Each day around the globe, hundreds of millions of searches are carried out and 80% of internet sessions begin with an online search – but how meaningful are the search results given? You can be sure that the internet 'heavyweights' will be featured – but will these pages and pages of search results tell you which is the best website for what you’re looking for, as rated for by real people? That’ll be a no, then!

Unless you’re using Finday, that is. Finday is a social search engine and we’re passionate about making our users’ search experience a nicer and more meaningful experience.

We value our users' participation

As a social search engine, our aim at Finday is to add lots of ‘added extra’ to a regular search. But how do we do that? Firstly, our website browser, which is powered by the mighty Google engine, offers the most accurate search results. And then these search results are enhanced by the comments, recommendations and ratings of our wider community.

So, instead of seeing a results page that’s only full of links, you’ll see these results PLUS the opinions of real people. We value our users’ participation and have made it as easy as possible to contribute, add a comment, submit a review, or simply rate a website by using our sliding scale of stars and ‘thumbs up’, ‘thumbs down’ symbols.

As well as our search function, we have an extensive (ever-growing) website directory. Presently, the directory contains almost 55,000 entries where visitors can browse hundreds of categories. Every website that appears in Finday's directory has its own complete data file, which includes a brief description of the website and other useful technical details. Each category (we have more than 800) within the directory has a Findayrank, which is a ranking of the best websites within that category, as voted for by our users.

We’re constantly working hard to improve the search experience we offer our users and have added several new features to the website. There are also going to be some exciting developments in the very near future, as well as a bit of a makeover!

We invite you to come and take a fresh look. We’d love to hear what you think.

Should children under the age of 13 be allowed to use Facebook?

Zuckerberg argues that Facebook is a great educational tool for children (Is it? How so? What do you think?) but there are some people who feel that he simply wants to add to his already enormous coffers by tapping into the hugely lucrative pre-teen market. Wouldn’t a Facebook spin off, especially for pre-teens be a better idea? That way, they’d be protected from more adult content (‘Is that a photo of a totally plastered Aunty Rita wearing her knickers on her head, mama?); and adults would equally be sheltered from tedious tween updates (‘I love Justin’, etc).

When quizzed on the subject, a Facebook spokesperson replied: 'Facebook is currently designed for two age groups, 13-18 year olds and 18 and up. We provide extensive safety and privacy controls based on the age provided. However, recent reports have highlighted just how difficult it is to implement age restrictions on the Internet and that there is no single solution to ensuring younger children don’t circumvent a system or lie about their age. We agree with safety experts that communication between parents or guardians and kids about their use of the Internet is vital.”

It’s a good point, well made. While Facebook and other social networking sites can provide privacy controls, education on how to stay safe online is, ultimately, the responsibility of parents and guardians.

Here are some great resources and guidelines on how to explain Internet safety to children:

i-Safe
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Thinkuknow
Kidsmart
Child Net International

And some social networks that are aimed specifically at children, which are worth checking out:

Everloop
What’s What
ScuttlePad
giantHello
Skid-e Kids

Images: Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos
 

A report published by Nielsen on global online shopping trends revealed that more than 875 million consumers have shopped online at some time or another, and the number of internet shoppers rises steadily year on year.

Who are the biggest online shoppers?

1) South Korea
2) UK
3) Germany
4) Japan
5) USA

What are people shopping for? The most popular items bought are:

1) Books
2) Clothing (including accessories and shoes)
3) Videos, DVDs and games
4) Airline tickets
5) Electronic goods

So, the number of e-commerce sites on the web is staggering – but how to get the best out of online shopping?

