No.10 - FanHouse.com
What is it: FanHouse.com is a cutting-edge sports blog which employs short blurbs of news, rumors, gossip, and opinion to keep its readers up to date. FanHouse.com is the perfect home for newer generations of sports fans, since most of them don’t have the patience for busy, complex websites.
Why it will be big in 2009: While FanHouse.com is somewhat mainstream already, don’t be surprised if it takes a bite out of larger websites' traffic or forces them to adjust. FanHouse.com is easy to follow and easy to read, which is why it will be among the best of 2009.
No.9 - SearchMe.com
What is it: Have you ever done a Google search, then wished you could see a snapshot of the websites so you wouldn’t have to click through to find out that they weren’t useful? That’s exactly what SearchMe.com is about. When you do a search for news, video or images, you can preview websites before you click through, which is a big time-saver.
Why it will be big in 2009: Nowadays, the norm for a search engine is to display search results in text fashion, but SearchMe.com is changing the standard. Adding a visual element to textual search results adds value for the user, and in the end, you’ll find what you’re looking for faster.
No.8 - Consumerist.com
What is it: While most companies focus on how to get at their customers’ dollars at any cost, Consumerist.com is a site that fights to protect you. If a company has bad customer service, is scamming patrons or is running misleading promotions, Consumerist.com is there to keep you informed.
Why it will be big in 2009: With the economy struggling, it’s nice to know that someone else cares about your money More and more consumers will flock to Consumerist.com in order to ensure that they are making smart decisions with their money and avoid companies who try to deceive.
No.7 - Kontain.com
What is it: In many ways, Kontain.com is just facebook or MySpace for dummies. Don’t worry about HTML or any other technical jargon, Kontain.com makes it simple to create your own page, blog, and upload audio and video.
Why it will be big in 2009: As people move their lives more and more online, the home where you store all your personal items, such as blogs, photos and videos, needs to be clean, simple and organized. Kontain.com has built that foundation, which makes it easy to share your regular life with online friends.
No.6 - CagePotato.com
What is it: If you like your mixed martial arts (MMA) information like you like your MMA, then you obviously like the cold, hard facts and you don’t like to see much dancing. CagePotato.com is your blunt source for everything MMA, including news, live blogs, videos, rumors, and most importantly, ring girls.
Why it will be big in 2009: MMA has gone from being the mysterious guy at the party, to the cool guy, but it’s not yet the life of the bash. It’s on the way, and as it gains popularity, action-packed resources like CagePotato.com will grow with it.
No.5 - TheDailyBeast.com
What is it: The internet is a big beast, but a website like TheDailyBeast.com saves you time. Its group of editors do all the sifting, then write their spins and report on the most important stories from around the net.
Why it will be big in 2009: Sites like the TheDailyBeast.com are modern-day newspapers -- checking them is part of the daily routine. As the internet continues to grow, trusted sites like the TheDailyBeast.com will shift from a hobby to a necessity.
No.4 - 5Min.com
What is it: If you’re ever trying to figure out how to do something, the internet is a great resource for answers. Yet, we all know that reading insipid how-to websites can get a little tedious. 5Min.com is a video encyclopedia with short, simple videos on how to almost anything you think of.
Why it will be big in 2009: There’s no shortage of video websites on the net, but since big hubs like YouTube have become traffic jams, topic-specific video websites are starting to flourish. 5Min.com is a good example of a functional video website, as people trust that they can find solutions quickly, as opposed to sorting through partially useful, partially useless content.
No.3 - MetaCritic.com
What is it: MetaCritic.com is a one-stop shop for entertainment reviews. Nothing is left out as you can get aggregated critic appraisals of movies, TV shows, albums, video games, and DVDs.
Why it will be big in 2009: While a lot of review sites focus on one aspect of entertainment, MetaCritic.com is a trusted resource to get everything you need at one hub. You won’t need to change your URLs as MetaCritic.com’s database is trusted, vast and growing.
No.2 - TheOnion.com
What is it: TheOnion.com is America’s “Finest News Source,” only their news is fake. The good news is that while their mock stories aren’t real, they are pretty damn funny . If the real news has you down, TheOnion.com is a great place for a pick-me-up.
Why it will be big in 2009: While amateur viral videos are the fad right now, TheOnion.com’s professional satire of CNN, ESPN and every news source in between makes it a creative site on the rise. Whether it’s with a headline, an infographic or of one of their patented Onion News Network videos, TheOnion.com is always a place to find a laugh.
No.1 - Wikitravel.org
Why it will be big in 2009: Wikitravel is a great resource that is just becoming a known commodity; and that’s vital, because like Wikipedia, readers contribute to the database of knowledge. Thanks to that word-of-mouth aspect, Wikitravel is quickly becoming the web’s main hub for travel information.
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