A couple of sites dropped off the radar altogether this year. For good reason too. MySpace for one was just getting TOO hood for me. Not to mention that it wasn't very practical. Then there are a couple of blogs that I don't follow anymore for various reason. Of course, there are a few more that I do. Maybe they will make the cut next year. We'll just have to see. As with last year, each entrant here is clickable so you can be directed right to the website to which the link pertains.
Honorable mention: AICN
The list was so tight this year that this one barely got squeezed out. Don't get it twisted though, I still frequent this one on pretty much a regular basis. I rely on them to give me the 411 on much of the latest movie news, trailers and whatnot. Plus, their weekly dvd column gives me a heads up on flicks I can add to the Netflix queue.
10. IMDB (Internet Movie Database)
I probably don't utilize as much of their features as I could. One of these days, I may even submit my own reviews in their review section for everyone else to see. For now though, this site comes in extremely useful when I'm doing reviews on my own website. Rather than pulling the dvd out and having to go to the credits section again to get an actors name, I can just get it directly from this site. They also tend to have some interesting trivia on films that gives you more insight into the movie.
9. Rotten Tomatoes
It's almost like IMDB but with a little more flare. The best thing about it is their Tomatoemeter. It gives a percentage score on a movie based on all the visitors to the site that have weighed in on it. I don't always agree with it, but it has been pretty close to being on point. When a popular site like that shows that "New Moon" scored a 28% it is further proof that I'm not the only one who doesn't always buy into a movie's hype.
8. Rantings of a Creole Princess|
There have been more than a few instances this year where I've gotten news from her website rather than the mainstream media. Or at least I saw it there first. Mostly because she taps into more news outlets than I do. Her site is where I'm also getting the gumbo recipe that I will be trying out. You know...the jumbo recipe that I forgot to get the ingredients for and now it's too late because the weather is terrible and everything's closed anyway.
7. The Prodiginous Blog
The site formerly known as Andyboy. Earlier this month, he posted that he was giving his blog a break to focus more on charitable activities and because he generally wasn't feeling it overall. I'm glad he changed his mind. He doesn't post as frequently now, but even his occasional entry is better than most. They are always brief in length and they are about the most random things you would ever expect. Plus, he tends to have a penchant for old stuff like me so he'll always be okay in my book.
6. CNN
They revamped their site a few months ago and I'm really not feeling the new layout. Mainly because they no longer reference blogs in their comments section so I get no benefits from linking to their stories now. I've also noticed they are losing a step with their ability to be timely with their reporting. Not by much, but just enough to be noticeable. There is still no denying that they are one of the most reliable news sources out there though.
5. TMZ
It is pretty sad that this site renown for Hollywood gossip and even sometimes sleaze is above a more reputable news source like CNN. It is what it is. They may come across as dirtbags sometimes, but they are effective. When we were all wondering about the Tiger Woods accident, they were the first to have the pics of the scene. They're everywhere. I've said it before and I'll say it again...when World War III is over, the only thing left will be cockroaches, the Wayans family and TMZ.
4. Netflix
The service itself is already a godsend. You can order any dvd that has been released and keep it for as long as you want. Although it makes more sense to have a quick turnaround to make sure you get your money's worth for your monthly membership. I am constantly visiting the website to manipulate my queue. I'm always trying to get the movies situated just right so that when they receive my latest returns, I've got two winners on deck. If I time it just right, I can get the new releases on the date they are released. I especially like how I can rate movies which allows them to recommend movies based on my previous ratings of similar flicks.
3. Twitter
You may remember me mentioning in the Year in iPhone Apps that I prefer the website version of this app. The reason being is sometimes I may be sitting watching tv and I can pound a Twitter entry quicker than I can text it out. The actual website is just much more user-friendly anyway. I just wish they would work on refining that Retweet button a little more. And they also need to get a better spambot filter
2. Facebook
As much as I am on this website, I would probably be on more if it wasn't blocked at work. Not necessarily active but at least have it pulled up. All of the different status updates from my FB friends around the country never get old. I know more about folks now than I did when we went to school together. I'm able to stay up to speed with family as well as get re-acclimated with those cousins that I forgot I'm even related to. But most of all, it's another outlet for me to share postings like this one. Which leads me to the anti-climatic top spot...
1. Life in the Mind of a Modest Genius
Earlier this year, I finally broke down and signed up with GoDaddy.com to get my own domain. It took me a minute to figure out the mapping which should have been so simple. However, after it was all said and done, I got an actual domain name which is easier to relay to people: www.ModestGeniusXL.com. I even had someone approach me with an advertising opportunity that ended up paying for nearly an entire year of this subscription and I only had to mention a little blurb about their product. Here's to bigger and better things for this site in 2010!
