As internet users gain more and more ways to communicate, they are looking for ways to centralize and bring things together. Fuser is one service that can help you keep your communications organized.

I first used Fuser about a year ago, and I must say I wasn’t impressed. I liked the concept, but the interface was frankly ugly and clunky, and I kept getting messages about my Java being out of date. In short, it was more trouble than it was worth. Recently, I decided to check back and see if anything had changed. It had, and it was definitely for the better. Fuser has a brand new interface that is far better than the old one, as well as some new features.

First, it should be understood that Fuser isn’t an email service, and it doesn’t provide you with a Fuser email address. For those of us overloaded with email accounts already, this is good news. Fuser is instead a communications dashboard that combines all your existing email addresses and social networking accounts together in one place. Signing up is extremely easy, as is adding all your accounts.

On your first login, you are greeted with a wizard that helps you add all your email and social networking accounts. It’s really easy, and you don’t have to worry about adding POP or IMAP settings for the most common email providers””Fuser does it for you. And for those of you who use email providers that don’t provide free POP or IMAP access, such as Yahoo or Hotmail, don’t worry about having to get a premium account; Fuser magically syncs them both ways with no problems.

Another interesting feature of Fuser is that it can synchronize folders across your email accounts. For example, if you create a folder in Fuser called “Family,” and you drag an email from Gmail and Yahoo into it, Fuser will automatically create a label called “Family” in Gmail and a “Family” folder in Yahoo and keep them in sync with each other. This feature might not appeal to everyone, but it is really useful for those who are serious about keeping everything centralized and in sync.

Also, Fuser has a built in conversation view, so if you’re a Gmail user, you won’t have to give up that feature if you start using Fuser.

In addition to your email accounts, you can also add your Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter accounts. The Twitter integration is one of my favorite Fuser features, and it has all the functions of the Twitter website. From Myspace and Facebook, Fuser syncs private messages and notifications. Unfortunately, you can’t see your news feed or post status updates””at least not yet.

In short, Fuser is a great way to bring all your email and social networking accounts together. It does just what it says it does, and does it well. While there are a few features I’d like to see and some small bugs here and there, Fuser shows a lot of promise. The Fuser team is very helpful and responsive, and they assure me many more great features are coming soon.

What about you? What features would you like to see? What services would you like to centralize?

Personal

ShoutEm

ShoutEm is a new service that allows you to host your own microblogging service. It focuses on customization, giving you lots of control over your community’s look and behavior. You can change the theme, enable Pownce-like multimedia “shouts”, and even add your own advertisements.

ShoutEm is free, but also offers a premium plan that unlocks the more advanced features like a custom domain, file sharing, and more customization options.  Instead of paying a flat monthly fee for bundled-features, though, you pay on a per-feature basis.

Twingr

Like ShoutEm, Twingr allows you to create and manage your own microblogging community. It’s in a public alpha, but I wasn’t able to sign up and try it out as the allotted number of communities had already been created.

After watching the demo video, though, it appears that Twingr is less feature-rich and lacks many more powerful customization options. It doesn’t appear that you can upload photos, and there doesn’t seem to be a premium subscription of any kind available. Then again, Twingr is in alpha, so all these features may come eventually.

Business

Present.ly

Present.ly is a microblogging platform for small businesses and organizations that lets employees post updates about what they are working on, share files, and more. One nice feature of Present.ly is that it allows you to create groups, a useful tool for collaborating on projects. It also has some neat features that make asking and answering questions of fellow employees a breeze.

Present.ly offers a free plan with limited features for up to 5 users. After that, plans range from $14 to $99 a month.

SocialCast

Last but certainly not least, SocialCast is the most attractive and exciting service of the two. Packed with great features, SocialCast takes business communication beyond microblogging and includes a full range of social networking features. These include lifestreaming, microblogging, social-networking profiles, and even Yahoo Answers style pages for asking questions and getting answers.

