Crowdsourced reviews and directory service Yelp has made its long-expected debut in Australia, launching sites for Sydney and Melbourne that collect together reviews of restaurants, shops, hotels and, in the words of Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, “anywhere that has an address”. More »
Crowdsourced design site 99Designs has launched an official Australian presence. For local users, that means charging in Australian dollars, plus an Australian support number during weekday business hours. More »
iOS: LocalHero is a new service that aims to connect users with subject matter experts in their communities to help answer questions, provide advice, and offer informed opinions. The service connects to your Facebook account to determine your skills and location, and uses it to connect you with friends and others on LocalHero looking for advice. More »
Sites dedicated to helping flooding victims have proliferated rapidly in the wake of the natural disasters in Queensland, Victoria and NSW. BBQ For Floods has a simple mission that anyone can take part in: promoting having a barbeque on Australia Day and using that event to raise funds for flood assistance charities. More »
Last week we told you about Wikifloods, a site designed to connect needy victims of the Queensland floods with people willing to donate goods and services to them. SaveABusiness is a similar venture, but with a focus on helping affected business access resources they need to keep operating. More »
Queensland’s flood worries aren’t yet over, but the biggest long-term challenge will be rebuilding local communities. If you want to volunteer goods or services to help with that, the Wikifloods site provides a handy means of doing s. More »
Wikipedia celebrates its tenth anniversary on January 15. Everyone knows that Wikipedia is a great source for research and browsing, and one of the most spectacular examples of success in the field of community-generated content. What’s not always obvious are the social benefits you can derive from actually being a contributor to it, as I learned during a rather odd edit war with an ill-mannered Nolans fan a couple of years ago. More »
