I've been meaning to post on this area. Since I recommended Pandora to a bunch of friends (some of them behind firewalls; one's just plain stuck to Last.fm), I've been asked about what web apps and free software do I use the most -- and maybe they can find it useful too.

Well, there's Qumana, which is a great and free blog publisher. Works about as good as Ecto, but it's better because it's free.

There's the great time suck, Stumbleupon!, which is really the best way to find all sorts of stuff online. And, it sits on top of your Firefox browser, which is another nice piece. If you're not browsing with Firefox yet, then you're a sucker for Safari. Or, maybe you're browsing with Flock, which is yet to grow on me, but has a lot of potential. (If you can blog better with it, then it's got a real edge. Firefox has a blog plug-in right in the browser called Performancing (Iggy, take note), but it doesn't support MT so it's not for me.).

Adium lets me put all my messengers in one app. And if that doesn't work, there's Meebo (which might cut through firewalls).

There's Gmail, which allows you to POP check it from your desktop email app. And Tadalist, where I can quickly whip up a list, print it (or sync) and leave (and reuse) for next time.

Those of you who like portals, design your own at Pageflakes, or Netvibes. Best place to go networking: Linkedin, until Facebook launches for the Philippines.

P.S. Stock Xchng is a decent place for pegs -- all free.

Tags: Free, Qumana, Ecto, Stumbleupon, Firefox, Performancing, Flock, Adium, Meebo, Gmail, Tadalist, Pageflakes, Netvibes, Linkedin, Facebook, Stock+Xchng