Byteswap is a free service (a virtual file cabinet as they call it) that allows you to upload and store files, contacts, Web links, photos, recipes – you name it! All uploaded items are nicely organized in folders. You can use the pre-named folders or you can rename them. You can also add information about the uploaded files, enabling you to know exactly why something is saved. You don’t get a true feel for Byteswap until you sign up. Their homepage and information links are a bit dense and it doesn’t look like much. However, once you sign up, it takes you to your personal dashboard which is customizable and has a lot more options.

Byteswap currently offers a Firefox toolbar that allows you to add links or pictures to your library from the Web. In addition to Firefox, an IE toolbar is in the works. This makes it a lot easier while surfing the Web to quickly save something that you consider a file-worthy item.

You can also make money with Byteswap by putting together a specific type of information that interests a group of people. When individuals view your content, they will see Adsense ads that are related to your content. If they click on the ad, then you get paid. If you are familiar with Adsense, you should know that you need quite a few clicks to make money.

When hovering over an item you’ve saved, a smooth screen shows a preview of the item. I think this is a useful aspect of the site.

You can make your content private or public. If your items are published publicly, then you can share them with friends and other Byteswap users. Byteswap also provides groups to join that serve to share content among users will similar interests. Byteswap is a good option for those of us who like to save lots of pictures and documents on our computers. This is a free way to backup some items in case a virus brings your computer down. Try it out at www.byteswap.com.

I covered google docs in this post, since then I have been keeping an eye out for another application that has as much to offer someone wishing to bring more of their work online. The good news is that I think I found one, the bad news, with so much of my stuff invested into google docs I am not sure that Zoho provides enough reason for me to switch. However for those of you who are about to make the jump from desktop applications to online document use, Zoho may be your answer.

While both google and Zoho offer very similar services there are some that only Zoho offers and others that only google offers. Both offer the following: Word Processor, spreadsheet, slideshow, web clippings, email, chat, wiki (google uses Jot), and web conferencing. What only google has: Web site hosting and feed reader. What only Zoho has: Database application, Online database, project management and customer relationship manger. I think the main difference between the two is that Zoho appears to be more business oriented while google remains strongly consumer driven.

While time will only tell if Zoho will be competitive against the juggernaut that is google, however if you are someone looking for a new place to store your work online, Zoho is worth the time it takes to explore it a little. I like Zoho a lot and if in the future I find that google does not meet all my needs I will definantly give them a shot. You can check out Zoho here, registration and use is free unless you opt for their Zoho business which runs $40 per user per year.

When it comes to online storage, you can almost never have enough, but adequate space from most services almost always come with a price. Before you upgrade your online storage account, you should consider transforming your own hard disk into online storage for free with Wuala.

Wuala is an application that utilizes the idle resources on user computers in order to provide online storage. Each user is initially given 1 gig of space and anyone whose computer is on at least 20% of the time can offer up an additional amount of space on your own hard disk in exchange for additional space on Wuala. The amount of additional Wuala space you can receive increases as the amount of space and time you offer increases. The same principle applies to bandwidth. Wuala is also quick and secure, and while your data is adequately backed up, not even the Wuala team has access to your files.

With Wuala you can upload your files for storage or publish and share them with others. One of the best things about it is that it’s so easy to use; dragging and dropping files is no different than with your computers own file manager.

Wuala, currently in closed Alpha, was developed by Caleido AG. Learn more about it as it makes its way around the world at wua.la/en/home.

I will not claim I am over excited about this latest offering from Microsoft Live Labs. The premise behind Listas is that (oh my gosh! No Way!) you can now make a list about virtually anything on the internet. Not only can you make a list, you can also post this list online (WOW!) and other people can look at it. Added to all this you can also look at other peoples lists as well (Can things get any better!).

I think the most irritating thing about Listas is the fact that you have to download yet another toolbar that really dosen’t do anything but allow you to sign into Listas. However there are some positives. The lists can be about anything you think needs a list, for example always wanted to post up your top ten favorite bands of all time? With Listas not only do you have a place to host this list, but you can also receive comments and feedback from other Listas users. Another neat function is Lista continuously updates itself keeping track of popular lists, new lists, etc. So while I am not the biggest fan of this little application, I am sure there are some people out there that will really find Listas a lot of fun.

With social networking becoming such a large part of web 2.0 it should come as no surprise to anyone that there are a few sites out there that actually act as event planning services. These sites are primarily designed for you to send out invitations to your friends for parties, meetings, or any other kind of event you may desire to host. While there was a time when normal mail and phone calls served the same purpose, these event sites allow us to organize events much quicker.

One of the newer additions to this offering is the site madeit.com. While they don’t really do anything all that innovative (it’s pretty much just a prettier email list,) the site is easy to use. So, even those most technologically-impaired can, at the very least, let the hosts who have invited them know that they are planning on attending the event. After signing up you are brought to the main page where you have a view of the events you have sent invitations for, the friends you have invited to madeit.com, and a place to host pictures. To begin inviting people to an event simply click on the link and either design your own invitation or use one of the previously designed ones. After you have selected your invitation, you then get to fill in the details such as time, place, what to bring, etc. Once this is done you get to preview your work – and then, finally, send an invitation to all your friends. All in all it’s pretty simple.

Once your event has happened you can visit madeit.com and upload pictures and stuff from the event. Then you and your friends can leave comments and messages about the party, and those can live forever on the internet. Signing up for madeit.com is free and you can do so here. So, next time you are in the mood to throw a party, plan a camping trip, or even organize a wine tasting trip through northern California, swing on over to madeit.com and give it a try.

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