As a Web developer, I like to visit some sites that talked about programming, build application, or pointed out some cool software tools. For me, it’s indeed a strange experience to go back to some sites that existed on the Web for a while, but I did not profile it on my blog, and Intel’s cool software platform is one of them.

I first thought it’s no longer maintained by Intel anymore, but the top result at the time of writing, i.e. with the vote of 29 is illustrative of trend that this Digg clone will likely be accepted by the Internet users, and proudly served as a Web product that will sustain for a long period of time. Frankly, in a noisy world out there, if a site carried a brand name like Intel, it will always has the advantage to lure in users. When I first started TagEdge, I did profiled a lot of Digg clone (check out this Digg link at TagEdge), but Intel’s cool software is one of the Digg clone sites that makes people want to go there, visit and revisit again, simply because of it’s an Intel product.

Intel’s cool software platform, like any other Digg clones, the article submitted by registered user with the most votes will always be appeared on the main page. In evaluate how its offering can bring value to the software lovers, it does its founding mission. However, when I pay close attention to the community participation on the site, it still did not generate the same kind of buzz as generated by Digg, not to mention how this site will help Intel to find out “the next Google,” as written by VentureBeat in October last year. Perhaps all those so-called “the next Google” are still the small and lean ventures, and definitely not that easy be found by the ordinary Internet users, only private investors and venture capitalists will know how to access them in the first place.

This site is said was powered by Pligg, a famous open source content management system. When it is developed using an open source tool, I still curious how it cost around $40,000 to develop.

TradeVibes, co-founded by four (4) ex-PayPaler, is a leading contender in the user-generated startup directory. On the landing page, one can find all the interesting new startups that were submitted by users. If you’re looking for the basic information about a startup, particularly from the emerging technologies field, TradeVibes is the right place for you.

TradeVibes’ Web-based startup information primarily were submitted, edited by its own users. Upon an user is sign-up to the service, she can straight away updating startup information or posting news and discussions. Likewise, an user can add a new startup information to the TradeVibes database, such as add the description of the new startup that has not yet be appeared on TradeVibes (1,000 characters maximum), etc.

TradeVines is up against a less fierceful competition, CrunchBase is the one that currently offer the free technology startup database, and the other one, is the KillerStartups, a blog-like startup review directory. However, I like the way TradeVibes offered to the public, which I can easily find the key people behind the startup, the funding history a particular startup received, and the related companies in the same categories.

Even though there is no de facto standard for the tech startup database, TradeVibes is continually develop features that help to retain its existing users. Now TradeVibes has the Startup Battle, a prize, i.e. Wii to be given to the users every week (check out the contests listed in the sidebar), Top Bullish Movers and Top Bearish Movers, widget that can be embedded on one’s own blog or Website, and etc. just to name a few. In addition, to encourage users in participate to the TradeVibes, whenever one submitted a new startup, a one (1) TrV Points will be awarded to the user, and she can use it to exchange for the items from TradeVibes.

Meme is now my second-word that most people talked about but I don’t get understand its real meaning in Netspeak (The first-most I don’t understand is “strategy,” which appear to mean something of reading a lot of management journals such as McKinsey Quarterly, Harvard Business Review, etc. and directionless pursuit of the fad endorsed by some analysts). The most famous Meme site of course now is Techmeme, and from then some people have built sites with the word of Meme such as Polymeme etc. Here come another Meme, i.e. PownceMeme.

PownceMeme is a site that powered by Pownce, and is continually feeding you all the notes, links or photos shared on Pownce. As stated on PownceMeme, its slogan “Rating the stuff you put on Pownce.com.” I think you sure will aware this is a site for users to vote on the notes, or links, or videos and photos posted on Pownce. The first one appeared on the front page is the most voted, with 5 stars the most, and the note with the most recipients will rank higher than those who are lower but in the same level of stars.

YouPublish is a publishing platform which allowed users to publish any type of digital file, whether it is in the written, audio, video, or software format or in any combination and sell it for a price tag or for free. It went live in May this year, and upon you sign-up for this platform, you’ll be given a unique sub-domain as your referral link, and you can use it to refer people to buy products on YouPublish and you’ll earn a 7.5% commission. Typically, YouPublish pays content providers 50% of their sales, which is relatively higher as compared to some other publishing platforms elsewhere.

On the other hand, buyers that would like to buy the available products on YouPublish can click the “Find a File” and browse the products they want and add them to “My Library.”

Google Doctype, Google’s newly launched Website is like a Wikipedia for Web developers. In a brief introduction of this Website, Google said this Website, all of its content will be written by Web developers, for Web developers. Whether or not you’re in the middle dabbling in HTML, JavaScript, or CSS, or really dives into these open Web tools, this one is definitely for you.

Similarly to Wikipedia or Citizendium, it remains true to its commitment to user-generated content. In other word, those who own a Google account can edit any of the content. In this case, it might follow the hidden risk of what Wikipedia gone through, i.e. allowing anonymity, and hence some users who created fake accounts could submit some wrong materials to this Website. I’ve to admit this is a premature scenario, as most of the Web developers are all willingly to foster a healthy and long-term community and help promoting open Web standards.

