AfterVote, BlogCatalog, TalkShoe, ShopBig, Zwinktopia

Below are five of the hottest startups according to Killer Startups for the period ending May 4, 2007. Check out previous Killer Startups posts.

AfterVote.com – Search Socially

The search engine of all search engines: AfterVote.com. This is a great way to find what you're looking for with so many more tools and so much more precision than the basic search engine. AfterVote takes the results from Google, Yahoo, and MSN search and puts them together listed by relevance. With each site that comes up, you can automatically see its page ranking on the various search engines, its Alexa ranking, ways to bookmark it, and so much more. read more »

BlogCatalog.com – Blog Directory and Search Engine

If you're looking for a blog directory that offers more than just a listing of what's out there organized into categories, check out BlogCatalog.com. The site does list blogs by category, but there's a lot more going on. Each blog has its own page which states general data on the blog and its tags, as well as statistics such as its ranking, views, and hits. You can see who's recently viewed the blog and which members are in the blog's "neighborhood", similar to how MyBlogLog does it. read more »

TalkShoe.com – Live and Recorded Internet Podcasts

TalkShoe is the site that lets you host and participate in live or recorded podcasts with other members. Hosts choose a topic and invite members to join in, and then members can get to talking through their phones, computer, or typing. If you just want to eavesdrop on the conversation and don't feel like participating, you can just listen to the latest chatter. If you enjoyed a talkshow in particular, you can download and save it to listen to at a later date. Hosts can also make money for their first ten shows, and participants can earn money from referring hosts. read more »

ShopBig.com – Compare Prices and Shop Online

Wondering if you're getting a good deal on your purchase? To make sure you are, go to ShopBig and search for your item. ShopBig isn't a place to buy things, but rather is a place to search for the items you want and compare them across a bunch of different sites to find the product you're after at the price you're willing to pay. You can sort through items based on their price, their brand, or their merchant, depending on what's important to you. read more »

Zwinktopia.com – Get Zwinked, Be Who Ever You Want

Zwinktopia is the new Virtual World for teenagers to "get zwinked" on. Before, Zwinktopia was merely a place for you to create avatars, now InterActive Corp has launched again with a highly developed and highly fun interactive world for you to be, who ever you want. Teens are bound to spend hours on this site, it has everything any teenager wanting to escape the perils of being an adolescent could desire in a virtual world. read more »