By Michelle McCracken, Reporter
Senior Joelle Mannion says that Tumblr is her favorite web site.
“They have pictures I like sometimes. I like getting quotes from there,” she said.
For sophmore Kegan Workman, it’s YouTube because he listens to music on there.
The most popular web sites among Kaneland teens are often social portals, Computer Technology teacher Anna Schwein said.
“I don’t know if Google counts, but Google and YouTube for sure. Sites that launch them into email and some Facebook,” Schwein said.
But what about those afternoons where there is nothing interesting on the Facebook News Feed or when YouTube seems be overflowing with corny videos? Websites like StumbleUpon and Digg are made for these days.
These sites allow users to discover webpages and news based off their interests. Though StumbleUpon and Digg are different in looks and layout, but they both have a similar goal: to help people find new sites on the internet that will interest them.
StumbleUpon is a website that does just what it name says: It allows users to “stumble upon” web sites related to their interests. Users select interest categories, which range from Celtic Music to Bodybuilding to Jewelry. Interested in carpentry? There’s even a woodworking category for all the whittlers out there.
Just by clicking “Stumble,” a website is pulled up matching the interests of the user. If the page is a good match to user’s selected interests, the user can give the page a thumbs up and it is saved as a personal favorite, where it can be viewed later. The site then uses an algorithm to help the user find more sites like that.
Digg is another option for students looking to expand their online world.
The site can be used to find news easily and fast, as opposed to waiting to hear about it from another source. Users are greeted by a list of recent news from diverse categories, which can then be changed to a specific subject, such as lifestyle or technology. From there, the user can either “digg” or “bury” the story. When the user diggs a story, it is then slowly moved towards the top of the list on the home page. If a story is buried, it slowly moves down the list. This allows users to decide what would be important for other Diggers to view. Digg makes it easy to discover stories and topics that are trending on the web.
