Top 20 Websites of 2009 Feed Need to Organize, Share & Learn

September 25, 2009

This article is included in these additional categories:

Broadcast & Cable | Magazines | Media & Entertainment | Retail & E-Commerce | Social Media

The recently released list of 2009’s top websites from Time Magazine provides a peek into the diverse mix of educational, commerce, entertainment and practical tools that are helping today’s web users stay organized, share information online and quench their ever-increasing thirst for knowledge, information and immediacy.?

While many of the top 20 sites on Time’s “Top 50” list – which were chosen by Time’s editors – are useful tools that help web surfers stay ahead of the clutter (popurls, Flickr, Metafilter, OpenTable, Kayak), many also present formidable attempts to circumvent, supplant or complement traditional media.? Voice-over-IP provider Skype, for instance, helps users bypass traditional phone service, while Hulu enables its audience view their favorite? TV shows from days gone by.

A good number of sites on the list represent direct attempts to compete with category-leading websites. The Wolfram|Alpha search engine has its sights on Google, while ShopGoodwill.com and Craiglook – a Craigslist RSS feed aggregator – are aimed at those who seek no-frills alternatives to eBay.

Other sites, such as Academic Earth, provide a glimpse into the world of academia at a level previously off-limits to all but the elite, while CaliforniaCoastline gives geography buffs a no-frills look at a meticulously mapped section of the US.

The top 20 websites of 2009:

Time’s older lists of Top 50 websites for both 2008 and 2007 also report on other useful, interesting and entertaining web spots.

Sites Mirror Online Preferences, Activity

Recent data about internet activity from the Online Publishers Association (OPA) revealed that internet users spend the most time with content, communications, community, commerce and search sites – in that order.? Over the past six years, time spent on content and community have both risen significantly.