Music: 

OK, I can't quite claim to be the main reason this has taken off so much in the UK, however I did tell the world about this following a good article Revolution magazine back in February about the free to use music application that is Spotify (Spotify mentioned in Free Rein blog) 

I have used Spotify  for the best part of a year now and I have to say It pretty much gives me everything I need from a music player/resource.  At first the back catalogue was a little thin but still much better than other options out there, it's NOT iTunes and doesn't claim to be although there is now the option to buy the tracks you like via 7digital.

Good Points; Great choice of music, singles, albums and compilations all free to listen to (If you can stand a few audio ad's here and there)

Bad Points; As the platform has gained exposure and popularity the ad's have increased significantly, you do however have the option of paying £9.99 per month for a 'Premium' subscription.

News:

Although bbc.co.uk reigns supreme in the Free Rein office, ever the maverick I use the Guardian website for my fill of the world latest goings on, Why, well I prefer the content and the general layout and flow to the website and the site is especially good for Sports and Business.

Good Points; Great layout to the website, lots of interlinked stories and relevant content with good originality of copy.

Bad Points; Unless you go straight into the section you want (Sports, Business etc) the good stories sometimes get lost on the home page.

Social Networks

This section might be the most obvious for some, and it won't surprise you to hear that I use a fair few social networks for both business and personally, but sticking with what I use on a daily basis I will highlight one of the biggest in Twitter and one of the, if not the best niche social networks in Linkedin.  

Twitter enables us to micro blog, comment, engage and spread news from Free Rein and our Industry as well as comment on anything that comes up during the day - Free Rein on Twitter

Linkedin enables us as individuals to build up a contact base and make new contacts within our specialisms and industry. (Adam on Linkedin) Especially good for starting and engaging in conversations around topics relevant to your business.

Twitter Good Points; Able to tell the world snippets of your day to day, hour to hour activities and a great buzz builder, link promotional tool.

Twitter Bad Points; Not many to be honest, If i had to pick one it would be that they still haven't got to grips with spam accounts being created on the platform.

Linkedin Good Points; A place to connect online with business associates and lots of opportunity to comment on business relevant subjects.

Linkedin Bad Points; For me personally, I think they need to find a style and layout they are happy with, it seems that they are trying to make too many people happy with the layout and need to settle on a style that fits them and there resources on offer.

Worthy of a mention

Tweetdeck is a great application that enables you to post updates and manage your Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace accounts all from your desktop.  

For those who want to keep up with the dramas of the FTSE, want to check that 'Little nest egg' share or just have a general interest in the markets SharePrice is a quick easy to use real time share price monitoring tool that also pulls news and discussions around a share from other leading websites.

Mashable is a must for all things Social Media, news, reviews and information is normally broken on this site first and they have over 1.5 million followers on Twitter.

Still somewhat in early growth in the UK Vimeo is on the rise and getting notoriety as the 'Social YouTube' you will probably have already seen videos on sites using Vimeo over YouTube.

So... there it is then.

There is a small insight into some of the website, tools and applications I rate highly and use on a daily basis... If you would like to highlight a website, tool or application you use or particularly like, or disagree with any of my likes let me know you can also post comments to Twitter @free_rein or #frblog