Here are the best sites of 2008: the ones that you visit every day, the sites that make your life easier in some way, the sites that just make you laugh. Here's my list of the best sites of 2008, the ones that you just can't live without.
1. Amazon
What's not to love about Amazon? Not only is the giant online retailer a great place to shop for bargains of any kind, you can also download free music, get previews of your favorite books, and read reviews of anything you might be interested in purchasing from other consumers.
2. BBC
The BBC is a fantastic place to get news from all over the world. Updated in real-time with consistently quality articles, this venerable news institution is the best place on the Web to get clear, unbiased information.
3. Craigslist
Whether it's a couch, new friend, or job you might be looking for, you'll find all that and much more on Craigslist, a simple yet powerful platform for people all over the world to post free classifieds in virtually any category you can think of.
4. Facebook
Facebook is a social networking site that allows you to connect with people from your high school, college, workplace, town, community organization, sports team....you name it, and Facebook probably has a way you can find it. In short, Facebook makes it simple to stay in touch with friends and family from all over the world.
5. Google
Google, more than anything else, is about search - however, many of us use Google for so much more than that. Over the years we've watched Google go from strength to strength and in 2008, it shows no sign of slowing down.
6. IMDB
The Internet Movie Database is the biggest movie database on the Web. Featuring top movies, movie news, movie reviews, movie trailers, movie showtimes, DVD movie reviews,celebrity profiles,etc., the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) truly is a mammoth depository of movie information.
7. Oh No They Didn't!
Oh No They Didn't (ONTD for short) is a community driven celebrity gossip site, with members submitting gossip items on virtually any topic all throughout the day. Most of the time, ONTD will have breaking celebrity gossip before you'll see it anywhere else - which is why it's on this list.
8. USA.gov
USA.gov, formerly known as FirstGov.gov, is an absolutely mammoth search engine/portal that gives the searcher direct access to searchable information from the United States government, state governments, and local governments.
9. WikiTravel
WikiTravel is a gigantic travel guide made of contributions from people just like you and me. If you want to know more about the destination to which you are traveling, WikiTravel is the place I would point you.
10. YouTube
YouTube is arguably the largest video site on the Web today. Hundreds of thousands of videos are available here - movies, TV shows, and tons of homemade videos. YouTube has made some wonderful improvements in 2008, most notably the addition of wider screen (and higher quality!) video formats.
