2009 was a year of innovation in some ways, for some it was in social media, some others it was tools for better/smarter working.  What did you find amazing?

Among the many various and sundry websites and tools I’ve tried over the past year, two really stand out lately, as my own amazing “finds”.

Aardvark - Ask questions and get answers
I myself can vouch for Aardvark as being a bit worthwhile…have used it for about 2 months or less.

Users can answer questions about more than 1 million topics. Anyone in the world can ask a question and get a helpful (and usually intelligent), response in under 5 minutes. You can use it on the website as well as via IM, iPhone, Twitter and email. It’s also fun for us know-it-alls (hee hee).

I’ve answered questions about Google, cooking, things to do/places to visit in the Mpls/St. Paul area, and more. So far, I’ve asked questions about cats and Joomla. I’ve been vary happy with the fast response and helpful answers!

If you get bothered by an IM pop up or an e-mail asking you about stuff you don’t have time to answer or are not able to answer (maybe because you aren’t really an expert on the topic, or whatever reason), you can answer with quick one-word answers to help improve the experience.  For example, typing a reply with just the word, “pass” or “skip” means Aardvark knows you can’t answer that question.  Replying “busy” will give Aardvark the clear message you don’t want to answer questions right now, and it will leave you alone for pretty much the rest of the day.  Saying “mute” makes it clear to Aardvark that you don’t care about the topic or aren’t interested, and won’t ask you questions about that topic in the future.

And now that the ‘Vark has a new community online, it means even more connecting with folks to get and give help with/to!

Alice - Everyone needs an Alice
The slogan above is Alice.com’s and they have been soo right!  I have needed an Alice.  How many bags of dog food, bundles of paper towels, packs of razors, bottles of aspirin, and books of stamps are you tired of buying when you run out, having to wait in line and drive around to go get?

This service has been saving me trips to various places all summer, and really is simply a lifesaver! For me, anyway I LOVE Alice! I don’t drive a car, and shopping for me, is a huge hassle. So being able to just click on what I want and get it delivered to my door is a big blessing in that respect, vs. hauling my butt around town on buses and having to limit what I can carry home.

Plus, the prices are very competitive, there are automatic coupons, and you can set up automatic reminders for yourself. For example, say you always buy an 8 pack of paper towels every 2 months, you can say so on your account, then Alice will remind you and in one click you can add the exact product and quantity to your cart in order to get the stuff before you run out!

Last month, I just spent another $100 w/these guys! Ordered paper towels, cereal, health & beauty and laundry & cleaning stuff on a Wednesday, came to my door on Friday (FREE shipping, by the way).  Then, this month I noticed I was getting close to running out of cat food.  Kitty’s quite a picky eater–she only eats one type and brand, so I have to either go to the other end of town to get it for the best price, or I know I can order it online through Alice and get it in two days, right to my door.

Over the summer, I got some smaller orders of stuff–household goods, coffee filters, shampoo, dental floss, and Ibuprofen. Pop-Tarts were on sale, so I got a box of those, too.

Shipping is trackable, takes about 2-3 days, and comes in a very clean, well-packed box.   Most products are less or same as Target & I don’t have to go shop & stand in line!

If you sign up like I did, and pass it on to friends, you get $10 from their first order!

Copyright © Bobbi Jo Woods - published December 28, 2009 at http://www.webprospeak.com

About the author:
Bobbi Jo is the owner of B. Woods Design, a St. Paul Web Design company - http://bwoodsdesign.com