Hey! Watch

Hey!Watch allows users to import files to the service in a number of ways, including uploading from a hard drive or simply putting in the URL of a video froa YouTube or other popular online video service. But they also allow users to upload videos via a RSS feed, so new enclosures from future show will automatically be uploaded as well. The company has also created bookmarklets and a Firefox plugin to import a video from a currently viewed website to the service with a single click.Once files are uploaded, they can be converted to all of the usual formats and then downloaded. And they’ve also used RSS intelligently here as well – they’ve created a RSS feed for all of a user’s converted files, so they can simply be gathered from a feed reader without going back to the Hey!Watch site each time.

There’s a use case for this that is really compelling – any time you see a video on YouTube or another site that you want to keep, all you have to do is hit the button on the bookmarklet, and later gather the file from the RSS feed. Those files can be in MPEG4 format for an iPod, or DVD format for burning to a DVD. Want to create a DVD for a friend of your favorite YouTube music videos? This service is going to make that dead simple.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. All of the key functionality is available via a REST API, for developers to build directly into their products.

Hey!Watch will have a free version, along with a premium version with higher limits on total upload limits, maximum video size and length, etc. [www.techcrunch.com]

LibraryThing

LibraryThing is almost certainly the leading independent social network for books, although a newcomer just created a rival product – Shelfari launched in October and aims to represent your book collection on a virtual bookshelf. They also support profile pages and networks of friends. LibraryThing’s new recommendations are neat, but they also highlight a major competitor: Amazon. Amazon are certainly getting wise to social networking, and could spell trouble.

BookTribes

Booktribes is a new social network for book lovers. List the books on your shelf and the titles you’re reading, find users with similar tastes and join groups. All the basics seem to be present, but we’re less blown away than we were by rivals Shelfari and LibraryThing.

TactPro

TactPro is a complete office management suite that allows you and your company to really be on the same page using collaboration tools such as shared calendars, hierarchy-based project management, auto-updating shared contacts, CRM/Opportunity Managment, Online Document Storage and more.

Tioti

Tioti combines TV torrents with social recommendations. The name is short for “Tape It Off the Internet” – think of it as a TiVo for Internet TV. Tioti was created by London-based Neuromantics and one of the aims is to break down the segmented global release schedules, where a TV show might be shown in one country years before it’s released elsewhere. The service currently lists more than 16,000 TV shows and 88,000 episodes. I tested the latest version earlier today – and while all the features aren’t yet live, I got a good taste of what’s to come.

First off, the design is gorgeous. It’s reminiscent of Apple’s interface elements (shiny surfaces, reflections, lots of black) and features plenty of ajaxy touches. Your homepage displays recommended shows, and you can quickly add these to your collection or delete the recommendations altogether. The homepage also lists your favorite shows, your friend’s favorites and (in the next release) your Top 10 picks.

Each show has its own page complete with RSS feeds and commenting. You can also edit the show’s information using a neat wiki-like tool. And of course you can download individual episodes. While some of the sources may be of questionable legality (The Pirate Bay, for instance), Tioti aims to add more legitimate download sources over time – these could include iTunes, Google Video and Guba.

Despite the fact that some features aren’t live yet – groups, tags and Top 10 lists, for instance – it’s obvious that Tioti is going to win some fans in the tech community. My only concern is whether they can dodge the thorny legal issues that could arise – they’ll need to emphasise the legal download sources if they want to stay out of trouble. It’s also interesting to note that Tioti’s development was started before the rise of YouTube: are these services competitive or complementary?[www.mashable.com]