Services you should be using in 2013

2012 may have been a technological blur for you – Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, SoundCloud, LinkedIn, tumblr, Flickr…the list goes on and on, and we don’t blame you for being a little confused. But perhaps you’ve decided that in 2013, you want to be a little more “with it”… “in” with the crowd, ready to do a bit of Tweeting, pin stuff you’re interested in, or update your status every half hour. Whatever it is you want to do, there are at least 5 great services that exist out there that you should consider familiarising yourself with and using in 2013:

Flickr

So there’s been a little bit of controversy surrounding Instagram of late, with a recent scare about changes in terms and conditions. If the changes had gone ahead, it would’ve meant Instagram could sell all the shots of your feet and food to third parties without notifying you. It seems this hasn’t gone ahead, yet, after an outraged public (including popular celebs) took to social media platforms to slate the decision. And so, many have been looking for alternatives to Instagram. Flickr is one such alternative and it’s recently updated its iPhone app, to make it a little more exciting to use, with filters and such, for those who love to take and post random pictures.

Kickstarter

This service only popped up in the UK in 2012 and it’s already grabbing the attention and interest of many. This funding platform is quite a novel idea really – you basically search the site to find something creative that you like, and then help to fund it. This way you give inventors and creators the opportunity to make things you like so that they’re one step closer to being able to produce it on a greater scale and bring it to the market for you.

IdealoApp

It’s quite interesting that many people are still shocked when they realise the same product is sold at different prices in different stores. All the more reason to arm yourself with a tool for always finding the best deals and what better way than using the Idealo Price Comparison App. This great iPhone, iPad or Android app (which won the Web User Gold Award in 2012 for the best UK price comparison app), makes it easy for you to compare prices for over 3 million products and provides pricing information for hundreds of online shops. And with iPhone 3GS or later, the Barcode Scanner function lets you obtain product and pricing information by scanning product barcodes while you’re out shopping.

Change.org

Got something burning on your heart…lying awake at night thinking of a petition you’d really like to get started to change something? Well then Change.org is a service you’ll appreciate. Just like Kickstarter, Change.org only reached the UK in 2012, and according to the service’s website, there are “more than 20 million Change.org users in 196 countries…”. It gives people the power to create petitions, in an attempt to see change, and is a way to make “governments and companies more responsive and accountable”.

Pinterest

There are some people who still don’t have a clue what Pinterest is, so we’ve included it on the list in an attempt to inform you. Whilst growing up you probably stuck things to your bedroom wall or to a pinboard. If you came across something in a magazine that really piqued your interest, you’d rip it out and stick it up. Nowadays, things have changed a little – the magazine has become the Internet and your pinboard or wall has become a host of social media, sharing platforms, such as Pinterest. You simply find something that you like, pin it to your virtual pinboard and voilà! Creating your own pinboard or searching through others is a great way to gather some much-needed inspiration, especially around events such as weddings and birthday parties, or if you’re wanting to explore new recipes, craft ideas or fashionable looks. Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons/Image 1: Social-media-for-public-relations1reduzido by Sofiaperesoa |Flickr 3.0 Common Terms/Image 2: flickr Badges by poolie | Image 3: IdealoApp