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I first thought it’s no longer maintained by Intel anymore, but the top result at the time of writing, i.e. with the vote of 29 is illustrative of trend that this Digg clone will likely be accepted by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.

Yoozila is a new search engine that built on Google code. As stated on their “About” page, the presentation of the users’ search results in a beautiful Web 2.0 manner is their founding appeal. Since the foundation of their Web design is Web 2.0, you won’t surprise that the search result page is in 3-column, but I’m not sure when and how 3-column Web design has became a symbol of a Web 2.0 design and I also do not want to further argue about it.

Yoozila’s home page continue to follow the simplicity of user interface as preserved by Google. On the landing page of Yoozila, you’ll find the Web search, as well as search image, video, news, blog, and etc., seemed like it want to positioning itself as Google No. 2, but focused on Web 2.0 presentation manner. Most recently, it also updated a feature called word suggestion, which you can easily find a similar feature in almost all the notable search engines.

Using Yoozila for a while reminds me a lot of another search engine called Exalead. Both presentation of the search result page almost the same, I mean “almost.” Thumbnails on the left, search results stand on the middle, and right-hand side is the search filters. Differences are Exalead would run a sponsored advertisement on the top, and lack of the parental control which can be turned on or off by Yoozila users. Finally, both search engines also allowed users to choose their preferred viewing options (a small view icon on the top), that are to show image and title, or show title and text, or simply show it all.

Wigadoo: Just launched in the UK. It is suitable for those who are organizing a trip or a travel leisure plan. What Wigadoo provided is a platform which allowed users to propose a trip, send the emails out to their friends, and then confirm the number till get everyone involved on board by giving out their credit or debit card details and pledge a certain amount of money.

The money collected for a particular event will be saved into a so-called online event account. This handy account comes with a Wigadoo Virtual Prepaid MasterCard that help users to pay for the event in advance.

Evernote: This Web 2.0 is officially launched in public beta today. Their motto is “Capture what you like; Find it when you want,” it help users to capture what they want such as notes, pictures, by simply click those stuff to a button called “New Pasteboard Clip” on their Web browser. It’s easy, the notes, pictures have been captured. Users can put a tag on each one of the items captured, so that they can find them later through the tag/category given.

Evernote can be operated on Windows, Mac, or Mobile phone. Currently, Evernote is operating it based on versioning, whereby Premium account goes for a larger capacity, i.e. 500MB per month compared to 40MB entitled to Free account. And Premium version does recognize text in images/pictures, thus users might find it very interesting.

Watch the video embedded below for more information below.

The other day I talked about Xiaonei, a successful Facebook clone in China. It seemed that social network and the clone Facebook UI (User Interface) still a great deal in China, as the China IM (instant messenger) giant, QQ has launched its social networking service, a Facebook clone to its IM users few days ago.

This QQ social network is called QQ Xiaoyou, in Chinese mean “QQ校友,” i.e. QQ alumni. It is currently in private beta phase, and will be launched to the selected QQ IM users. In fact, QQ is claimed as the number one IM provider in China, combining a critical mass of its IM users: active users 220 million out of registered users 570 million, and the messages sending approx. 1 billion per day, QQ has built an unique stronghold in IM services in China. In China, every startups want to emulate the success of QQ or Baidu, but most of these startups are late starters in the race to build such a huge user base.

On QQ Xiaoyou’s landing page, you’ll notice it look exactly like Facebook, but QQ Xiaoyou use green color instead of blue to make it clear that they’re not another Facebook. Nevertheless, this move is its second attempt to break into the University or college students’ community, as QQ has launched its first social networking community called “QQ Campus” in July 2007, but eventually have neither profits nor much in the way of market share to show for it.

For private beta users to register their accounts at QQ Xiaoyou, they need to use their real names, not their IM usernames as usual. To verify their users, QQ Xiaoyou is taking 3 to 5 days for each registered users in order to inhibit the fake accounts fraud, as shown in the picture below.

Socialmedian is a new social news service that connect you with the personalized news and information. It is still in private alpha mode, received some favorably response as the founder of this site Jason Goldberg who is also the founder of Jobster. For the inquisitive, they may request an alpha access to it before this site goes fully launch in later stage.

