Time's top 50 and connected cars

11/01/10 posted by Liz Niland

While we’ve had 2009 countdowns coming out our ears since early December, we took a double take at Time’s 50 Best Websites 2009. Not necessarily about the web design of the site, the list is composed of offerings “that are indispensable to navigating, enjoying yourself, shopping or just killing time on the web”. It includes all the usual prizewinners, as well as a selection of notable picks worth watching in 2010.

Taking out the top gong was photo sharing site Flickr due mostly to the innovation of its “collaborative tagging” system. While the list incorporates some American-specific sites (such as California Coastline and OpenTable) it’s interesting to see Google place at #11, followed by Youtube at #12 and Facebook way down at #31. Perhaps a sign of the year ahead, social bookmarking sites, video and music sharing sites and alternative or specialist web search facilities all placed well in the top 50. Rich online content will play a big role in 2010 and users want new ways to filter what they do and don’t need from the massive data deluge.

If you thought having a smartphone was a constant enough method of staying connected to your online sphere, think again. Flouting thoughts of even higher road fatality rates, global car manufacturers have been teaming up with top tech experts to bring the internet into your vehicle’s dashboard. As dangerous as it sounds though, it is a reminder that potential clients can search for your business anytime, from anywhere, from an increasingly varied collection of devices. It’s important to ensure your web design will display correctly in the vast majority of internet-enabled computers and major browsers. If you aren't sure of how to accomplish this, Sharkey Media's web designers can help.