Review: Wakoopa.com

Not too long ago, I had dedicated one week to writing down where I went on the web. By the third day, I had started getting discouraged when I found out that there was a website, with download-able software, that could save me the trouble of writing out “12:40am Yahoo! mail. 12:45am Twitter.” I trucked on, but I also started using that software on the side. I’m talking about Wakoopa, of course. Wakoopa provides a tracker to download that will monitor the programs your computer uses, whatever it may be, from your browser to install prompts. It even monitors the websites you go to (don’t worry about those dirty sites. Wakoopa doesn’t track those, and if by some rare occurrence it did, not likely but if, you can make your usage of any particular program/website private to your connections or just yourself.)

There are really three ways to use Wakoopa. The first, most obvious, is time management. How much time are you wasting spending at your computer? What are you doing while at your computer? What should you be giving more attention to [while at your computer?] There are all kinds of charts mapping out your computer use: most used software; use of the last six weeks; individually listed programs use; lists of what you use in the background. You can even grab widgets to share on other sites what you use most in specific categories, such as gaming or design, etc. Second, Wakoopa is a social network that revolves around software use. Each program/website has a page where users can review and rate them. Love it or hate it, you can let others know about it. Lastly, it’s a suggestions network. As you let the Wakoopa tracker run in the background of your computer, Wakoopa learns more about you and the kind of programs you would be interested in. On the homepage, referred to as the dashboard, you’re given two separate suggestions. One list of suggestions contains other Wakoopa users with similar program use as you. The big suggestion list, though, provides you with links to other programs that you’re likely to be interested in, based on your current program usage.

Overall: I haven’t uninstalled the Wakoopa tracker yet, which says quite a bit, as I often go through and clean out programs from my computer. I’m not so sure it’s for every one. I suppose you do need a bit of nerdiness to want to keep track of usage and look over charts, but I do like Wakoopa and think if it sounds even kind of interesting, you ought to give it a go.