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It's almost summer. Chances are, you'll soon be vacationing somewhere in the world. But what if you want to share that vacation with loved ones?

With the help of these vacation-sharing tools you'll be able to do just that. You can document where you've been, share pictures, and upload videos. And you'll probably enjoy reliving the experience.

EveryTrail EveryTrail populates your profile page with all the places you've been on vacation. But instead of requiring you to do it yourself, the site uses your GPS device and photos to do it for you. Whenever you go on vacation and bring your GPS device with you, EveryTrail will take your GPS tracks to plot where you've been. When you upload photos to the site, you can add them to the map to show where they were taken. You can also add descriptions to the locations and photos to provide more detail on what you've done. Although EveryTrail requires you to have a GPS device to enjoy it, I think you'll really like it.

Here or There? Here or There is a place to share all your travel experiences in a blog. You can post pictures, videos, and share your vacation with readers. You can also check out other travel blogs from other users to see how their vacations went. Here or There is a nice idea that works well.

myTripBook myTripBook lets you record and share all your travel experiences. For each trip you take, you'll create a diary detailing what you did on your vacation. You can add photos and videos to supplement your content. The site also boasts a recommendations tab so you can tell your readers which bars and restaurants you recommend. myTripBook is a nice service and its trip tracking is outstanding.

RealTravel RealTravel might focus mainly on the dissemination of travel information, but its blog page gives you the opportunity to share your travel experiences. Once you create your free blog, you can use the site's interactive maps to route your trip. You can upload an unlimited number of photos and share slideshows with friends through automatic e-mails that are sent whenever your blog is updated. You can also follow your friends' blogs. RealTravel's blogs section is worth trying out.… Read more

The stock market may be showing signs of a rebound, but consumers still have a lock on their wallets at retail.

Shopping online for the right products at better prices can be quite overwhelming, but with some know-how, it's less intimidating and certainly worthwhile. These 12 tools will not only help you save cash, but they might also make you more confident about your purchases. I am.

Frucall: Frucall is a really great service. When you're at a brick-and-mortar store checking out a product, you can either call Frucall's free telephone line, text-message the company, or access its mobile site and compare the store's price with online pricing. When you input the name or bar code, it returns the pricing on the product from Amazon.com, Shopping.com, and other services. It's quick and easy. Plus, it's free, though standard text-messaging rates do apply. I really liked Frucall.

Google Product Search: Formerly known as Froogle, Google's Product Search is a relatively useful tool for finding cheaper prices on desired products. It will return a good portion of the online stores currently selling products that match up with your search terms. It also lists their seller ratings, based on customer reports. It's a nice tool, but it doesn't quite stand up to some of the more useful sites in this roundup. Consider Google Product Search a backup.… Read more

Earlier this week, I listed some useful Firefox extensions that help you become more productive while you blog. Now it's time to see how well your blog is performing.

I've found and tried 12 online applicatons that track your blog's traffic. Some are better than others, but they're all designed with the same goal in mind: helping you grow your blog.

Clickdensity Clickdensity not only tracks the number of page views and unique visitors to your site, it overlays a "heat map" on your page that tells you where visitors are clicking. It's a helpful tool. You can see if the way you place content on your site is helping you increase traffic. And it will give you insight into where to place page elements. Pricing starts at $5 per month. If you want to improve your site's design, try Clickdensity.

Clicky Don't let its childish name fool you; Clicky is outstanding. You'll find charts and graphs, but one of its best features is its visitor detail, which gives you accurate information on individual visitors in real time. It tells you which country they're from and how long they've been on your site. Clicky also has a mobile page designed specifically for the iPhone. It boasts all the same features as Clicky's online version. Plus, it's snappy, so you won't waste time checking traffic. Pricing starts at $29.99 per year.

Google Analytics Google Analytics is a free service that provides you with a graph showing how many people visited your site. The tool also lets you see which pages visitors clicked, how many unique visitors went to your site, and information on where the most people entered and exited. It's not nearly as advanced as other apps in this roundup, but it's certainly the easiest to use. If you want something simple and accurate, Google Analytics is for you.

