Web Week

NetGuide's website-of-the-year awards are in. Here are some of the winners.

Gamesmanship

Best e-tail site - GP Planet (GP) Store

This site is the place to visit if you're buying games or want to know what to buy for a game player online. GP Store also dovetails nicely with its sister site, GP Forums, which allows you to discuss any aspect of online games from which one to buy to how to win to why something won't work to what kind of graphics card to buy.


Everything has a price

Best trading site and site of the year - TradeMe

This is New Zealand's biggest success story in terms of dotcom survivors. If you want to buy stuff, TradeMe is the place. Buy a car, organise a mortgage, get a flat, find a partner. Is there nothing TradeMe won't try these days?

A quick review of the "soon to close" auctions reveals people selling a fish finder, a ride-on electric Jeep, a house and a garden fountain. . If you're tired of TradeMe you're tired of life.

Slice of life

Best youth site - Idol Blog

Me, I can't stand reality TV. It's not reality and, as TV goes, it blows chunks. But what can you do? It's a phenomenon. Best to get on and try not to feel the burn.

Idol Blog breaks news, it's personal, it's informed. If only it could use its powers for good instead of evil.

Number crunch

Best personal finance site - Sorted

Possibly the scariest website online. Put in the numbers, check out your income, age, shoe size and be aghast at how much money you should be saving a week. The calculators should come with an R18 warning.

Get wired

Most innovative use of the web: Ihug and Wired Country

Rather than muck about with wires and 256 kilobits per second you're really after wireless at 2 megabits per second with voice, smart phone and all the bells and whistles. But you must be able to see the Sky Tower to use the service (in Auckland).