At fist glance, I see it as a startup like Twine, which utilize collaborative filtering to help users with similar interests discover what to read in their leisure time. For this type of social news service, users are gratefully submitted some interesting news or URL links that might interested other users in the community, and often the payoff has been substantial; users created a news network with the most unique news will thus attracted the most users. As an alpha user, I like that concept of delivering the daily news from the popular news network to my designated email. In this way, I know what is happening on Socialmedian as well as remain the connection with the news network there.

Upon you granted an alpha account, you’re prompted to change the photo of your profile. On Socialmedian, you can search for the most popular or the recent news network, or join the network. You can also search the topic you’re interested with, or users in Socialmedian (currently they only enable you to search the recently active users). Besides, they also built a feature that is very popular among all the Web applications, which is “Snip,” stands for snippet, allowing you to post your latest update.

In a social news service like Socialmedian, whose users are freely to create news network, it make me realize that everything is compete with everything for the eyeballs. There are a total number of 3,231 users that have created 760 news network. But reading the news network that shortlisted as popular are often with the popular and generic name such as Web 2.0, Tech news, social media watch, twitter, etc. It is important to recognize for a news network to succeed, having a good name is not enough, it need to understand the virtues of speed. I noticed one of the popular news network called Tech News, this news network has a huge number, i.e. 377 stories submitted in the past 24 hours, at the time of my writing.

In overall, I quite satisfied with their service, but satisfaction alone don’t make me feel loyal to the service especially I found that most of the submitted stories to some news network are not very difficult to find on the Web.

Xiaonei, the China’s Facebook clone is announcing the launched of its developer platform. According to CNet China, Xiaonei is the first China-based social network to launch its first-of-its-kind developer platform. However, don’t get Xiaonei wrong, this initiative is not its move in facing-off with Facebook, it’s just follow what Facebook’s market positioning in order to attract more users, and Chinese developers.

Like many others who came across Facebook, but never heard of Xiaonei, it’s exactly a Facebook clone. On the landing page, it looks pretty much exactly like the Facebook home page. The user interface, design, width and length of the layout, a small icon “your online friend(s) located in the bottom right looks the same as found on Facebook, but the only difference you can found is the language, i.e. Chinese Simplified. It is important to understand that Xiaonei is one of the top social networking sites in China, according to metric such as registered users amounted to 20 million. If you want to register as an user, you need to submit your personal details, that’s it. Unlike some other sites in China, you need to key in the China identity card number during the login authentication process. I’m not from China, I faced this difficult situation like this all the time. However, on Xiaonei, what you need to fill-up are the name, password, email address, as well as the country territory you’re coming from (currently you can only fill-up that you’re from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Macau). Upon you registered yourself into the Xiaonei system, you can find your friends through MSN, 163, 126, Sina, or Yahoo! Mail. Additionally, you also can search and filter your friends through your email clients such as Outlook or Foxmail. One little caveat from Xiaonei is please upload your photo as well as use your real name, if you do that, you’re entitled to be a so-called “Star” user, and hence enjoy unlimited storage space on Xiaonei.

Facebook platform has been key to Facebook’s positioning, but I wonder the forthcoming Xiaonei platform will also become the greatest asset to Xiaonei. Nevertheless, this might served as a mental shift to a China startup like Xiaonei as one open up its platform, it will thus open up its user base to the third-party developers. Traditionally, user base is being treated as a confidential and yet very important asset to a Chinese startup. However, it is interesting to see that MySpace China and 51.com have also both agreed to open up their platforms to the developers.

Currently, Xiaonei developer platform is open to some beta developers, and is not a production-ready platform. All the applications developed will be tested internally, before this platform is fully launch in mid of June. All applications are built using Xiaonei APIs that appeared on Xiaonei user profile page are not from the third-party developers, but served as the local own applications of Xiaonei. This include My Blog, Photo Album, Group, Share List, My Classes, My Club, Gift, Market, Movie, Sports, Sanguo (as shown in the below picture). Users are allowed to install or remove the applications if they want to. And all of these can be found on the left-hand sidebar. So, at least for now, there are few applications for Xiaonei users to play around with.

Picture 1: Application Page

Picture 2: Xiaonei Sangou