Histats.com Histats.com sports the slickest design of any tool in this roundup. You'll find common tracking elements like page views, visitors, and referral information, but that's all displayed in the most user-friendly design I've seen in this space. The graphs are gorgeous. The app's ease of use is unparalleled, thanks to slick menus. And changing the data you want to look at is simple. I was really impressed by Histats (and its free price tag).… Read more

As a Firefox user and blogger, I realized not too long ago that the best way to be more efficient was to find useful add-ons for the Mozilla Web browser.

After trying a variety of Firefox extensions, I've found 15 that do a fine job of making my blogging more productive.

Apture Editor: Apture Editor enables you to easily add contextual images, videos, reference guides, links, and more to a blog post. Whenever a reader moves her mouse over an Apture-linked term, a box is displayed, showing the related media you chose. Whenever a reader clicks on an item, a new window opens, displaying the source of that media. It's a great way to add more value to your blog posts.

Clipmarks: Clipmarks lets you "clip" (copy) sections of a Web page, including text, images, or video, and add them to your Clipmarks profile. You can then send all your saved clips to your blog. You can also send them to Friendfeed, Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks. It's a useful tool. Check it out.

Fire Analytics: If you want to track how well your blog is doing, the Fire Analytics Firefox extension will help. To use it, you'll need to link your Google Analytics account to Fire Analytics. Once complete, you can see all your Google Analytics reports in Fire Analytics without ever going to Google's page. It's not as pretty as Google's reports, but you'll get the same information in a much shorter amount of time. It's worth trying out.

FireFlix: Finding images for your blog post is made simpler with FireFlix. The sidebar extension lets you quickly search and upload photos from Flickr without leaving the page you're on. If you use Flickr to find photos for your blog, this extension is for you.… Read more

If you saw "Star Trek" over the weekend, you might be wondering how you can use the Web to connect with other fans.

It's not as hard as you might think. From Ning social networks to Facebook groups, there are a variety of ways to connect with "Star Trek" fans around the world.

Star-Trek If you're a Twitter fanatic, the Tweetworks Star-Trek group might be worth checking out. It's not a vibrant community--there are just a few dozen members--but it's the largest "Star Trek" Twitter group on the Tweetworks network. You'll find other Twitter users to communicate with. And you can leave as many tweets as you want about the movie. But until it grows, consider it your last destination.

"Star Trek" Facebook group The "Star Trek" Facebook group is the place to go if you're a real "Star Trek" fan. It's that simple. The page has over 2,400 members. Its discussion board is brimming with messages about topics ranging from Spock and his mother to Captain Kirk. The page also has more than 100 Wall posts discussing the movie, commenting on the series, and much more. Definitely check it out.

"Star Trek" MySpace page The official "Star Trek" MySpace page is a must-see for any "Star Trek" fan. It features the movie's newest trailer. And if you want to see scenes from the film, it has a couple clips for you to watch. But it's the page's forums that will keep you coming back. More than 22,000 "Star Trek" fans are currently discussing the movie, the franchise, and everything in between. The "Star Trek" MySpace page is one of the best places to connect with other fans.… Read more

"Star Trek" is coming (back) to theaters, and millions of fans are getting ready to check it out. It's serious business. Before you see the new film, watch these 10 videos that spoof the famed franchise.

Ben Stiller gets in on the action What's better than watching "Star Trek" get spoofed? Watching Ben Stiller spoof "Star Trek"! In this clip, he's Captain Kirk. And he's on a mission.

Can I get a... Something is on the minds of Captain Kirk, Spock, and the rest. They're worried. They're pensive. No, they're just hungry.

Grandpa Simpson loves old-school "Star Trek" "The Simpsons" is one of the most cherished cartoon comedies in history. And its portrayal of "Star Trek XII" is hilarious. You'll find all your favorites--Kirk, Spock, and Sulu--but they'll be just a little older than you remember them. And Grandpa Simpson loves it.

