Script Mimic is a script directory which operates differently from other script directories such as Hotscripts; instead of filing scripts into categories, Script Mimic places them with websites they are similar to (so far example wikis go under Wikipedia).

Calling it a script directory is somewhat misleading. The site is much more social than a directory, it might be better classified as a forum. The reason for this is because users post a website (like Wikipedia or MySpace) and other users then reply with both free and commercial scripts which would create a similar site.

The site is a much more Web 2.0 approach to script directories, but it doesn’t exactly put people off stealing the ideas of others (I had a moan about this a few days ago).

It’s important to say while sites like this make it easier to copy ideas, you’re not going to get the same success if you merely copy an idea.

Tags: scripts, script mimic, web2.0, web 2.0, webdev, web 2, web2

Disclosure: Webby’s World is getting paid to write this review. We will try not to let this alter our opinion

RepVine is a website which lets you control what others find when the search for you on popular search engines, this may be somewhat misleading, but its aim is similar to that of ClaimID. The site allows you to link parts of your online identity together, and people link to this page which in turn places it highly on Google.

The difference between ClaimID and RepVine is that instead of acting as a bookmark service, RepVine does things such as collect references. RepVine allows you to ask your online contacts for references, however, in order to provide them they must sign-up for RepVine. Your contacts then build up references, and it all turns into a nice little circle of trust system.

Some aspects of RepVine seem unnecessarily complex. For example, I don’t understand what the challenge phrases feature of the site actually does. This isn’t clearly stated, because the documentation mainly comprises of three pages saying what the site is actually about and an FAQ covering aspects of the site such as misleading references.

RepVine seems much more professional than many Web 2.0 sites, as it uses darker colours. This probably makes it look more appealing to businesses, although I’m not sure how many large corporations would actually use a site like RepVine to investigate potential employees. Sites like RepVine might be used by smaller new start-ups, like the vast majority of Web 2.0 companies, to check candidates out, though.

RepVine unfortunately lacks Ajax, and while this isn’t necessary it would provide a nicer experience for looking around the site.

Tags: repvine, claimid, identity 2.0, web 2.0, web2, web2.0, web 2

The English Wikipedia reached 1,500,000 articles yesterday, following 1,000,000 on 1st March 2006. This is an amazing amount of growth for less than 9 months; the encyclopaedia’s increased 50% in size!

The 1,500,000th article was about Kanab Ambersnail, which is an endangered sub-species. A bit of an obscure article, but at least the 1,500,000th article wasn’t an article created against Wikipedian policy, such as vandalism or an article about a non-notable person.

The Wikipedia is probably one of the Web 2.0’s greatest success stories and is probably the best single collection of human knowledge. However, it also has a reputation for unreliability.

I mean take this 9rules Notes thread:

The question was: What have you learned from Wikipedia? and was asked by Rafael.

The answers seemed to run along two themes.

One user said:

Not to believe everything you read on the internet.

Another said:

I love Wikipedia! I link to it’s articles a ton in my blog when I’m using a tech term that I know some people don’t know. I also use it to find answers for things that I used to use Google for. Like if I hear about dark matter, I would much rather ask Wikipedia what it means than Google.

Most people seem to have one of these two viewpoints. I believe your viewpoint is based on how much you trust others and whether you’d rather have quality over quantity. What’s yours?

YouTube is perhaps the most famous Web 2.0 success story, being one of the most valuable and most popular websites today. Naturally, many companies want to have similar success, but I’m just amazed how many services exist with only minute differences from one another.

This is most evident if you look on a site such as Allfg.org, which gets video from various sites. Today, I have viewed videos from Dailymotion, YouTube and Veoh. It is worth noting that YouTube doesn’t have many full length TV episodes on, while the only use sites like Dailymotion have is… TV episodes.

So many YouTube clones exist today, and its amazing that they all actually get used. I could create a list a page long full of YouTube clones, but I think I shall only write a few. Revver, Google Video, AOL’s UnCut Video, Yahoo! Video, OuOu, Vimeo and the list goes on.

It’s so easy to steal an idea which already exists. Web 2.0 start-ups should try to produce innovative products, instead of simply taking someone’s innovation. Still, stealing ideas doesn’t seem to damage your Alexa rank:

alexa website statistics by alexaholic

Tags: youtube, video sharing, web2.0, web 2, web 2.0, web2

Southampton-based Zamzar allows you to have files converted between various formats online, without the need to download software. I have often found myself spending hours looking for software which will allow me to convert videos between various formats, and even after you find one they are often just limited demos. While software like MediaCoder handle most media, it is a little technical. Zamzar offers simple and free online file conversion.

Zamzar works through selecting a file from your hard disk and then selecting the desired format of it. You also must type in your email address, and after the file has been uploaded and converted it will be emailed to you. This is extremely simple, as you don’t have to spend hours messing on with codecs and soforth. Zamzar does have more uses than media, it also converts more formats, like documents to PDFs. The site supports dozens of formats.

The obvious downsides of this service is that when you are converting media files, you must upload them (which by the way I believe is done through Ajax), which may take some time. Also, the service only supports files up to 100MB big (which i expect is to keep processor use down).

Tags: zamzar, conversion, file conversion, media, web2.0, web 2.0, web2, web 2