Currently, this Google Doctype is available in English and Spanish. I particularly excited about this when I found out that there will be a new JavaScript library, in which 8,000 lines of code which originally developed and tested internally at Google will be available in Google Doctype.

To learn more about Google Doctype, there is a video which embedded in the below.

via [Google Operating System Blog]

A new search engine created by Ex-Googler called Topicle has been launched today. It was Steffen Mueller’s own idea, to launch a search engine community which business operating model is similar to Wikipedia that allowed users to create or edit the content, in this case, i.e. search results. Steffen Mueller, previously held as the Product Manager at Google, and played a part in the launching of Google Maps, Google Web Search and Froogle, believed in search engine should be performed better if the results are relied on human efforts rather than computer algorithms.

Topicle begins with the Internet users, i.e. you. Of course, in this sense you can say the value of Topicle is lies not so much in advanced and unique technology, but in the critical mass of the URLs the users submitted. In illustrate this, Topicle has provided an about page to show users how they can make Topicle a better search engine. First, an user can create her own search engine by enter the search engine name such as Best Recipe Sites, and below the column user can submit the URLs that she think is most suitably. Apparently, Topicle’s technology will check the URLs in order to qualifying the URLs as well as checking the invalid URLs, resulting the spam sites may not easily be shown on the Topicle search result pages. Besides, users can edit the URLs others submitted and they are allowed to vote each of the URLs in the scale from 1 to 5. Click on the link “URLs are waiting for your rating” will enable you to do the edition either “Skip this URL” or “Report Spam.” And thus, for the long term, Topicle has the potential to collect all the best yet hidden Web link in the search engine sector.

The deepened between Topicle and users tend to fill a gap that other search engines available on the Web by allowing users to keep control of the search results. Apparently, users are the clear winners, as all the URLs are handpicked by users, in spite of the back-end search engine are provided by Google Custom Search technology. However, the future success of Topicle depends on the contribution of users, will the users are more than happy to submit the URLs they like to Topicle still an unknown factor. Nevertheless, it will be really interesting to take a look at Topicle a few years from now, as more and more URLs are submitted by the users.

As of present, Topicle is the first Web product of Zoolium and is getting major publicity for the launched of this vertical search engine.

via [ReadWriteWeb]

The blogosphere has speculated that Quarterlife might not have a long life on NBC. This is particularly attributed to the size of the audience on Tuesday night, happened to be only 3.8 million viewers in the 10pm TV slot, ranked third behind Jericho that debut on CBS, and Primetime: What Would You Do Now? that debut on ABC. If you watch the shows available on Quarterlife’s site through the Internet, you won’t know the estimated statistics other than Quarterlife or any Web measurement firm released it. At this point, I’m not sure that the poor figures did help Quarterlife in getting more buzz. However, it is certainly Quarterlife has made their name well-known for its sluggish start from Internet to the television network.

Ironically, Quarterlife has made their name first known to the public with the TV debut strategy by firstly premiered on MySpaceTV. The pace of growth continues to accelerate with the TV crowd, predicting that it will eventually make it on dual PC community and TV world. Unfortunately, results often speak louder than the ambition. Apparently, Quarterlife will not give up easily, they have launched their own social networking site, but it’s still believed to be too complex for ordinary users. I’ll expect only a certain number of people that want to upload their user-generated content would eagerly to join and actively involved in Quarterlife’s social network activities.

Will the Reuters comment on Quarterlife, i.e. worst time-period performance in at least 17 years scare out some of the Internet firms that want to follow the same path, i.e. from Internet to TV? However, it doesn’t stop the sheer number of opportunities for these type of firms as the Internet has shifted to a mainstream media delivery platform. With or without NBC’s slot, I think Quarterlife will survive if they have a group of producers constantly produce high-quality video clips that live up to the demand of the viewers. Temporarily, it seem that they have.

via [The New York Times]

A social news site called PrettySocial has been launched on the Web this week. It is a social news site believed in itself that its existence plays a major role in facilitating the women interest especially in five categories, fashion, beauty, health, relationships, and celebrity gossip. Much works like a Digg site, but more as a female version of Digg (allowed users to vote on the stories they like, and stories with the most votes will appear on the main page). Each of the story has its own tag, generally recognized as a way for users to gain easy access to similar stories or articles with the same tag. When I first came across this site, it helped me to recall another female-centric site that I profiled in last June, called sk*rt, in a post entitled, Sk*rt: A Female Curated News Site Launched. However, this site provide a manner that non-registered users have the advantage in voting on some stories they like without the login requirements. To better attract users for a regularly visits, PrettySocial has a much difference layout and beside each story, you can find a pretty photo that help in supporting a particular story.

To know more about PrettySocial, it is a startup that currently based in New York City.