Sharewood Picnic is Robin Good's weekly basket of hand-picked goodies discovered and found in the last seven days; it includes new web sites, software tools and online resources that can further enable your ability to become effective independent publishers online.

Photo credit: Mark Wagner

You are welcome to test, download and freely use any of the little gems listed here below. They are all powerful digital weapons to start more actively participating in the user-driven publishing revolution I am chronicling on this site.

This week Sharewood delicacies include:

• RSS Aggregator
• RSS Updates Via Instant Messenger
• RSS Reader for non-technical users
• RSS Server-based Newsmastering engine
• Recently accessed files and folders tracking software
• Automatic Recommendation System
• Flash-based slideshow creator
• Visual map-based geo-tracking of your web site visitors
• Reference video footage to GPS records
• Newest webcam technology from Logitech

1. WTicker
   
   WTicker is a pre-beta, advanced news aggregator program promising many interesting and unique features. It can function as an ordinary news aggregator, but can also scan Usenet articles, email, stock quotes, track system event logs, and makes it easy to spot changes in articles by highlighting text. WTicker also brings a number of super-cool features to users, like enabling articles to be read aloud (if MS speech library is installed) and allowing users to see global maps pinpointing the origin of information, including latitude and longitude coordinates. But despite these novel features, WTicker is not for the casual RSS user. It requires SQL commands for its more complex features and suffers from a number of bugs including features that often don’t work properly, poor multithreading, and general over-complexity of use. However, WTicker is still powerful software, and you can download it for free, use its interesting features, and collaborate with the creators in making it better.
   http://www.wticker.org/index.php





2. RSS2Jabber
   RSS2Jabber is a unique software idea that uses Jabber instant messenger to deliver RSS content to users immediately. Users can subscribe to multiple newsfeeds and set the frequency of notification and number of articles delivered each time. RSS2Jabber is written in PHP, with help from MagpieRSS and the PHP Class Jabber and uses MYSQL to store the subscriptions. At the official site you will also find a very useful mini-list of tools and services that you can utilize to create RSS newsfeeds. Users first need a Jabber account, and can then download the RSS2Jabber client for free. Read more about RSS2Jabber.
   http://rss2jabber.berlios.de/





3. CustomScoop Personal
   
   
   CustomScoop Personal is the free and personal version of the paid service CustomScoop has been providing to corporate clients for a number of years. It functions like an RSS aggregator for people with no knowledge of RSS, compiling the latest data on a topic from over 40,000 news sources, government websites and blogs and sends it directly to users’ inbox (RSS feed also available). Geared to public relations people, CustomScoop Personal works for any topic easily. It differs from ordinary RSS aggregators as it obtains articles from sites that don’t offer feeds at all, while searching also about 25,000 blogs. The beta version is currently only available by invitation, but one can be obtained through this link to Steve Rubel’s blog.
   http://personal.customscoop.com/signup/





4. RSSOwl
   
   
   RSSOwl is a platform-independent RSS and Atom newsfeed reader available in beta for Windows, Mac, Linux or Solaris. Featuring an easy interface, RSSOwl comes with a customizable toolbar, comprehensive search and adjustable layout. It allows you to bookmark newsfeeds in nested categories, customize them by update interval, manage and share blogrolls and transfer feeds into the software using an OPML file. RSSOwl also makes it easy to export the entire content of a newsfeed into a .pdf or .rtf file as well as HTML. Uses can get recommendations for blogs and feeds through AmphetaRate recommendation systems, which is built into the software, as is the ability to check the validity of any newsfeed, a valuable feature for bloggers trying to test their feeds. Available as a free download.
   http://www.rssowl.org/





5. RecentX
   
   RecentX lets Windows users access their most-frequently used file folders without navigating complex and often annoying hard drive directories. Without any configuration or system scanning, Recent X charts the files, folders and websites you use most frequently, and keeps them accessible in an easy-to-use format. RecentX allows users to bypass the Start menu altogether when launching favorite programs or accessing remote files through “My Network Places,” and allows access to online bookmarks without using the chronological menu on a browser. Items can be dragged and dropped into the list with ease, and can be hidden if a user doesn’t want the files or folders to be publicly visible. RecentX is available for free for 30 days.
   http://www.conceptworld.com/RecentX/





6. Gnod
   
   Gnod is a free, stand-alone automatic recommendation system (ARS) for books, music and film. It functions like the recommendation system you found inside Amazon.com or Rhapsody: user selections and preferences are automatically processed by the site, and recommendations for similar artists, authors and films are linked. A project by the creator of Literature-Map.com, Gnod is a relatively-accurate recommendation system, and can help users find material they didn’t know existed. Ultimately Gnod is still not as effective as the recommendation system for Amazon or Rhapsody, if not else because the recommended goods cannot yet be directly accessed. Free to use.
   http://www.gnod.net/





7. Flash SlideShow
   
   
   Flash SlideShow Builder is a utility for creating Flash slideshows from digital images, complete with the ability to add music, photo transition effects and text. It comes with multiple photo album formats (including holiday, cartoon and family themes) photo editing and optimization capabilities. Designed for people with no Flash experience, Flash SlideShow Builder features an easy interface and creates files for publishing as HTML, .swf or .exe formats. Trial version available for free. Windows only.
   http://www.flash-slide-show.com/fsb2.html





8. ClustrMaps
   
   ClustrMaps.com offers a beta service allowing you to visualize the global location of all your sites’ visitors simultaneously. The map appears on the screen as a thumbnail that loads every time a page refreshes and is expandable to a larger world map, complete with a zoom feature to examine locations more closely. Visitors don’t need identify their location either, they are automatically tracked just by visiting the page. A reinvented version of HitMaps, ClustrMaps is available for free for sites with up to 1000 daily visitors, with a paid version available with extra features.
   http://clustrmaps.com





9. Shotmapper
   
   
   Shotmapper is a utility for mapping the location of where video clips were shot by GPS attaching coordinates to the video itself. Shotmapper continuously records latitude and longitude information on an audio channel of digital video tape using a GPS with an NMEA serial data output. Users then utilize software to display the video side-by-side with a map showing the global location. Although not yet available, Shotmapper’s creators say it will be on the market soon.
   http://newgenvideo.com/Products/shot_mapper.htm





10. Logitech Quickcam Fusion
    
    QuickCam Fusion, the new all-in-one camera/microphone from Logitech brings high quality video and sound together into a single unit. Features include a 1.3 megapixel sensor that maximizes available light to improve quality in low-light conditions and an echo-cancelling microphone intended to let users converse without a headset. It is also compatible with the Logitech Video Effects software that allows a user to present herself as a cartoon character that mimics her facial expressions. Available for just over $100.
    http://www.logitech.com/...