Whether you’re new to the world of authorship or a veteran trying to make the most of Web services and applications, there are a number of online tools for writers of all types. From blogging platforms to networking hotbeds, and job boards to real-world gatherings, and more, the supply of utilities is comprehensive, to say the least.

But finding them all can be hard-going, so we’ve taken the liberty to make the discovery process easier by arranging our top finds here for your perusal. Here are 35 of the best social media tools for writers.

Have one that you’d recommend? Tell us about your favorites in the comments!

Word Processing

As a writer, you may have grown comfortable with applications like Microsoft Word, the Open Office equivalent, or more basic text editors like Notepad for Windows or the Mac OS X mainstay known as TextEdit. But as you spend more time consuming information in your web browser, you might have a growing interest in producing material through the same piece of software. In that case, here are several that will likely suit most, if not all of your needs as narrator:

Google Docs - This is perhaps the most frequently mentioned processor of its kind, simply for the fact that it is a Google property. Whether the name association is good or bad in your eye, Google Docs is quite capable of replacing virtually all common tasks that your typical desktop-based whiteboard can manage.

Zoho Writer - This application is superb in all sorts of ways. It runs neck-and-neck with Google Docs insofar as features go, yet it’s got the added appeal of being an independent option. In a manner of speaking, Zoho Writer has big talent without the big title.

Adobe Buzzword - Like Google did with Docs (formerly known as Writely), Adobe purchased Buzzword. And like Google Docs and Zoho Writer, Buzzword happens to be a solid option. The most obvious difference with Buzzword is that the visual environment is considerably less light in tone. Adobe gray seems there to stay. Which has its appeal, we won’t deny.

ThinkFree Office Write - It doesn’t get spoken about very often, but ThinkFree’s Write application is able to swim with bigger fish if it’s tasked to do so. You may like or dislike it for various reasons, but technically speaking, it’s quite fortuitous.

picoWrite - Among picoScribe’s suite of applications, picoWrite is the one that makes wordplay happen. It’s not the most glamorous item listed in this first segment of services. You might think the toolbar provided is quite unattractive, in fact. Perhaps that adage of “don’t judge a book by its cover” is apt to restate here, however. Give it a go if you feel up to the challenge.

Microsoft Office Web - It’s not available for all to touch and see, but it’s coming. If you’re a Microsoft Word devotee, and can’t imagine having to transition to another brand for your writerly needs, just wait and you shall receive.

Blogging

Some authors write blogs to complement their long-form work. Sometimes bloggers’ work becomes a long-form product. Journalists, meanwhile, are increasingly required to write blogs to get closer and more familiar with their readers. Social media is the general idea. If you’d like to join this increasingly mainstream movement among the industry’s professional keyboardists, here are several great picks to choose from.

TypePad - One of the premier blogging services in operation today, TypePad, a Six Apart creation, puts a premium on ease of use and functionality. This month the company introduced an option for journalists to obtain a 1 year pro-level membership free of charge, ordinarily a $150 value. They call it the TypePad Journalist Bailout Program. In addition to membership, Six Apart promises visible placement on Blogs.com and enrollment in an advertisement revenue sharing program.

Movable Type - Also from Six Apart, Movable Type is more a business-level class of blogging platform, with emphasis on multi-user management and enhanced customization. If your fledgling blog turns into something of a phenom requiring incorporation and a full-time staff of 20+, Movable Type may be the thing to jump to.

WordPress.com - Renowned for its simplicity, openness and extensibility, WordPress.com is a hosted blogging service of immense popularity - largely because it’s free.

WordPress.org - You can roll your own blog with a custom WordPress.org installation on a server of your choice with a domain name of your choice. WordPress is the choice of many top blogs, including Mashable.

Squarespace - Customization is key with Squarespace, but it’s very much a visual experience. Almost everything can be handled with the click of a mouse, as opposed to WordPress.org’s sometimes granular, code-heavy makeup.

Blogger - Another simple and very popular blogging engine, Blogger is a Google-run platform that puts emphasis on the basics like none other. In fact, it might be considered too easy for some.

Microblogging

Taking the blogging thing one step further, microblogging restricts the writer to a 140-character-per-post exercise. As you might imagine, this requires inventiveness to produce qualitative and engaging material, whether it be conversational or promotional (or both). And there are a number of ways to go about engaging an audience in this fashion.

Twitter - The most popular and most recognized microblogging solution presently in play, Twitter has many functions. It’s used as a marketing engine. It’s used to talk to “followers.” It’s even used to chronicle poems and verse, as well as brief novella-like inventions. NYTimes reporter Matt Richtel is one figure who employed the platform for creative ends.

Laconi.ca - A microblogging service created in much the same way as Twitter, Laconi.ca allows users to do with 140-character messaging what WordPress.org is able to do with blogging. You create your microblog as you wish, invite whomever you like into the mix, and you’ve effectively got yourself a personal Twitter of your own design. It’s not easy to set up, mind you. But the challenge may prove worthwhile.

