There are social networks for virtually every profession, hobby and interest, and golf is no exception. Myriad sites already exist to help golfers connect, but a new one that just launched adds professional video analysis and online instruction to serve up free, personalized golfing advice.

Links Lessons, based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, is a free social network that focuses on improving members' game. That may be a common goal among enthusiast sites, but Links Lessons goes beyond forums and general professional tips to give members the online equivalent of free, personalized lessons. Members simply upload a video of their swing to the Videos section of the site. There, it is analysed by a real golf professional, who then gives them feedback and advice on improving it. Amateur golfers can also use Links Lessons to interact with their peers, including commenting on each other's swings and profiles. Professionals, meanwhile, can use the site to gain clients and exposure.

Offering a win-win for both amateurs and pros—not to mention a raft of niche advertising opportunities—Links Lessons was built using Ning, an online service that lets users create, customize and share social networks focused on any topic. How about creating something similar in another part of the world, or for another sport....? (Related: Connecting off the court.)

Website: www.linkslessons.com
Contact: dennis.card@linkslessons.com

Spotted by: Gustavo

"Divide and conquer" is a strategy that can be just as successful for tackling a task as it is for gaining power: break it down into small parts, and you have a better chance of succeeding. Such was the thinking behind DailyLit's books delivered in bite-sized portions, and a similar notion appears to be at work in Popling, a new online educational tool.

Users hoping to learn something new—whether it's French or trigonometry—begin by signing up for free with Popling and installing its Mac or Windows desktop software on their computer. They then subscribe to specific "poplings," or topics they want to learn. There are more than 150 poplings currently available, including 11 languages and topics in math, business, science and technology, among others. Based on their choices, Popling's desktop software will display pop-up flash cards on their computer throughout the day, timed to the frequency they choose. A language card, for example, might display a new vocabulary word, or quiz the user on one they've already learned. If the user ignores a pop-up it will go away, but if they click on it, they can see the full version and answer the question it contains. Popling is also available in an ad-free subscription for USD 20 per year.

Easy-to-digest tidbits are one of the hallmarks of what our sister site trendwatching.com would call snack culture, catering to consumers who seek gratification in smaller, easier-to-handle bites. Why not education, where the flash card already has a long history? Next, how about rolling out localized versions of Popling, tailored both to language and to culturally relevant topics? Consumers the world over are hungry for knowledge—give it to them the way they want it, and you could end up with some tasty rewards yourself! ;-)

Website: www.popling.net
Contact: www.popling.net/about/contact.php

Spotted by: Tracy

Last year, we featured two ventures offering online music tutorials by professional and famous artists: Now Play It—with tutorials by artists including Paul McCartney, Au Revoir Simone and The Dandy Warhols—and Mucony, which focuses on classical music and features tutorials by musicians from the New York Philharmonic, faculty members of the Juilliard School, and other esteemed musicians and teachers.

Smart concepts, since they give (aspiring) musicians easy access to a level of teaching they could otherwise only dream of. So we were pleased to see that Apple is now offering something similar: earlier this week, Apple announced that it has added Artist Lessons to its popular GarageBand application (part of the iLife software suite). Lessons are sold separately through GarageBand's Lesson Store, for USD 4.99 a piece, and participating artists at launch include Sting, Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan.

Like Now Play It, the tutorials include step-by-step instructions for chords, finger positions, and techniques. Artist Lessons also allow students to slow down playback for easier learning, and let them control a song's mix and instrumentation, enabling them to tune out Sting and play with his band, for example.

Website: www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/#lessons

Transparency tyranny has already been striking terror into the hearts of companies far and wide, as both customers and employees have begun sharing their experiences and impressions of them for all the world to see. No real surprise, then, that universities are next in line. RateMyProfessors.com has already made faculty popularity public, and now a few new sites offer a way for students to share an insider's perspective on campus life in general.

Unigo, which launched last month, is a site that offers tens of thousands of original reviews, videos, photos, documents and more about 225 of America's top colleges. Representing the efforts of 18 full-time editors, 300 on-campus interns and more than 15,000 students, the results are all searchable within an interactive community built around student-generated content. Using the free site, high school students can communicate with one another and with current college students to find the college that's right for them. An "intelligent calendar" guides them through the search/application process, while multidimensional filtering capabilities let them search through reviews by each reviewer's gender, ethnicity, major, political leaning, hometown and more. The New York-based site plans to expand soon to cover nearly every college in America.

San Francisco-based Yollege, meanwhile, also aims to empower college students to share their thoughts and opinions on every aspect of campus life, from dorms to campus hotspots to local culture. High-school students can use the site for help in finding the right school for them, while college students can use it not only to share reviews about their school but also to meet fellow students. As of late September, there were more than 4,000 reviews on the site, Real Simple reported. Launched in April, ad-supported Yollege was recently named one of the top five Best of the Web 2008 newcomers by BusinessWeek.

Finally, Pittsburgh-based College Prowler offers both print books and an online guide to more than 250 American schools. Each guide is written by a current student at the college, with the addition of quotes and comments from others in the student population. College Prowler launched online last year; a subscription for full access costs USD 39.95 per year.

Traditionally, college review guides have tried to provide information in an objective way, but of course what many consumers really want is subjective information from their twinsumers--those with tastes similar to their own. Add that subjectivity to immediacy, interactivity and free (or low-cost) access, and you just may have a winner. (Related: Transparency tyranny hits the workplace.)

Websites: www.unigo.com -- www.yollege.com -- www.collegeprowler.com
Contact: www.unigo.com/Contact.aspx -- info@yollege.com -- collegeprowler.com/Aboutus/Contactus.aspx

Spotted by: David Boyar

While most schools now incorporate computers into the curriculum at least to some extent, the fact remains that most learning is still done by the book. Recognizing that today's teens spend more and more of their time online, however, a new video-based network aims to offer extra learning and college preparation in a format that's more natural for digitally savvy high-school students.

Launched late last month, Brightstorm's online learning network is designed to help high-school students deepen their understanding of important subjects and better prepare for college through video-based courses designed and taught by expert teachers from across the country. Available courses cover subjects including math, writing, history, and AP and SAT test prep--with more coming soon, the company says--taught via 5-hour interactive video classes that are broken down into lessons lasting between 10 and 20 minutes each. Brightstorm's teachers--chosen for their classroom teaching success, passion for learning and professional qualifications--aim to develop unique curriculums that capture the most critical concepts in ways teens can relate to. Students, meanwhile, can not only choose the right teacher for their learning style, but can also work at their own pace in a manner suiting their digital preferences, with options to participate in interactive discussion groups and benefit from bonus materials such as interactive quizzes, "challenges" and study guides. Courses are each priced at USD 49 for a 12-month subscription.

Jeff Marshall, cofounder and CEO of San Francisco-based Brightstorm, explains: "We started this company as parents, educators and technologists who saw a need for a learning network that helped teens do better in school by syncing with their interests and online lifestyles. Great learning starts with great teaching, and we're giving teens a hand-picked selection of the best teachers from across the country. Simultaneously, Brightstorm broadens the reach of these teachers beyond their hometown classrooms."

These aren't your father's high-school students anymore, so to speak, so it makes sense that college prep should change too, better reflecting the online oxygen today's teens breathe. One to adapt on a localized basis for different cultures and languages....? (Related: Music school for generation YouTube.)

Website: www.brightstorm.com
Contact: www.brightstorm.com/aboutus/corporateinquiry