For Collectors: a helpful new site

There's a new website with free tools for people who love collecting stuff like books, games, and movies, but have enough stuff that they need some help getting organized.

The site, http://www.groqit.com, has helpful tools to make it easier to create lists of your stuff: for instance, when you type in a book title, it will offer to fill in author and some other stuff.  You can make lists of whatever you want, but it structures a Book-type list differently from a DVD, for instance.  (It gives Authors for books, but not CDs.)

The site is there to sell portalbe barcode-reading gadgets.  You're supposed to use the online tools, and then download the lists to the gadget so you can take them shopping with you (and then read the barcode on some new thing to see if it's already on your list) but you don't have to buy anything to use the services.  You can download your lists to your own computer instead, if you want, and just print them out.

Also, if you want to get social about it, there is a Registry section where you put lists you want to share.  Then you invite your relatives or friends to be your "Groqit Buddies" (we're still talking free here) and you can share particular lists you select, with each individual you've chosen to share with. 

The point is to make is so people can get each other gifts with less guesswork. 

Wishlists are the obvious ones to share.  You upload yours and keep it up to date, and it's all in one place when your friends want to look it up.  (That's a lot more elegant then sending them to people, at least I think it's somehow a lot less tacky.)

But there's another aspect that's really great for the COLLECTOR type.  We have lots of movies or books or music (or troll dolls) already, but that doesn't mean we don't want more!  Not at all.  But the more movies we have, the harder it is for our friends to feel secure getting us a new one because, although I may know exactly what's on my shelves (well, not really, but lets pretend), even my best friends can't keep track.  So what happens?  Our friends get us something "safe" and dull like a sweater.

Its impossible to remember what my cousins' game collection has grown to.  But if they want something new from me, they can post their list of stuff, and I don't have to get THEM the dreaded sweater. . . .

There's some clever stuff there.

Here is the "What do I get FREE, without buying a Groqit" page: http://www.groqit.com/faqs/free_at_groqit.php