Host your own TV show!

Do you have a lecture you want to stream to the web? Got a great idea of a series of talks you want to make availalble to a larger audience?

uStream (http://www.ustream.tv) lets anyone with a web camera an internet connection set up their own online broadcast studio. It provides you with the ability to stream your video, as well as a communications centre where viewers can submit questions and comments. Many podcasters use this services to broadcast live while they're producing their podcast. You can often find conference speakers streaming their lectures live (one time, I found a pub in Bangladesh streaming the band that was playing - live). You can archive the stream for later reference and even embed the stream on other pages as well.

See the show and chat room

Put your PowerPoint slideshow online

For years, Microsoft's PowerPoint was the only way to create and share a slideshow. You could have music and voice play in the background as each slide was presented.

Now you can easily take those slideshows and play them on your web page. SlideShare (http://www.slideshare.net) will convert your slideshow (with voice and music) and provide you with a YouTube like experience where you you can embed or present your slideshow on a web page. Any voice/music included in the slide will be part of the presentation and if wish, users can download the original PowerPoint presentation. You can even use PDFs to create slides as well.

Note: if you're looking for a way to just upload and embed photos, you'd be better off using Google's Picasa.

| View | Upload your own

Adding comments and visuals to images with PhotoCrank

Ever seen a photo that you'd like to add a comment or caption to?

PhotoCrank (http://www.photocrank.com) allows you to choose a number of talk/think bubbles and other graphics and easily add them to any photo you find on the web. If you run a blog, you can even add this service to your site so users can leave comments/captions for each image you post.

Tip: use a blog like Blogger just to post images to for friends and visitors to use PhotoCrank and make comments.

Cranked by: PhotoCrank

Get help from friends to plan a trip with Google Maps

If you haven't discovered Google Maps (http://www.google.com/maps) yet, then you're in for a treat. Google Maps does a lot of neat things, but the two really cool functions is the ability to create your own maps with point of interest and the ability to work on your maps with friends.

Next year I hope to take a trip to the Canadian east coast. I've created a map where I've started adding places and related information. I have a number of friends who have lived/visited there, so I'm giving them access to the map as well. As they come up with ideas, they can add them to my map and I see all the different places that they are recommending as well.

The video collection (3 videos) below will show you how some of the features work. Once one is completed, the next video will automatically start.

Welcome

Helpful and online is an informal site intended to provide you with neat and handy resources that you can find online. It's not intended for the uber web user, but for the everyday user. Through this forum, you'll discover handy sites that will help make your life a little less complicated.

Enjoy!

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