February 5, 2012

Make a short URL

Here’s a nifty little site that you may want to add to your bookmarks if you’ve joined the “Twitteratti”.

You already know that Twitter only allows you to send out very small messages so if you want to save a few characters here is a site that allows you to shorten a URL or web site address and, if you want, send it directly to your Twitter readers – www.dot.tk .

Here goes www.whatsgoodontheweb.co.uk becomes http://opvli.tk  – you can even add your own message before you Tweet it.

A nice little tool but one of many that are out there at the moment.

Got a Cat? Check this site out

If you’ve got a Cat this is a must see site that we thought we had to review. Generally when we are putting together reviews we take a few minutes to check out each of the sections, what the site is all about and if it is going to be useful. With www.simonscat.com all that went out the window – for twenty minutes we sat there watching the animated cartoons laughing !!

If you have a cat you will get this site within seconds, we all know that they rule the roost but simonscat.com takes you behind the scenes and into the mind of the head of the household.

This site is probably not ideal to sit and look at whilst you are at work as you’ll be glued to it. Follow the adventures of Simon’s Cat, check out some of the cartoons and best of all go and buy the book.

Simonscat is one of the best web sites we’ve ever reviewed – very entertaining and funny as well as giving an insight into the mind of a cat …. now where’s that squeeky mouse …

Kids Internet Searches

We all know that there are millions of adult related Internet sites so when children go online its good to know that they should only be able to access non-adult related material.

That’s why we think this site is a really good idea – www.kidsclick.org . It’s a search engine for the Internet just like Google or Yahoo but it only lists sites that are safe to be seen by Children and does not allow searches for swear words or other adult material.

Based in the USA, Kidsclick.org was set up by the librarians at the World famous Kent State University and if used in conjunction with web filtering software can give parents confidence that their children will not be accessing adult sites on the Internet.

We’d strongly recommend any parent to take a look at the site and if you know any similar sites please let us know – we’d be happy to review them as child safety online is very important.

Graduated – what next?

 Students are coming to the end of their final exams this month and are starting to look for something to do either over the summer or before they join the rat race. There are many alternatives, from travelling around Australia to trying to get on the last ever Big Brother, but employers are looking for something different especially when competition for jobs is so fierce.

That’s why when we came across this web site we thought we had to review it. www.workingabroad.com has been set up by people who have themselves worked around the world volunteering on different projects and gives very helpful advice on what opportunities there are and how to go about applying for positions. 

All the information on the site is free and you can also read about other peoples experiences which will help the reader make up his or her mind as to what they want to do. In addition, for a small fee of £29 they will help identify opportunities that meet your criteria more specifically. Of course this does not guarantee that you will find an organisation or activity that will take you on but it will give a good start to your search.

If you are looking for something different to do in your gap year, want to use specific skills from medicine to engineering or just don’t want to follow the crowd we’d strongly recommend www.workingabroad.com . A very well laid out web site that enables like minded people to share their experiences and maybe even do something that will make a difference.

Getting Married? Check out confetti.co.uk

Following on from our theme of weddings we came across another site that readers may be interested in – www.confetti.co.uk. This site has been around for some time and is visited by thousands of people looking to get married every year.

The site is well organised and allows you to search for everything from the right venue through to table gift ideas. The main purpose of the site is of course aimed at hoping you will buy some of their suggestions but they don’t push the sales too much with no pop ups etc . Another great feature is that it has a great forum where you can hook up with other people getting married, share ideas and concerns or just get a little extra advice.

One part of the site that we thought was very useful was the wedding planning tool. It lets you set up a personalised area where you can keep everything in one place from wedding lists through to an address book (invaluable when you are writing the thank you notes afterwards). The wedding planner also guides you through what you need to do and even allows you to share it with friends and family to get their input – especially useful if your mother-in-law wants to know everything!!

If you are looking for some help and guidance on your wedding www.confetti.co.uk pretty much has it all and we think it has to be a top rated site.

 

2 for 1 at ASK Restaurants

Offer Expires 1 July 2010

Grab yourself a two for one deal at participating Ask restaurants. Offer only applies Sunday to Thursday but can be used for takeaways.

www.askrestaurant-offers.co.uk/2for1/