. You can use the service to leave little notes and highlights on a web page, and then retrieve those notes at a later time. It also helps you find things within a page as well as through regular searching.

Yes.com is a new twist to Web 2.0. You can use this site to find out what is playing on your regular radio station. Their interactive map is well worth a trip to the site, as you can watch what songs are being played on radio stations all over the country, in real time. You can also use Yes to rate music and a radio station, bringing in more of a social networking feel to the site. It's especially useful if you can't remember the artist for a particular song, since they save data for 24 hours and allow you to search through a station's playlist.

Eons is a new social networking site that is made for people over the age of 50. It's a unique approach since many of these sites seem to want to appeal only to a younger crowd. You can view local content by entering in your zip code, play games with other users and even find the perfect match. I like this idea since a huge chunk of the internet population has been left out in the cold, and this site is a great way to include them in the fun.

That's it for this week!