… Read more

Things for iPhone is a well-designed, easy-to-use, highly scalable task-management app for the iPhone and iPod Touch, and it's even better when paired with the Mac desktop app of the same name. Like its desktop counterpart (with which it can sync over Wi-Fi), Things for iPhone offers a clean, intuitive interface based around the popular "Getting Things Done" productivity method. Tasks are collected under Projects (sets of smaller subtasks), Areas (areas of responsibility, such as work or family), and an In-box "waiting area" for unsorted tasks.

Things has a handy Today list (which displays the … Read more

I was looking through the Google Maps directory recently and found a variety of maps worth checking out. From up-to-date weather to barbershops, they should all be added to your list of Google Maps modules.

Barbershops: The map's description says "Barbershops are one of the last bastions of manliness today." And that's why the developer created a map providing locations to barbershops all over the U.S. Not every area is covered, but if you live in a major city, you'll find at least one or two barbershops to try out.

Best Nightclubs and Bars: If you want to find the best nighttime hangouts in major cities like New York; Scottsdale, Ariz.; or Las Vegas, the Best Nightclubs and Bars Map is for you. After picking an individual city to get a listing of hot spots, you should find all the places you're looking for. It would be nice if it supported more cities, though.

Chandra X-Ray Observatory: The Chandra X-Ray Observatory map gives you in-depth information about Harvard's Chandra X-Ray lab. It has dozens of markers around the world. Each time you click on a map marker, it explains exactly why the location is important to Chandra's operation. If you're interested in space and you want to learn more, this map is for you.

Current Air Quality: Those who have breathing problems will be happy to know that there is a Current Air Quality map that updates each hour with information gathered from government air quality sites. It only tracks the U.S., the U.K., and China, so if you live anywhere else, this probably won't do you much good. But I find it quite useful for where I live.

Distance Measurement Tool: Ever wanted to know what the distance is between Hoboken, N.J., and Tokyo? With the help of the Distance Measurement Tool, you can do just that. Simply click on one spot on the map, then click on another. The tool will show two markers and the distance.

Flickr Mapplet: It's not perfect, but the Flickr Mapplet is a neat addition to your Google Maps favorites. You can search for any kind of image. Once it finds photos that match your query, they will be indicated on the map with markers based on where the photographer claims the photos were taken. Once you click on the marker, you can view the pictures. Its search could be better, but it's still an interesting way to see photos.

Follow the Rainbow: If you want to go to Ireland, Follow the Rainbow is for you. It provides you with all the top spots for history, food, art, and music. When you click one of the markers (they're all color-coded, thus the "Rainbow" name), it tells you where it's located in the country, what it offers, and how to get there.… Read more

Politicians are flocking to Twitter. Whether they're Democrats or Republicans, they're finding new ways to talk to their constituents. I've found 20 politicians who are using the micro-blog to communicate their policies. Some are more active -- and more interesting -- than others. Here's the rundown:

Barack Obama If it weren't for this President, most politicians probably wouldn't be on Twitter. He made the service appealing to politicians by showing them that it's a great way to establish a grassroots campaign. Currently, he has staffers tweeting for him, mostly discussing his policies in office. It's an informative Twitter stream. See also the White House on Twitter.

Barbara Boxer Barbara Boxer, a U.S. senator from California, is quite active on Twitter. But she has her staff update her Twitter stream, only diving in personally form time to time. Her tweets mostly discuss where she will be appearing, so it's not too informative.

Chris Dodd Sen. Chris Dodd's Twitter account is a little sneaky: the tweets sound like Dodd is updating his stream, but if you dig a little deeper, it turns out that his Twitter account is for his "office." So, it's not really Dodd updating his stream even though his staff makes it sound that way. Regardless, they're interesting tweets. You'll gain insight into the Senate proceedings, see where he stands on issues, and find some interesting political links. Dodd's Twitter account is worth following.

Dick Durbin Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin is on Twitter. He has 99 followers. There's just one issue: he's never updated his Twitter stream. I find it appalling that such an important figure in U.S. politics can create a Twitter profile and not update it. Don't follow Durbin. … Read more