I can’t believe this is my job! Every year I look forward to going through the nominees and honorable mentions for The Webby Awards, which recognizes sites and apps for outstanding awesomeness.
Here are a few of my favorites from this year (and you can take a look at my favorites from 2016 and 2015, too). Warning: Some are highly addictive and a few made me grab for the Kleenex!
Quick Links
Productivity
Classic Project Management Tool
Asana
People have loved Asana in my sessions for years.
Asana.com
Keep Track of Your Family
Life360
You Might Call This Stalking.
https://www.life360.com
Teach Yourself Better Habits to Get Stuff Done
Doo
https://getdooapp.com
Budget- and Team-Based Project Management
Streamtime
streamtime.net
Let Artificial Intelligence Teach You How to Write Better Emails
Boomerang Respondable
http://www.boomeranggmail.com/respondable
A Trustworthy Password Management Tool
Dashlane
dashlane.com
Let Someone Else Get Mad at Customer Service
Service
I tried this out yesterday with a problem I’m having with my new orange glitter Converse hi-tops. Service wrote me back immediately and said I was out of luck on this one. Service takes 30% of any money they can recoup.
getservice.com
Mail Deluxe Cards from Your Phone
Felt
I send these cards every month. Love them!
http://www.feltapp.com
Education
Brush Up on Your Digital Knowledge
Digital Garage
https://digitalgarage.withgoogle.com
Make Math Fun
Mathigon
I was so excited to share this with my sister – she’s a science teacher.
https://mathigon.org
Test Your Math Skills for a Good Cause
Unicef Math
This one is great for kids.
unicefusa.org/math-quiz
Learn Almost Anything
Khan Academy
This has been a favorite for years.
khanacademy.org
Fun and Games
Make Your Own Stranger Things Title
Make It Stranger
http://makeitstranger.com/yournerdy-bestfriend
Test Your 80s Pop Culture Knowledge
Retrominder TV
Think David Hasselhoff!
http://retrominder.tv
Test Your General Pop Culture
Higher Lower Game
You’re going to love this! It’s quite addicting and makes you think.
http://www.higherlowergame.com
A Sad Story About a Sick Little Boy
Through the Dark
Both of these sad stories are interactive and engaging.
https://throughthedark.withgoogle.com
A Sad Story with Lots of Fun Colors
Remember Spook
http://www.rememberspook.com
Turn Your Device into a 3D Viewer
Frankfurt Zoo
This site just explains the coolness of this tool – doesn’t give you the tool itself. But it’s worth watching.
Your Cute Animal Fix
Crazimals
https://www.facebook.com/crazimals
Graphics
Make Posters and Flyers
Poster My Wall
Teachers told me about this wonderful site. Glad to see it getting recognition.
Postermywall.com
Find Fresh Designs for Your Social Media Graphics
Shutterstock Editor
It’s not as robust as Canva, but the designs are clean and fast.
shutterstock.com/editor
Apps for Finding, Making and Sharing GIFs
Giphy
The newest app captions your GIFs as you speak.
giphy.com/apps/giphy
Freshen Up Your Website
The Whole Webby Homepage Category
https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2017/websites/website-features-and-design/best-home-page
Money and Budgets
Find Coupons on the Go
RetailMeNot
I’ve used this tool for years to save money on all kinds of stuff.
retailmenot.com
Save Money with Online Shopping
Honey
joinhoney.com
Receipt Management with a Budget Tool
TravelBank
travelbank.com
A New Budgeting Tool
EveryDollar
everydollar.com
Audio Tools
Discover the Music of the Birds
Bird Sounds
This is truly a beautiful site. My father is a birdwatcher and it makes me think of him.
https://aiexperiments.withgoogle.com/bird-sounds/view
Create a Song with Images Your Device Recognizes
Giorgio Cam
This is a really weird tool, but it’s fun to play with for a couple of minutes.
https://aiexperiments.withgoogle.com/giorgio-cam/view
Play the Accordion… with a Cat
Catcordion
This is disturbing. You have to view it on a computer – not your mobile device.
http://catcordion.sergethew.com
Make Your Own Soundtrack
Amper Music
Great to make quick background music for a video.
www.ampermusic.com
Make Music with M&Ms
Remix MMS
I couldn’t get the augmented reality to work. And I didn’t have any M&Ms.
remix.mms.com
Social Media
Relive Social Media Memories
Timehop
http://timehop.com
Fun with Words
Merriam-Webster Twitter Account
https://storify.com/merriamwebster/best-twitter-presence
Get Nagged by a Weird Mom on Twitter
M.A.R.I.A.N.N.E 7000
twitter.com/marianne7000
Travel
Discover the Best Time to Book Your FlightË™
Hopper
It’s easy to find great prices with this app.
hopper.com
Hipmunk Travel Tool Becomes Your Travel Agent
Hipmunk Hello
Can’t wait to try this out. Hipmunk is one of my favorite travel apps.
https://www.hipmunk.com/hello
Gadgets
A Braille Smartwatch
Dot
What a wonderful tool.
http://www.thisisforthejury.com/dot/en
Health and Wellness
A Meditation Tool
Stop, Breathe and Think
http://www.stopbreathethink.org
Someone to Chat with When You Can’t Fall Asleep
Insomnobot-3000
http://insomnobot3000.com
Messaging App for People You Want to Avoid
Ghostbot by Burner
ghostbot.burnerapp.com
The Bot that Tells You What’s for Dinner
TODAY Food
http://m.me/TODAYFood
Another Cool Virtual Makeup Tool
Perfect365
http://perfect365.com
Decipher Medical Jargon
Iodine Translate
This Chrome extension helps you translate medical terms right on the page.
This is totally awesome!!! Beth you always have the coolest things. I love these apps. I’ve used a few of these. I know I learn so much from you and your newsletters and your books are just life savers!! Actually Time Savers…LOL.
Thanks Beth for sharing your knowledge with us geeks!