A webgem is a website that we consider to be a gem. It can be something we find interesting, or a website we find ourselves on constantly. Our favorite websites often reflect our interests and reveal a little more about who we are. My web gems are listed below, I'll be adding a new one every week.
to visit website.
Speaking as a 16 year old with no job who hopes to someday travel the world, Budget Travel is a great website. Budget Travel is a blog that gives people ideas on how to see the most beautiful parts of the world despite being on a budget. They have a lot of interesting ideas for potential vacation spots and really helpful suggestions for being money efficient. Budget Travel is a really helpful website because it caters to your average person with (financially) above average dreams. I can definitely spend hours on this website reading all their articles and planning out trips I'd like to take at some point in my lifetime.
to visit website.
Music Roamer is an amazing website. It allows you to discover a wide range of artists similar to ones you already love! You simply type in an artist or genre and you'll find several new music suggestions. The artist/genre you typed in will appear in the middle and suggestions will bubble out of it like a flow chart. If you already know an artist that's suggested, you can click on that and it will balloon out with several more options. This website is so useful for discovering new artists and it's formatted so nicely while being easy to operate. It is one of my favorite websites and a super fun and easy way to get new music recommendations.
to visit website.
Al Jazeera is my absolute favorite news site in the world. I love reading the news and considering that I will be able to vote in the next election, I think it's important to be edcuated and aware about current events. I think Al Jazeera is one of the best news sites out there. A lot of other popular news channels (eg. Fox News, CNN, etc) often appear quite unrealiable to me because they seem to offer a single extremely biased point of view. Al Jazeera seems a lot more reliable to me because they can objectively analyze a situation and offer up facts without undertones of prejudice and bias. I also think it's cool that Al Jazeera features mostly WOC (women of color) writers; a viewpoint and voice that should definitely be heard more in the news. Al Jazeera is a great news site and, in my opinion, the best option for learning about what's going on in the world.
to visit website.
Tumblr is a blogging platform that allows people from all over the world to meet and bond over shared interests. Tumblr features a variety of blogs, anything from "fandoms" (large fanbases particularly of things in pop culture), to food fanatics, to social justice bloggers and much more! I really love tumblr because it's almost an emotional outlet. It's also a really great way to keep up with things that interest me. I can learn about bands like One Direction and general world news all from one website. Tumblr is one of the world's largest and most popular blogging platforms and it continues to grow every day. A lot of people are willing to dismiss tumblr as just another waste of time and though it can be addicting + time consuming, I think it's one of the greatest websites out there. It allows people to talk about their interests and educate themselves on various topics. Tumblr gives you a lot of freedom as a blogger and is definitely one of my favorite websites.
to visit website.
The Useless Web has a pretty self explanatory name. As we are all aware, the internet is somewhat like the ocean in that it is enormous, fascinating, and vastly unexplored. This website is essentially a collection of all the useless websites from the "vastly unexplored" part of the web. Each time you click the 'please' button, you are linked to a new, interesting, time consuming, yet utterly useless website. This website is a good way to pass time and, in my opinion, it may be one of the most interesting websites out there.
to visit website.
The Pulp Girls is an e-magazine focused primarily on (again) celebrating girls. The magazine features articles on almost every topic imaginable. They have music, film, tv, books, and lots of social/political commentary. They also have a blog on tumblr where they reblog content similar to what’s published in the magazine. The Pulp Girls goal is to create an online “community” that allows girls to express and celebrate themselves. It's one of my favorite websites and I find myself spending a fair bit of time scrolling through their magazine and blog just reading article after article. They post new and interesting content very frequently and easily qualify for the title of "web gem".
to visit website.
Rupee Rags is a blog run by two Indian girls, Maleeha and Masooma. I really like the story behind the blog. The two of them were the awkward Indian girls growing up in primarily white parts of Canada. They soon became best friends but their families moved and they lost contact. A couple years later they reconnected through Facebook and the blog was born as a way for them to collaborate and produce something together. In their words the blog was created as a space that reflects their style, their culture, and most importantly, themselves. The concept of the blog as well as the content is really interesting to me & it’s really cool to see two fellow brown girls doing their thing and being appreciated for it.
to visit website.
The Coalition Zine is an online magazine run by teenage girls. It is dedicated to celebrating girls, particularly WOC (women of color) & their “girlhood”. It has a variety of publications; you can find everything from art to literature to music to general social commentary. It is one of my favorite websites because I find the idea behind the magazine really interesting and they often publish articles on topics I’m very interested in or care a lot about. It is one of the most original and interesting online magazines I’ve ever seen and definitely deserves the title of “web gem”.
to visit website.
8tracks is one of my favorite websites. It allows people to make and listen to other people’s playlists and is a great way to get exposure to different types of music. Another great thing about 8tracks is you can search by very specific terms (eg. study + instrumental, etc) and it’s guaranteed you’ll find something! 8tracks, unlike several other music websites, doesn’t have ads. 8tracks is a really amazing website, I often find myself browsing through the endless playlists. It's a great way to expose yourself to new artists and genres of music and you're almost guaranteed to never run out of things to listen to!