If you’re looking to ensure your video is available to the largest audience possible, you’re probably going to use YouTube. However, if you want a way to quickly add comments into your video without doing any editting, Viddler (http://www.viddler.com/) is a quick and simple service.

Just upload your video and as it plays you (and others) can add comments to the video. You can even record directly to the site.

Check it out!

Like many users, when I’m working on my own computer, I have a number of instant messaging applications open to allow me to communicate with people. Unfortunately, if I’m on the road, it’s hard to find a computer that has all the applications installed I need.

Enter Meebo (http://www.meebo.com). Meebo provides online versions of all the different messaging services in one location: GoogleTalk, Yahoo, MSN, AIM, ICQ and Jabber. Although you can just login to any of the services creating an account with Meebo provides some great advantages. First, with a single login, you are automatically logged on to all your accounts. Secondly, if you have your own website, Meebo can provide you code to put on your site that will allow visitors to communicate with you, just like one of those live chat services you see on so many sites.

Check it out – you may even decide to ditch all your applications and use Meebo full time!

If you’re looking for a quick way to make some basic edits to a photo, and the computer you’re using doesn’t have a graphics program, SnipShot (http://www.snipshot.com) is a great resource.

By either uploading a photo from your computer or by providing a URL to an image SnipShot will quickly import your graphic and then provide you options to enhance, rotate, crop, resize and adjust your image (including sharpening). You an then save it in a number of formats to your computer or e-mail it to someone else. You can also have your photos hosted on an online service.

The paid for service provides you extra features, but for most users the free version will work fine. Ideal for mom and dad, there’s little to stres about and it’s easy to understand.

One of the most annoying things about e-mail is everyone’s need to say “Thank you”. Instead of sending a message just for that purpose, include your thank you in the original request:

Could you please send me a copy of the letter that went out yesterday.

In advance, thanks!

Help take back control of our inboxes!

Every tried to read a really long URL to someone over the phone? Or when you send it, the e-mail client breaks up the long path over two lines so the link doesn’t work anymore?

Check out TinyURL.com (http://www.tinyurl.com), a handy site that provides you with a short URL that you can hand out that will still get your visitors to the right place. As the site says:

By entering in a URL in the text field below, we will create a tiny URL that will not break in email postings and never expires.

At its simplest form, you can cut and paste a URL and they will provide you with shorter version (example: http://tinyurl.com/2lfmcy will take you to my contact page). However, if you add the special TinyURL link to your browser’s toolbar, clicking on it will generate a short URL for the page you’re presently viewing.

With individuals using different calendaring and personal information manager (PIM) software, trying to find out who’s available when for a meeting can be difficult.

Enter Doodle (http://www.doodle.ch/). Doodle is a simple, online tool that allows users to indicate their availability. As the organizer, you choose the dates you have in mind and send a link by email. The recipients then indicate their choices or availability online.

When dealing with large groups, the hand counter at the bottom of the table makes it easy to see which is the best choice. When you’re done, you can quickly delete the event or export it to Excel.

One of the greatest challenges of doing online research is collecting information – there’s waaaay to much of it and if you print off every web page you need, your ink cartridge will be dry before the week is out.

Google Notebook is a great tool for collecting information – and it’s free! And because it’s online, you can access it from any computer. No more carrying a USB stick with a MS Word document that you keep adding stuff to, you can collect your information while at school/work and then pick up where you left off when you go home.

Discover more about Google Notebook!

Helpful and online is an informal site intended to provide you with neat and handy resources that you can find online. It’s  not intended for the uber web user, but for the everyday user. Through this forum, you’ll discover handy sites that will help make your life a little less complicated.

Enjoy!