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Almost everyone who has been on the Internet has heard of Google. It's the most popular site and search engine in the world. But do you know the other most popular Web sites? Take a look at the next page to get started. In 2012, Baidu ranked fifth in the Alexa Internet rankings. Users also have access to games, virtual pets and ringtones. The next popular site also provides free services. Wikipedia is a collection of articles that multiple users can add to and edit freely online. It is a free service and is run by a not-for-profit organization, making it different from most other popular Web sites. The next site is at the opposite end of the spectrum as the world's largest online retailer. Retail destination Ebay is an online auction site where you can buy or sell almost anything -- including a partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich. It's one of the top 20 most popular sites worldwide.
Globally it ranks 14 in the Alexa rating system. Next, see what site is the third most popular in the world. Ranking as the third most popular site worldwide, YouTube is a community video Web site where over four billion hours of video are watched each month. Google acquired YouTube in 2006, and also owns the next popular site. Its Alexa online ranking in 2012 was 11th in the world. The next major site also had humble beginnings. The site uses the data it collects on every registered user during every visit to make personal recommendations. The site also offers product reviews and one-click buying. Yahoo! first began as a hobby of David Filo and Jerry Yang. Its features include a search engine, news, e-mail and maps. It currently ranks just behind YouTube in popularity. Like Yahoo!, users log in to access e-mail and other services. It has more than 300 million users and ranks in the top 10 globally and in the U.S.
The original Microsoft portal on the next page also ranks as one of the most popular sites. MSN (The Microsoft Network) is an Internet portal that was first launched in 1995 in conjunction with Windows 95. It is more popular in the U.S. While not as popular as Google, Microsoft's Bing is a "decision engine" which launched in 2009. It's designed to minimize the amount of junk you get when you perform a search and it focuses on shopping, travel, local and health topics and is roughly the 20th most popular site. The next site generated new vocabulary to go along with its tools. Ranking 8th in the world, Twitter allows users to post and receive messages to a network of contacts. Instead of sending a dozen e-mails or text messages, you send one message (a "tweet") to your Twitter account, and the service sends it to all your friends. On the next page, see a popular site that's more specialized with its social networking. LinkedIn is a social networking site designed specifically for professional networking -- finding a job, discovering sales leads, connecting with potential business partners. It has gained popularity in recent years, though is not nearly as visited as the mega site on the next page. For more information, see our online social network articles or test your knowledge with the Web 3.0 Quiz.
From the first day of preschool, we're taught that sharing is a virtue. If little Billy wants the toy you're playing with, you (grudgingly) let him borrow it. On the playground, we're scolded by parents and teachers to "Take turns!" Sharing, we learn, is the glue that holds society together. It breeds trust, generosity and compassion among neighbors, cities and citizens. And now, in a brilliant Internet-inspired twist, sharing has launched an economic revolution. The sharing economy is built on the idea of collaborative consumption. In the traditional capitalist economic model, goods are owned by individuals. If you want to be able to drive to the store or the airport, you need to buy a car. If you want to keep your lawn in control, you need to buy a weed whacker. That's called personal consumption. Basically, it's a monetized form of sharing. If you own a car, that has value - both to you and the guy who wants to borrow it to drive to Buffalo this weekend.
If your car sits idle, you are squandering its value. Why not earn some extra cash by "sharing" it? Starting in 2009 with the launch of the apartment-sharing Web site Airbnb, there has been an explosion of online companies enabling complete strangers to pay each other for the short-term use of goods or services: homes, cars, boats, dog sitters, office space, tools, grocery shoppers, tour guides and more. The sharing economy is attracting billions of dollars of venture capital, and old economy stalwarts - hotels, car rental companies and taxi drivers to name a few - are starting to sweat. Is a Facebook profile enough to trust someone with the keys to your apartment for the weekend? And don't you need a special license for that? What is the right balance between regulations that ensure public safety and the freedom to use your personal property as you want? Is the sharing economy really about virtuous collaboration, or is it just another Silicon Valley Internet bubble waiting to pop?
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