The Internet is a vast ocean of information and entertainment where there are seemingly countless websites that prove to be worthy and really handy when you are in need of something.

Aside from communication, the Internet is also a very good source of information as well as entertainment. Students, professionals, and just about anyone can turn to the Internet when there is a need to know about something in particular. Research, presentations, and assignments can be prepared well with the aid of the Internet. The Internet is also considered a mass medium; therefore, it is also a good source of current news, just like your newspaper or favorite news show. Here is a list of the top ten websites you should check out.

1. Google Search

Since the Internet is so huge, its downside is the difficulty of finding things that you want. To solve this problem, search engines were developed. Search engines regularly crawl the Internet using their “bots” for content and take note of whatever they find. Though there are quite a number of search engines today, the number one search engine is still Google’s Google Search. Nothing beats its accuracy, efficiency, and speed in fetching relevant web pages based on the inputted search terms. Google can deliver your search results in just a blink of an eye. If you are looking for more specialized content or media on the net, you should try other Google search technologies like image search, patent search, archive search, blog search, scholar search, and video search.

The Google Search Engine

2. Wikipedia

Students doing their homework will surely love Wikipedia because it contains almost everything that they will need for their assignments and research papers. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, is a very valuable tool when looking for information for whatever purpose. This useful website has a very neat and easy to use interface that even children will not find confusing. Information is carefully summarized and outlined to present the topic in a very orderly manner.

The Free Encyclopedia

3. Techmeme

If you are a “techie” or a person into web technologies and everything in between, you will surely love Techmeme. This useful website is a news website containing everything a techie or even the not-so-techie would need. If you want to read more about what Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is doing about the privacy issues with his website, or you want to know which company Google or Microsoft will be buying next, then this is the website to visit to get the lastest scoop. Techmeme is updated almost every hour, so it would be really easy to read more about breaking news stories as well as updates to previous ones.

The webs technology news site of record

4. Zamar

File formats have been quite a problem for such a long time now. File formats aim to standardize, but they often turn out to be confusing. Converting can be quite easy as long as you have the right software. The problem is, what if you do not have the right software, or you are working on a different computer where the software you need is not installed? Zamzar solves this problem by offering a free service that converts various file formats like documents, audio files, and video files to various compatible formats. The best part here is that you do not have to download and install anything. All you have to do is visit the website, upload the file that you want to convert, then choose the output format. For example, if you cannot open a PDF file on the computer you are using, simply upload the file to Zamzar, select a format that your computer can open, let’s say, a DOC file, and then provide an email address where you want the link to the converted file sent. It is just as simple as that.

Free Online File Conversion

5. Download.com

You surely know that you will need the right software to do a specific task on your computer. The problem is, you do not know the name of the software to use, or which one to use, either. Download.com can greatly help you find the right software you need. The website is well organized into software categories, making it very easy to browse through, and it has a very good search option where you can find relevant software with regard to your search keywords. You should not worry about viruses and spyware when you download from this website, because all of the software there is tested to make sure no such malware gets into your computer.

Free Software Downloads and Software Reviews

6. Google Docs

Boost your office productivity by using Google Docs. This free service offered by Google is an online solution to office application suites. Google Docs consists of online applications such as a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a presentation program. You can work with your documents wherever you are as long as you have an Internet connection. Collaboration of a single file is also easy and less confusing. You can upload existing documents to the system or make them from scratch, and later export them into a document format. This service is also a great place to back up important documents too.

Free web-based word processor and spreadsheet

7. Vixy.net

Online FLV Converter

Did you ever want to save those YouTube videos onto your computer easily without having the need to download and install often confusing software? This is now possible, thanks to Vixy.net’s free online FLV downloader and converter. Simply provide the URL or link to the video that you want and hit convert. You have the option of selecting the output format of your choice. For viewing on your computer, choose the DivX AVI format or the MOV format if you are using a Mac computer. For mobile devices like cellular phones, iPods, or PSPs, there is an option there for that format too (either 3GP or MPEG4). If you only want to extract the audio from the video you have – for example, if the video clip is a music video of your favorite band – you can choose the MP3 option only.

8. Scribd

Scribd is a two way street where you can share documents such as MS Word, Excel, Powerpoint files, PDF files, and many more. It is a good source of information in various areas such as science, health, and entertainment. Hosting of documents is free of charge, and such documents can be embedded in your blog or website, also for free.

To put your documents Online

9. Google Maps

Google Maps is a great online map service, again offered for free by Google. It offers world-wide mapping that includes satellite images of key cities around the world. You can either browse through the maps by dragging and zooming into various locations, or you can search “a la-Google” by entering countries, cities, or even addresses. Other features of Google Maps are driving instructions from any point to a destination, a ride finder, and of course Street View, which provides 360 degrees of key cities. This feature is only available in key American cities like New York and San Francisco. Google says it will expand this feature to other US and Canadian cities.

(If you want to maximize your control over the world via the web, you better learn the Top Ten Ways To Use Google Earth.)

Explore the Google Map

10. Last.fm

Last.fm is one of today’s hottest music streaming websites where you can listen to your favorite types of music or artists online. You do not have to download any software to listen to music; you can listen to it anywhere you are, as long as you are connected to the Internet. It is just like an online version of your FM radio, only you have the choice to customize the type of music that you want to hear. Signing up for the free service allows you to create playlists of your favorite tracks. It also allows you to build your own profile where you can share and discuss your music tastes with other Last.fm users.

(You know you’re having too much of this website when you’re exhibiting the Signs Of Being A MP3 Addict.)

The Social Music Revolution

Conclusion

The World Wide Web is simply full of surprises. The websites listed here are just some of the best on the web. Surely new websites will come up with groundbreaking features and usability.

Now that you’ve had a taste of the most informative, most useful and most handy websites you can use to cruise through every research and download session, get an up close and personal view of the weirdest and wackiest the web has to offer on Top Ten Weird Websites.