Facebook - A network of over 100 million people, Facebook is perhaps the largest purveyor of status updates on the Web next to nifty away messages posted by users of instant messaging services like AIM and Google Talk, et al. Status updates typically denote what a user is doing at a certain moment in time. But the ability to free-form one’s thoughts allows Facebook to act as a microblogging engine of sorts. If you establish a great network of people, the power of this can be extraordinary.

Jotting Ideas

Maybe you’re not ready to start on a book or short story or journalism piece. Maybe you just want to lay down your thoughts on certain matters to make better sense of your mission for a certain project. These services will keep those notes organized.

SpringNote - Founded on the wiki mantra, SprintNote is free, intuitive, enormously utilitarian, and even delivers an iPhone application to extend the experience. Because we all know that some of the best thoughts come when you least expect them - like when you’re walking a city street, without a notebook or desktop PC in view.

Evernote - This is a fantastic note management application that sports numerous access points, including the standard website, desktop applications for Mac and PC users, and even an iPhone-compatible application. All Evernote downloads can synchronize with a user’s account in the cloud.

Google Notebook - With desktop and mobile browser access, Google Notebook is simple, but powerful. Jot your ideas down quickly, wherever you might be, and have easy access when you get to your main terminal at home or at the office.

Zoho Notebook - Similar to Google’s application, Zoho Notebook puts emphasis on convenient information aggregation and collaboration. Need to run a concept by your editor for a manuscript or essay? This is a great way to do it. Wonderfully enough, login is provided for Zoho account owners as well as Google and Yahoo usernames.

Social Networking

Writers may not be the most social folks to roam the planet, but networking on the Web is all but a necessity for people seeking maximum exposure - and maximum sales! Here are several sites to occupy your time away from your word processor.

Red Room - A social network for authors to maintain pages and readers to get better acquainted with those they know and those they may not know so well. Red Room is packed with blogs, essays, videos, podcasts, events and more. It’s one of those places which, the deeper you delve, the more engaging it feels. And it’s still in beta!

Writer’s Network - What may seem a bit plain at first glance is in fact a surprisingly voluminous database of words and the writers behind them. It’s free, with plenty of tips, how-tos, and voting features to see how users rate your work alongside everything else.

Shelfari - A social network with emphasis on what you and others are reading, Shelfari is less about connecting authors to their fans than sharing recommendations and reviews. Of course, authors generally are avid consumers of content, and sometimes only reluctant producers, so sharing a personal library, even if you have an ISBN tag to call your own, might be a fun endeavor.

GoodReads - Similar to Shelfari but constructed in a way that more quickly grants users access to its various components and sections. Also, status updates were recently introduced to GoodReads. If nothing else, GoodReads can be highlighted for its independent role. Shelfari, alternatively, was recently acquired by Amazon.

Gather.com - This is a social network with wide-ranging subject matter, so it cannot claim to be the exclusive domain of readers. Still, Gather has its book clubs, which authors could certainly tap into.

LinkedIn - A website famous for its business networking acumen, LinkedIn could be where you introduce yourself to agents, editors, fellow writers and other valuable connections. Time spent here can be rewarding, for sure.

Facebook - You need only look to pages like that of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, which have grossed roughly a half-million “fans” to see what kind of network effect you can get from Facebook. We mentioned it earlier in the microblogging portion of the roundup, and given the variety of active users, both in age and in occupation, it’s a clear fit in the social networking segment as well.

Jobs and Employment Resources

Hey, a writer’s gotta eat, eh? That’s the express reason for these two sites. Check them out, and if you’ve got suggestions for other services, shout ‘em out in the comments!

Freelancer’s Union - Want jobs? Want to meet important people? Want to advertise yourself and your business? Need insurance as an independently employed person? Freelancer’s Union delivers it all.

FreelanceWriting.com - It’s rough to browse and job leads can be a real pain to track, but FreelanceWriting.com presents lots of links. The more you frequent the site and watch the incoming streams of gigs offered to writers, the more you’ll get out of it.

Book Fairs/Shows

There are many book fairs that take place throughout the year, but there are some major hotspots that all but require publishers’ attention, and by extension, authors as well. Here’s a run-through of some of the majors.

Paris Book Fair - With a 2009 schedule of March 13-18, the Paris Book Fair is just one of the events each year in the French nation where celebration of ideas is the order of each day.

London Book Fair - This event takes places in the spring season (April), and is one of Europe’s largest and most important.

BookExpo America - Occupying the halls of the Jacob Javits Center in New York City for four days in May 2009, BookExpo America is perhaps the pinnacle of book gatherings in the US. Plenty of events occur in the American capital and places elsewhere to argue otherwise, but the name here speaks volumes. Pun intended.

Frankfurt Book Fair - Also one of the largest and most important of gatherings in Europe for the publishing industry, the Frankfurt Book Fair carries the torch for the global book tour each year in October. The 2009 schedule has it for October 14-18 to be specific.

iPhone Apps:

It’d be quite a feat of thumb work to punch out some serious, long-winded prose on your smartphone, but in the event that you want or need to read or blog an interesting bit of data, these iPhone apps make you that much more productive with your multi-touch screen.

