My Web Daily

.@MyWebDaily reviews: Gekko

I use Facebook most when I’m travelling, posting photographs & updates on my adventures, but since Gekko.com launched their Facebook app, I’m checking in with the social network before I go travelling too – for tips and recommendations from my friends. Gekko is one of the best know travel recommendation & booking sites out there, and this Facebook integration seems like a natural evolution for the platform as where else will you get reliable tips about where to stay if not from your friends? Use the app to post questions about where to stay & what to do, or explore the discounts & deals that hotels, bars & restaurants are offering to Gekko’s users. You can even request a deal if you find a venue you like, perhaps asking for a discount for a group booking – and this app allows the venue owner to respond with a targeted deal specific to you, without having to roll it out to the world at large. 

.@MyWebDaily reviews: Flattr

If you like something you find online, why not Flattr the creator? I’m not talking about leaving them a sycophantic message in their comments section – although they are always nice to read. Flattr.com lets you set a fixed monthly amount to be debited from your bank and held in escrow with the website for those times when you want to say thank you with cold, hard cash.

Hands up if you’ve ever felt like donating a small “thank you” to a website or free service you discovered online, but couldn’t be bothered to click through to your PayPal account for just a couple of pence? Firstly, shame on you – but secondly, me too to be honest. This site solves that providing a one-click button & your account donation is divided among all your Flattrs at the end of the month. We saw an innovative use of it at South By Southwest earlier in the year – buskers just get more and more cunning! The biggest hurdle for this site will be gaining the critical mass it needs to really pay off for its members. It’s been around for about a year now and it is getting there, but quite slowly. 

.@MyWebDaily reviews: Onavo

If you use a smartphone then data can get expensive, especially if you’re travelling abroad. Onavo have made free apps for Android & iPhone that can save you up to 80% of your data. It does this by monitoring & controlling app traffic, allowing you to block heavy data consumption when not on WiFi, and set a cap depending on your contract and whether you’re travelling abroad. When you download a new app, Onavo will tell you whether it’s a known data hog. The iPhone version even compresses the data heading to your handset on its servers, so you’ll be using less data allowance doing exactly what you’ve always done before. Word of warning; these apps do funnel your data traffic through Onavo’s servers, so if you have privacy concerns definitely read the Ts & Cs on their website – and don’t use your handset for anything sensitive like Internet banking.

.@MyWebDaily reviews: Friend Fund

Planning a big night out with your friends can be stressful, especially when it comes to getting everyone to chip in their fair share when the bill comes – but with friendfund.com you can take the financial risk out of pooling together to buy something by gathering contributions up front. Just set up a pool and link it to an image or web page of what you want to buy – which could be a really nice present for somebody’s birthday – then share the link with your friends & family.

There’s no fee to set up a pool and if you cash it in in amazon vouchers that’s free of charge too. The other option is a paypal credit, but there is a 3% surcharge for that, so make sure you factor it in to your target amount. Invite friends to the fund through FaceBook, Twitter, or via email. You can also just share the link and let them opt in for themselves. If you don’t raise enough funds in the 10 day limit, no credit cards are charged & paypal contributions are refunded in full. It’s a great fun way to engage friends in a fundraising project.

.@MyWebDaily reviews: How the Market Works

With new years eve on the horizon, you might be thinking about turning over a  new leaf? Maybe you want to look at new ways to manage your money? But being a trader isn’t just about fake sun tans and Armani suits. You can test your skills in a free interactive game at howthemarketworks.com. When you first log there’s a whole load of ads to click through, but it’s worth it because once inside, the game is really enlightening. There are 2 basic modes, fun with no limits, and something that works a little more like the real stock market – and you can choose to pay commission on your trades as well. You start a portfolio by setting your own bank balance up to five-hundred thousand dollars, if only real life were that simple, and then get stuck in exploring the site and the many, many ways it helps you understand and pick out your trades. There are some other fun competition modes if you fancy your chances.. check out the website for more information. And if all that heavy duty number crunching does your head in, you can still join in the fun by just throwing a dart at the board for a completely random selection of shares… I wonder if they ever do it like that on Wall Street?