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Introducing ThisNext, the 'shopcasting' start-up

Caroline McCarthy Former Staff writer, CNET News
Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos.
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Caroline McCarthy

You've heard of podcasting. Now get used to "shopcasting," the breed of Web 2.0 promoted by the OCD-friendly and now, newcomer ThisNext. I heard about it for the first time at the DigitalLife trade show in NYC this week. Basically, it's a way for you to create an inventory of various products that you like and recommend, as well as ones that you want.

ThisNext is very Web 2.0, and not just because of the cute, Flickr-hued interface. Users can tag products, of course. A trackback function quotes blogs that link to the product pages. And you can also create a "badge" of your ThisNext page to paste on your own blog; you know, in case you want the readership of your TypePad creation to know that you want a Nabaztag bunny for the holidays.

I liked ThisNext. It's easy to use, and the membership seems to be very intelligent and has fun, quirky taste (at least for the time being). Because ThisNext doesn't sell any products itself, and is supported by venture capital, not advertising, the recommendations seem refreshingly devoid of special interests.