WordPress [iTunes URL] - We noted both Wordpress.com and WordPress.org options in the blogging segment above, and we’d be amiss if we didn’t mention the mobile option for iPhone as well. You can access ‘.com’ and ‘.org’-style blogs with the application, as well as publish photos and preview such posts before they’re uploaded. The download is free.

TypePad [iTunes] - Yes, the competition between WordPress and TypePad carries over to the iPhone, and as we mentioned in a past review, the provision from Six Apart is aesthetically more pleasant and supports six languages in addition to English. It is a free download as well.

Stanza [iTunes] - A free application with the reverse purpose of purveying published works to the user, Stanza is as revered as any iPhone application released since the summer months. You can transfer books from the Lexcycle Online Library or text located on your desktop computer. Language support includes English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish.

More Resources for Writing Online

-Freelancers’ Toolbox - 30+ Online Freelance Resources

-30+ Tools For The Amateur Writer

-Blogging Toolbox: 120+ Resources for Bloggers

-BOOKS TOOLBOX: 50+ Sites for Book Lovers

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, alexsl

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MySpace is not known for good design. Its garish profiles make designers nauseous. And yet, there are signs of hope: we’ve tracked down 50 MySpace music layouts that are quite remarkable. Stylish. Stunningly well-conceived. Beautiful, even.

Could it be that MySpace profiles aren’t all bad? You be the judge.

A Fine Frenzy - This artist has been high in the charts for quite some time, and her page, courtesy of BandSpaces.com, happened to make it as the first in our musical roundup. As you can see, it’s no wonder why.

Joss Stone - It’s all about placement and graphics. One glance down the artist’s page and it’s clear that the standard layout can be warped with some nice colorful touches. This page is a winner.

Shine - You can keep your page looking segmented if you like, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Sweep the page with images and buttons in the right places and you’ve got yourself a rockin’ MySpace destination.

MyNameIsAugust - Delivered by OutLoudMarketing, the page for August looks fairly ordinary in comparison with the items above, but it still manages to please.

Valerie Nicole - Tidy and neat, this isn’t as in-your-face as some of the others, but it’s still a sight for sore eyes - of which there are plenty across the wide world of MySpace.

Underhills - Though the silver-colored music player does feel a little clunky amid the wallpaper, the complete ensemble is nothing short of fantastic. It’s one of those pages bound to elicit an “I wish that had been mine” kind of critique from visitors.

Airlines - Let’s face it. Good promotional media from bands can mean great publicity. (Books are judged by their covers, in other words.) Which is why the MySpace page for The Airlines, another invention of BandSpaces, lands on this list. It gives the visitor a clear impression that they can make equally kick-ass without breaking the bank.

Lady Sovereign - I’ve been somewhat familiar with Lady Sovereign’s songbook for several seasons now, and the sharp color contrast of her MySpace page is befitting of the musical experience she delivers. Very billboard-esque, this one is.

Stereo Transmitted Disease - If you want to take things a little musica obscura in terms of your band name and bio and things, the page assembled for STD sets a good example. It’s a kind of hodgepodge, wrapped into an easily digestible square.

Man Like Machine - Lots of white space but still fun and playful, Man Like Machine is a music page, but gets marked in the Just Plain Pretty category just the same.

We Are Tokyo - This design is white and red in a way reminiscent of staple colors commanded by The White Stripes. Which is fine by us, because We Are Tokyo pull it off quite well.

Mia Sable - This is a winner in so many ways. Done up with just the right amount of glitz and glamour to make it stand out from the crowd, Mia Sable’s MySpace page is nothing short of fantastic. If this doesn’t make you envious, few others will.

The Academy Is - Having your band name plastered across nearly the full top fold of your MySpace page may not such a bad thing, so long as everything else looks proper. And it does!

Censura - Put your name and music front and center and leave the rest for window dressing. This one is not only beautiful. The geography of it makes it worthwhile to emulate.

The Midway State - Another boxy beaut, the page for The Midway State is impressive for its elegant design and its translucent features.

Race the Sun - This one’s simply a gem to look at. Loading the page takes some time, and some things make seem out of place, but heck if this isn’t one of the most image-enhanced pages on the network.

Cambria Detken - An extraordinary piece of work, the profile for Cambria Detken is one of the best. It makes good use of white space like and wraps it up in butterflies and flowers with plenty of green to go around.

Mr North - Oh what some motion graphics can do. The idea here is to splash the page. The paint job is entertaining. The features are all there. Altogether, it’s an engaging place to be. Which is the point.

Rented Mule - One of the more plainly drawn pages, Rented Mule Jazz is something that lots of folks could take cues from without a degree in design. Easy does it.

Helena Jesse - The lesson here: put heavy emphasis on your header and you’ll grab some attention. The rest of the page is fairly ordinary, but perhaps we’re in store for further enhancements.

Goodnight Caulfield - Akin to the Mia Sable page, albeit made for a four-piece group, Goodnight Caulfield’s profile is so polished that you start to question whether anything is wrong with it. Very little, it turns out!