How to get the best out of online shopping

Personal recommendation

One of the best ways to guarantee good service is personal recommendation. Did the company deliver the goods you bought on time? Did you get what you ordered? If not, did they offer a good returns policy? To the discerning online shopper, all these points are of high importance. So, how do we find digital ‘word-of-mouth’ informing us which sites are good or not? Social search sites, such as Finday, are a great start. When a consumer has had a good experience, they can add the website to Finday’s directory and let all other Finday users know about the great service they have (or haven’t) received. This is how digital word-of-mouth gets started…

How to get the best deals on the net

Price comparrison

Shopping around really pays off! Do a search on the item or brand that you want to buy and see what comes up… It’s interesting to see that some websites will offer brands at substantially different prices (but might sting you with higher delivery costs). If you’re shopping for something big or pricey (such as a fridge or camera), price comparison sites can be useful (if not a bit dull to navigate). MegaShopBot (only available in the UK) is a very useful price comparison site, which does a quick scan of a variety of price comparison sites to find the best deal. It’s simple but yields good results. Another biggie is Kelkoo, available in UK and US. Also, for some useful, practical money saving tips, advice, deals and offers, Money Saving Expert is definitely worth browsing.

Discount vouchers

There are loads of discount codes/coupon/money saving voucher websites on the web (a Google search for ‘discount vouchers’ brings up 2 million results), but here are a few choice ones:

Groupon (Global)
There’s no denying that Groupon is the king of collective buying power – but the deals tend to be a touch ‘popularist’ and, often, not appealing to those looking for something a bit different or special. That aside, the discounts offered are HUGE.

Scoutmob (US only)
This group coupon website looks fabulous! Offering exclusive local deals, the ‘added extra’ comes in the form of a team of ‘scouts’ bringing the ‘scoop’ on the people, places and events worth knowing in your town. Funky and cool – it’s like Groupon for hipsters.

LivingSocial (plans on being Global)
Another group coupon website offering huge discounts (up to 90%), but this digs deeper and comes up with some classier deals (and doesn’t feel quite as ‘aggressive’ as other competitors). Groupon for the genteel, perhaps?

My Voucher Codes (UK only)
This website is busy and cluttered (and feels a bit ‘market trader-ish’) but is full of great money-saving vouchers for getting money-off deals at a variety of different online UK retailers. Deals come and go quickly, so it’s essential to check in on a regular basis.

Retail Me Not (US only)
With its 1950s styling, this coupon website looks inviting.  Coupons are divided into three categories: coupon codes (online shopping), printable coupons (for the old school who like to clip and save) and grocery coupons (deals by location). Plus there’s a community section offering nuggets, such as: ‘Baskin Robbins 31 Cent Scoop Night is tonight!’

Images: Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

Maybe befriending dogs isn’t such an issue for some, but for me (evidently) it is. I don’t like dogs. I do, however, tend to keep my dislike of dogs under my hat because there are many, many people who adore their four-legged friends with a passion (some would say borderline obsession). Almost 40 percent of households in the US own (at least) one dog, which equates to there being approximately 77.5 million owned dogs.

Doggie blogging

And these dog owners have fully embraced the digital world (in Finday’s directory alone, we have more than 60 websites offering pet-related services). Following a quick trawl of the internet, I was amazed to see lots of websites for doggie blogging and social networking. Here’s a look at some of the more popular sites:

Dogbook

While there’s no disguising where the design influence has come from, this is a place for dog lovers to post profiles of their four-legged friends, blog (either as themselves or as their dogs) and upload photos of their pets. There are some useful ‘how to’ tutorial videos, hints and tips. Some of the updates posted (written from the dog’s point of view) are actually funny. And, for those with cats, there’s a feline-friendly version: Catbook.

Dogster

Dogster is similar to Dogbook, and offers advice on how to care for dogs and how to improve their behavior with correct training etc. Advice and information is provided by experts, as well as the Dogster community. Dog owners can create profiles for their furry charges and can add other dogs as friends (Pup Pals). There’s also a spot for ‘dog of the day’. This site is for dog purists and will only really appeal to other dog fanatics…

Pawsley

This slick, new venture is a cross between Facebook and Groupon – but for dogs. Owners can create profiles for their dogs, find other dogs in their neighbourhood, keep abreast of doggie events, shop and browse the ‘deal of the day’.  Connect, share and shop is the ethos here. There’s also a rather neat ‘giving back’ functionality, which benefits dog-related charities and good causes.

Images: Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos