If you like to research web apps, one of the original directories of Web 20 apps just got a whole lot better. Go2Web20 just launched a major redesign in beta. It is an information aggregator for Websites and apps, collecting data from as many open sources as possible, akin to what you find at Quarkbase and the more recently launched Dataopedia.
Except that GoWeb20 is much more social. It is linked to the Go2Web20 blog written by co-founder Orli Yakuel (the other founder is Eyal Shahar), and it is integrated with Google Friend Connect. So you can sign in with your Google password and leave comments and rate any app. Go2Web already has a strong community among developers and startups thanks to Yakuel’s blog, and the directory fits nicely with that effort.
When we first wrote about Go2Web20 on its release in September 2006, it was a side project of Israeli founders Orli Yakuel and Eyal Shahar. They thought it would be a nice way to show off their passion for Flash and keep a directory of new web startup logos and basic information.
The site proved to be so popular that the two have kept working on it, adding new companies and products (there are nearly 800 now). They’ve also changed the user interface substantially and have added Ajax components to the site. If anything, this is a fun site to just click around on and read about startups.
Logos can be sorted by date added or alphabetically. Clicking on a logo brings up basic information at the bottom of the page, and companies can also add their own code (a video, RSS feed, widget, etc.).
The site is also taking advertisers for the first time (we are advertising on the site to support this project). Information on advertising is here.
Go2Web20.net is a very nicely designed Flash page with logos and basic information for most web 2.0 companies. Click on a logo to see an overview of the company and links from blogs discussing it. It’s also sortable and searchable. Very nice. The only issue I have with it is that it’s loading a little slowly, possibly due to a very heavy page weight.
Orli Yakuel (we find a lot of leads on her blog) and Eyal Shahar designed and built the site. Both live in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Creating something like this is a ton of work. The site is nothing but a reflection of Orli and Eyal’s passion for what’s happening on the web right now…the same passion that is driving the success of this and other blogs dedicated to chronicling this period of web history.