Gonna Get Got - What a treat. Name emblazoned in white across the top, great graphical touches the entire length of the page, music placed front and center. What else can you ask for? Add another URL to the winner’s circle.

Zone Music - It would be quite basic without that collage to the right of the music player, but if that’s what makes this gem, then so be it. The page is superb with all facets included.

Paul Cullen - So well done, yet not excessively so. It befits the artist, for sure. Which is how it should be, wouldn’t you agree? Out Loud is responsible for making this page happen.

Scott Philipp - That’s Scott Philipp and the StoneBaby Band, to be precise. The contrast of colors make seem a little unusual to some. Black and soft gold are quite a juxtaposition to make. But stick around for a moment and you’ll why we picked it as one of the best.

Ricky Martin - Alright, you may like the guy’s music, or you may not. But one thing is certain. His MySpace page is a great one. It’s refined and easy to navigate without being imposing in any way.

The Stooges - The page rocks. Enough said.

Lenny Kravitz - If you haven’t seen the place before, you will be surprised. The choice of  photo slideshow and background and menu layout and profile componentry, there’s something for most any MySpace page designer to be fond of.

The Almost - Bold and soft all in one page, it’s an interesting thing to look at. It’s colorful but not too much so. It’s very clearly and basically designed, which makes it seem borderline amateurish. So it get a nod.

JMR Productions - We’ll toss this in simply for spice. It’s brash and at the same time fairly plainspoken. It’s great.

Brianna Sage - One of the better sites to make smart use of white space, the profile constructed by Out Loud for Brianna Sage is really well done. The design firm has certainly shown a consistency across many of its creations that it’s hard to imagine anything dreadful coming from its assembly line. A complementary applause is deserved.

Teddy Geiger - It’s not immediately apparent that this is a great design, but give it a moment, we say. It’s the right mix of photography and fringe edits that give it a place on this map.

Ken Hyland - One of the more clean and collected profiles of this broad bunch, the profile for Ken Hyland has professionalism written all over it.

Coldplay - Are broad brush strokes enough to make a MySpace page attractive? We think so. Oh, and there are plenty of little quirks and uniquities to satisfy most folks. (Just as long as they’re noticed.)

Led Zeppelin - The page is top notch. There’s nothing else to say, really. Top notch, indeed. Befitting of the band, wouldn’t you say?

Blue Island Tribe - It’s all waterworks here. And we have to admit, it looks pretty darn good. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re looking for surfer inspiration, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something much better.

Anouk - From top to bottom (or at least the middle), Anouk’s MySpace page is nicely finished. Everything is clearly delineated, which definitely works in its favor.

Kate Nash - It’s amazing what a checkerboard background can do to a MySpace page, isn’t it?

Citizen Cope - A grand banner topping the page, Citizen Cope’s profile has its rough spots, but there’s nothing that will displease. Chalk that assessment up to the backdrop.

Death Cab for Cutie - Have we gotten loose with our praise with this one? Perhaps, perhaps not. It’s certainly a subjective thing. Some will love the page for its squarish sensibility. It’s got a few abstract bones in its body, for sure.

Dido - Mostly black with plenty of beveled edges, Dido’s profile is well made. There’s ample empty space, which can detract from the sense of fine design, but that may suit some folks. Does it suit you?

Eisley - At least one member of the Mashable crew is partial to Eisley (hint: check the byline), so take this plug as you wish. The extra-large borders around every piece of the puzzle are what really bring things home.

Elbow - This band’s profile is black and white done right. It’s as simple as that.

Eminem - Everything’s so packed together that we can’t help but like it. It’s pretty much the antithesis of sprawl. Kudos on the set design, Eminem.

Ingrid Michaelson - There’s hardly anything unusual about this page, but its colorway and layout are what we think every band should strive for at the very least. The better to please listeners.

M.I.A. - Beware of the flash. Alternatively, if you like the flash, you’ll love it. Seriously.

Nine Inch Nails - Another fairly docile setup, the Nine Inch Nails profile is totally square and totally worth a plug. It’s NIN, through and through.

Radiohead - Its theme coincides with the In Rainbows release, so of course it looks great. Love the darkness, people. Love the darkness!

Smashing Pumpkins - How to summarize…. It has an elaborate headdress with plenty of band stamps to go around. Thumbs up for intelligent design.

U2 - Compared with the first half of this series, the U2 page is, in terms of the band’s global impression, woefully inadequate. But that’s this Irish quartet, for you. MySpace just isn’t cool enough for Bono and his Chanel shades. The thing is, the profile still amounts to an appreciable contribution to the network. How’s that for a finale?

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How fun do you imagine it would be to see your design wrapped around paper packets of tea leaves and herbal blends? No, really, how fun?

Because that’s what UK-based Lancashire Tea is looking to strike interest in. The tea packager has tapped The Rehab Agency, a marketing consultancy, to produce three designs, which, along with the original graphic, has been put up for a vote on Facebook, according to Packaging News.

Voting goes until December 1, and interestingly enough, once the results are tallied, if a new design wins top honor, Rehab gets paid in full. If the original gets gold, however, Rehab will, according to managing director Janie Ash, receive a “much reduced fee.”

A Small Tea-Drinking Constituency

Of course, Lancashire’s Official Tea Club group isn’t buzzing with activity in light of this month-long event. It’s member page touts under 300 people, and just two dozen individuals have bothered to speak their peace about the Rehab project.

But the social networking endeavor is curious nonetheless. Especially when sized up amid other marketing efforts on the social Web.

Not the First Social Marketing Experiment…

You may remember that mega toothpaster Crest partly crowdsourced an ad run on YouTube this summer.

And how about Microsoft’s I’m a PC venture, in which the public was urged to record video confessionals and contribute their efforts to a collage of Windows-themed spots? That turned out to be quite the attention-getter.

Let’s not forget the ever-infamous Facebook Beacon experiment, either, in which users were involved in a social advertising experiment that quickly drew majority ire for its seeming underhandedness.

…Certainly Not the Last

What’s next on the social marketing menu, then? I call for a new design of watermelon. Oval is so over. Square is…square. I pitch another parallelogram. What say you?

Imagery provided by iStockPhoto/Bryngelzon; Crown Melon

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The Google brand is ubiquitous. You’d have to make a concerted effort to avoid all the Googley things that Google has Googled. But what if some of the most useful Google iPhone apps…weren’t made by Google at all?

We think that might be the case: here we present some of our favorite non-Google ways to access Google services on the iPhone. How do you think these compare to Google’s own app?

Google Search (Paid)

gSearch [iTunes/$0.99] - The web was recently abuzz with articles noting the enhanced features within the official Google application for iPhone users. And rightly so, I think. Voice search alone is quite a big boost to the download. But perhaps you don’t want such a busy app. Perhaps you only want a Plain-Jane Google Search in widescreen?  So be it!

Google Docs & Sheets (Free)

MiGhtyDocs [iTunes/Free] - A free application offering basic read access to documents and spreadsheets from Google Docs, MiGhtyDocs has received above-average reviews from users since its debut in August, and the app’s developers at “V1ru8″ promise improvements down the road.

Savy Soda Text Editor [iTunes/Free] - A self-described “simple text editor with Google Docs synchronization,” Text Editor is barebones but fairly decent-looking. Of course, it switches to landscape mode for heavy inputs.

Google Docs & Sheets (Paid)

Savy Soda Documents [iTunes/$2.99] - An enhanced alternative to Text Editor, Documents allows users to access Microsoft Word, Excel, Open Office, and Apple iWork’s Numbers formats. Google Docs, too. It was released earlier this month in the App Store, and is available for $2.99 for a “limited time” only. The price is ordinarily $4.99.

Google Calendar (Free)

SaiSuke [iTunes/Free] - If you can manage your daily/weekly/monthly schedule with one file within Google Calendar, and wouldn’t concern yourself with the inability to upload data to the cloud, the free download of SaiSuke will serve you well.

Google Calendar (Paid)

SaiSuke [iTunes/$9.99] - On the other hand, if managing a single calendar without two-way synchronization is an absurd notion for your personal and professional affairs, the paid version of SaiSuke will be a godsend. You can specify when synchronization occurs, too, so you’re not connected when you don’t want/need to be.

Google Talk (Free)

Fring [iTunes/Free] - This application connects you to far more services than Google Talk alone, but it manages Google Talk accounts nonetheless. If you need to chat, this can be the thing for you. And so long as you keep the application open, you can receive automatic notification of incoming messages.

IM+ Lite [iTunes/Free] - This download can really be everything you want it to be, except for an SMS-like push messaging service. It is my personal favorite among free Google Talk messaging services for the iPhone platform.

Palringo [iTunes/Free] - Setup may not be the most immediate, with Palringo account registration required, but the thing works. Described in as few words as possible, it’s one of those applications that grows on you with time. Graphically, it’s quite good.

Google Talk (Paid)

IM+ [iTunes/$9.99] - There’s one paramount reason for paying the fee for this premium app: “IM Push(TM) mode to stay and communicate online without having IM+ running.” Enough said.

WebMessenger [iTunes/$4.99] - At half the price of IM+, this is an appealing option, particularly as its developers also pledge that the application will continue to communicate with your chosen instant messaging protocol(s) uninterrupted when exiting the WebMessenger interface.

Google Contacts (Paid)

gContacts [iTunes/$1.99] - There are a number of Google Contacts managers, and gContacts is one of them. It’s on the cheaper side, at $1.99, and it does what it says. Is it worth the cost? It all depends on how you like to access your Google Contacts - alongside your iPhone’s Address Book or entirely separate.

GSyncAir [iTunes/$1.99] - Use this if you want to sync your Address Book with your Google Contacts and would like to spend $1.99 to do the job.

SyncContact [iTunes/$2.99] - Ditto to the GSyncAir description, albeit for the price - and a completely different interface to boot.

Google Blogger (Free)

BlogWriter Lite [iTunes/Free] - This one works with more services than Google’s Blogger alone, but if you want to connect to your BlogSpot account without sacrificing a penny extra, BlogWriter Lite will do the trick.

Blogger (Paid)

BlogWriter [iTunes/$4.99] - The most outstanding feature you get with the paid version of BlogWriter: photo uploads. You can even resize photos for faster uploads. That’s a tip of the hat to EDGE users, I suspect! (A pool in which I proudly include myself.)

Google All-in-One Wannabe (Paid)

MiGTool [iTunes/$3.99] - For the price, you get access to a 1.5-month-old development that promises to transfer data between your device and Google Contacts, Google Docs, Picasa Web Albums, and Google Calendar. And if any one of those aspects misbehaves, you’re urged to contact the developer via the support email address.

That’s our pick of the best! What are your favorites and why?

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read full story of "Great Google iPhone Apps Not Made by Google"

The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes plenty of wrapped packages, sloppy kisses, and even some fulfilled wishes. And so there are those relatives and friends of ours who send ordinary greetings by email and snail mail.

But some of us choose to do things differently. In light of this, we’ve rounded up several things you may opt to send out lest Santa and his workshop helpers forget. From e-cards to miscellaneous trinkets, this bunch will please many folks in your contact list.

Share your favorites from around the Web!

JibJab’s Elf Yourself

A moment without JibJab is a moment none so fun, wouldn’t you say? If you’re not afeared of elves and want to send customized entertainment the way of friends and family, an Elf Yourself greeting would be highly prized by main to receive it.

Send Holiday Cheer

Undoubtedly meant to keep current with the ranks of online humor makers, Send Holiday Cheer, a graphical concoction delivered by Pear Tree Greetings is quite a hoot. It may take some time to get your message of cheer just right, but hey, few wonders come easy - even with Web 2.0 technologies to help things along!

eCardlets (for iPhone)

What happens when you mix ex-Microsofties and ex-Googlers together? eCardlets, that’s what. There’s a full range of options in the eCardlets database, so you can refer back to the site year round for holidays, birthdays, and even some thank-yous and sorrys. These things are optimized for iPhone users, so for the most devoted of Apple idolators, they are…awesome, as Pete would say.

YouTube Holiday Cards

YouTube’s video holiday card maker is easy to use, and you don’t even have to star in your personal production. A number of videos are provided, as well as accompanying themes. Your written message makes a selection complete and ready for send-off.

Holiday Gifts (Facebook App)

Thousands of people are using the Holiday Gifts application every month, and for good reason: there are far too many holidays for any mere mortal to keep track of. There are over a dozen moments for November alone. Come December, there’ll be more still. Send free gifts to your Facebook friends with ease - and do it on time!

Imagery provided by iStockPhoto/Shapecharge

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Or was your Black Friday a bit of a washout? Did you pick up a bargain, or stay online and shop there instead? Or did you resist consumerism completely this year, and stay in with the family? Inquiring minds want to know.

Did you shop? More to the point, did you shop brick-and-mortar? Or did you shop from your La-Z-Boy with a Wi-Fi signal beaming your way? Are you waiting for the so-called “Cyber Monday” to arrive? Or are you keeping your purse strings lock-tight this season?

If you did buy, what did you get? That mid-sized flat screen TV that you thought would be discounted much more than it showed on the shelf? And did finally spring for one of those not-so-fast-selling TiVos, the better to hook yourself up to video downloads (and annoy Comcast’s meter men to no end)? How about an Apple TV for not-quite-doorbuster pricing? An Xbox plus the Netflix action, perhaps?

On the premium Web services front, Any Flickr Pro gifting planned? How about Vimeo Plus? Settling for the free space on YouTube and limited Flickr uploads instead, along with all the things Facebook and Photobucket allow you to do?

Dish details if you please! And be sure to check our Cyber Monday prep course as well.

—Related Articles at Mashable | All That’s New on the Web:Black Friday Deals: 10 Best ResourcesReport: Black Friday Online Shopping Up 10 PercentCyber Monday Gains 10% Since Last YearMySpace Goes (RED), Google Logo AppearsSteve Jobs Speaks. Twitter Goes Down.iPhone Comes To UK On Friday, Fair Use Limit DroppedOnline Shopping Still Strong After Christmas

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Since its debut in 2007, iPhone owners have been capable of consuming video in two ways: via iPod software as well as a YouTube application. And these options presumably remain the exclusive utilities employed for viewing clips.

But they are other methods available now. The launch of the App Store this summer enticed a number of third-party developers to make use of the iPhone’s video playback capabilities. The Web-based television outfit Joost [iTunes] is the latest to joint the fray. Naturally, we thought it’d be fitting to see what’s what in that part of the iPhone market as a whole. Here are ten free highlights. We invite you to share your favorites, too!

Truveo Video Search

For roughly a year’s time, the iPhone’s native YouTube application was pretty sole purveyor of video search on the mobile platform. Given the immensity of the YouTube archive, it works to great effect. But perhaps you’d like to search elsewhere for content. Truveo Video Search [iTunes URL], issued by AOL, gives you another option. The company claims a high six-figure view count via the application to date.

AppVee

Maybe you like the idea of download applications to your iPhone directly over the air. But a part of your might like to get a quick preview of what those applications might be like. AppVee [iTunes], a service we ourselves reviewed not long ago, presents its app reviews and video walkthroughs both for desktop browsers and iPhone owners.

Howcast

Remember when the world of how-to videos took the Web by storm? The fact is, the depth of material has only grown with time. And Howcast [iTunes], one of the premier outlets serving the instructional, educational, and DIY market just so happens to provide iPhone and iPod touch users with videos they can really do stuff with. User reviews for the application are nothing short of stellar. This freebie is a definite winner.

The Weather Channel

Yes, you can use the free Weather Channel iPhone application [iTunes] for quick local map forecasts and text weather reports and things. But if you have a particular love for the Weather Channel’s ever-popular video readings, you can playback the latest news at your leisure.

WorldView

We’ve all done it. At one time or another, we’ve all searched the Intertubes for footage captured in near-real-time by webcams all across the world. Well, there’s no need to fire up Firefox or IE or whathaveyou to get your fix on Berlin, Germany’s street scene from your home perch in West Coast USA. WorldView [iTunes] makes it happen right on your iPhone. A purported 6,000 webcams are searchable. Want a random view of some place on the map? Just shake. Literally.

FOX Sports

Delivered by Fox Sports Interactive Media, the Fox Sports iPhone application [iTunes] puts video  on the backburner, but for coverage of athletic events, that’s somewhat understandable, especially when dealing with the dimensions of a handheld. But video is promised, with a running Top 5 FOX sports clips provided for many a replay.

MLB

The baseball season in America is over for now, but the media managers at MLB promise great things in 2009 to carry the torch left idle in 2008. Suffice it to say that video highlights will be included in MLB at Bat 2009 [iTunes]. That goes for gameplay and offseason items like award announcements, free agent signings, etc.

IGN Game Reviews

Speaking of gaming, IGN [iTunes], another FIM property, offers a rundown of videogame reviews reaching beyond the iPhone playground. You can set preferences to your favorite gaming platforms and get easy access to new titles and big hits. Hey, it’s a free download. What’s there to lose?

Style.com

The iPhone itself is a marvel in design, so it seems fitting that Style.com [iTunes] presents its readers with a collection of news, blogs, and videos to follow while on the go. You could go so far as to watch clips while stationed alongside a fashion show runway. Nothing live, however. Though, how weird cool would that be?

vSNAX Videos

Taking the world of fashion and high culture to a more broad perspective, an application by Rhythm NewMedia called vSNAX Videos [iTunes] gives users access to clips from the likes of Ford Models, the Style Network, VH1, Young Hollywood and more. Many customers report having superb video quality on hand.

Honorary Mention: Joost

It’s the most recent one to land in the App Store’s database, but it receives bonus status here as the final pick in this iPhone video app mix. Because, well, why not? It’s Joost [iTunes]. The company recently debuted its browser-based video archive. And now it’s taking things mobile.

A word of warning: the iPhone app currently available for download has shown some playback and search errors in the 24 hours or so that it’s been live. The company acknowledges the problems and is working to better users’ experiences, according to MG Zeigler of VentureBeat.

Image source: iPhonelife

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Most bloggers today are familiar only with services designed for use with their choice of web browser. If you edit a WordPress.com account or WordPress.org installation, chances are you login and publish your material through the cloudware provided.

The same goes for Blogger and TypePad users, and as well as options like MySpace and Vox. But if you’ve grown tired of those standard frontends, and would prefer to utilize software to blog for work or for personal enjoyment, there are alternatives that you should know about. For Mac users in particular, there are several that prove as useful, powerful, and visually worthwhile as any comparative webware.

Here we present our best discoveries. Share your suggestions in the comments, too!

Flock

People conditioned to regard their Web browser as their de facto “blogware” will likely warm to Flock fairly quickly. You might say that’s because Flock is a browser as well. Its foundation is the Mozilla platform. The joy in using Flock and all that it grants easy access to is that it’s built for the social web. You can network and share photos and cool web pages with little effort. And, yes, you can blog, all while navigating the web just as you ordinarily would.

MarsEdit

One of the most celebrated of publishing utilities for Mac OS X users, MarsEdit, now in version 2.2.2, is not a free package. Its cost is $29.95 after a free 30-day trial. But a common refrain heard by users is that the more often it is employed the more the price is so clearly justified.

Apart from dead simple uploads and a quickly-learned interface, MarsEdit sports features like compatibility with Blogger, Drupal, LiveJournal, Movable Type, Vox, and more, a Flickr connection, and integration with more hardcore Mac-specific text editors like BBEdit and TextMate. In short, it’s a power tool.

ecto

Another multi-service editor of MarsEdit-like design, ecto puts considerable emphasis on getting you from A to B to Z as quickly as possible. It certainly holds its own by comparison with others on the market. Its list of supported blog services is extensive, to say the least. Presently in Version 3 form, ecto has been around for over 5 years, and costs $17.95 to own.

Blogo

Launched by Brainjuice, Blogo seems simply drawn and puts your typical blogware to shame. As with the other editors above, its support list for blogging services is long, allows you to quickly publish media, and can even manage to publish Twitter and Ping.fm messages in association with your blog feed - call it streamlined PR, if you will.

Finally, Blogo gives users the option to produce content distraction-free with an on-board full screen mode. That’s a nice little dollop of GTD whipped cream, for sure.

Tumblr Dashboard Widget

Here’s a super small and super lightweight Dashboard application tossed midstream into the mix. We think Tumblr Dashboard Widget is worth mentioning simply for the fact that Tumblr itself is a bare boned and ultra-minimalist invention. A widget of this size is a fine complement. Enough said.

Mac Journal

An appreciable application both for its adherence to the traditional idea of journaling as well as its implementation of color to make the editing environment that much more colorful, Mac Journal is something that, while quite costly at $34.95 for a license, runs with the best in the business. It may not carry the same fanboy cache as that held by MarsEdit and others, but it’s a strong delivery nonetheless.

Blog.Mac

Intended to be a generally fool-proof development, Blog.Mac is more or less the closest thing to something that would come out of Apple’s own software assembly room. It’s not heavy on the details. It’s personal blogging made simple.

The current release, Version 1.3 Beta 4, talks to Apple’s MobileMe web hosting service and offers better Mac OS X Leopard integration. It will set users back $29.99. The creators at Largemouth Software also offer a Blog.Mac template editor free of charge.

iWeb plus MobileMe

You could go with something independently-made like Blog.Mac, but if you prefer something actually from the halls of Infinite Loop, Apple presents its own website and webpage editor in the form of iWeb. It’s a very controlled setup, and comes with all Mac computers sold today (standalone iLife suite runs $79), and to make use of it in ways that takes advantage of the “Apple experience,” you’ll need to pony up $99 per year for MobileMe hosting (formerly “.Mac”) and photo gallery access and so forth.

RapidWeaver

Some people just want to blog in their own unique way, requiring a departure from many popular web services today. RapidWeaver lets users wield an editor’s stick in ways that no other application here is able. Of course, that can mean a concerted effort to continue a blog for a significant period of time within the environment provided by RapidWeaver and the folks at RealMac Software, but hey, if you want choices, you’ve got choices with this one. Nearly limitless options, really.

Fluid

Okay, so you’ve parsed the choices listed above, and you’re not quite sold on any of them. Perhaps you recognize more than ever your liking for the way your blog service of choice operates, but you’d rather have it resemble an application within your Dock or menu bar. Fluid lets you do just that. It behaves as a kind of super powerful webclip creator that allows you to access web applications without having to visit the URL in Firefox or Camino or whathaveyou. There’s a bit of a wow factor that goes with this download.

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Whether you’re a voice actor looking for work, or you’re on the other side of the divide and seeking someone to play a vocal role for your brand, script, etc., Voices.com may serve you well.

Today it gets even better. The marketplace for spoken word has been refashioned to play a broader role still for (most) all things audible.

A Prettier Paint Job

Visibly altered, Voices continues to serve the membership it’s built for over a year now, but it’s also looking to draw more people into the mix. The update includes talent profiles for all forms of advertising - TV, radio, movie trailers, jingles - as well as recordings for things like video games, cartoons, podcasts, audiobooks, documentaries and more. Talk about an all-in-one venue.

Search Gets Better

Of course, with growth in database comes a need for more powerful search, and Voices has made its interface a bit more intuitive and easier to parse.

As a buyer of talent, you can look for names you’re interested in by keyword, gender, voice ages, languages and union status. An escrow program, meanwhile, promises to guarantee satisfaction for everything, whether it’s a singular buy or a “bundled” services.

Voice Profile Management Made Easier

The extra effort to streamline the Voices operation is evident from the homepage to the individual user’s page. Profiles are maintained in four parts: profile, demos, store, and feedback

Plus, so-called work “leads” have been translated to “jobs,” and auditioning has been enhanced with more direct communication from the get-go. Also, voice products, as they’re called, can be marketed in the Voices Store or on personal pages.

Refinement: Plain and Simple

The resounding theme here, as the company itself proclaims: improvements, improvements, improvements. Voices is larger, but tighter. More technically productive, but simpler to use. It’s evolved, really. That’s probably the best way to say it. It’s hard to make something of Voice’s proportions into a truly elegant thing, but Voices may well have done just that.

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Imeem went mobile with its launch of an application for the Android-based T-Mobile G1 smartphone last month, and now the company has complemented the release with some special extras.

The most intriguing addition is location-based streaming, which the company says features “popular music in the user’s city.”

Also, artist recommendations, along with data like biography and discography, are now made available according to names you specify as favorites. And did we mention there is access to a holiday music station? Oh yes, that’s there too. Now you can experience a festive winter season wherever you are - at your PC or roaming your neighborhood with your G1.

Finally, for Madison Avenue and the rest of the advertising world, brands can serve folks on the go with banner placement much like they’ve been able to on the desktop.

Everything can be seen with an upgrade or a fresh download of the imeem Mobile application.

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read full story of "Imeem for Android G1: Plug Into Local Music"