SocialCast offers a free plan for up to 5 users. It’s $5 per user, per month after that. If you run a non-profit or very large company, SocialCast offers discounts and custom pricing options as well.

SnapPages has two plans to choose from: a free plan and a premium plan, which costs $50 a year (about $4 a month). The free plan gives you access to lots of great features, but if you want to use your own domain or have access to more themes and options, you will need the premium plan. For a comparison of the two plans, check out the SnapPages site. If you want to try the premium plan before you buy it, no problem””there’s a 30 day free trial.

Once you’ve selected a plan, you can begin building your site. Don’t know any code? No problem””SnapPages is easy to use. The control panel is simple and aesthetically pleasing, and its WYSIWYG interface makes changing the layout and design as simple as drag and drop. Even if you’ve never used a website builder before, you can figure SnapPages out in a matter of minutes.

Updating your site’s look is a lot of fun – seriously. Browsing for a new theme is done through a really nice coverflow-style browser. All the themes, free or premium, look great so you’re sure to find one to suit your needs. Customizing your site’s look doesn’t end with selecting a theme, though.  You can also change your theme’s colors and fonts, or add a logo, graphic, fill, or background image. All this is done effortlessly through an intuitive interface.

Second, you have lots of options when editing your site’s content. After choosing a page layout, you can drag content blocks where you want them on the page. Examples of available content blocks are photo galleries, YouTube videos, Google maps, a contact form, text, and an iFrame for your own HTML.

One of my favorite features is the customizable flash billboard. This feature lets you create a rotating flash banner on your homepage using images that you upload. You have lots of control over how your billboard looks, including the ability to change transition effects, text, and image order. This feature is great for businesses and organizations, and it adds an extra touch of class to your site.

The best part of SnapPages, though, is its emphasis on design. While there are lots of site builders that can get a site up and running quickly, they usually look like the fast, cheap solutions they are. Not SnapPages. Every one of the available themes, free or premium, looks great and they all have the hand crafted look of a professionally designed site.

In summary, SnapPages is a great web application for those with little or no web design skills, but who still want a great looking site. It’s packed full of great features, and yet it doesn’t compromise usability. I’m convinced that anyone could learn to use SnapPages quickly and have a great looking site online within minutes.  If you don’t believe me, sign up and try it yourself!

Does anyone have another free website builder that they prefer, instead of SnapPages?

So what makes Zenbe different? There are a lot of things, but here are the highlights.

First, Zenbe helps you centralize. Bring all your emails in one. It helps you cut down on your account clutter by bringing together in one window your email, task lists, files, and calendar. You can also use Zenbe to manage all your email addresses. It allows you to send from any email address and downloads outside email messages via POP.

Second, Zenbe has awesome features. What other email client do you know of that allows you to use Twitter and check your Facebook updates while reading your latest email? That’s just the beginning, though. Zenbe has a full featured calendar that includes support for iCal subscriptions, and, unlike some competitors (*cough* Google *cough*), the developers included task lists.

The file view is awesome, too. It takes all your email attachments and makes them available in their own separate tab. You can search, tag, star, or sort them by file type. Audio and video files can be played right in your browser, and images can be previewed in a neat lightbox.

In addition, Zenbe has partnered with Scribd for document previewing, so you can view documents without downloading them to your computer. You no longer have to email files to yourself, either, since Zenbe lets you upload files without emailing them. With 4GB of storage, there is plenty of space to use Zenbe as a repository for your important documents and media.

I’ve mentioned only some of Zenbe’s features. There are many more, and everything – from the contact manager to the tagging system – is innovative.

The best part about Zenbe, though, is that it’s still evolving. While other email providers will go months without any updates, Zenbe is constantly adding new features. For example, the Zenbe team is currently testing a unique conversation view, as well as an innovative “favorites inbox” that shows you emails from the people you care about most.

Zenbe really does have some of the best features I’ve seen in an email client. It incorporates them in an elegant way, too, so you aren’t overwhelmed with clutter.

What about you? What features would you like to see in the inbox of the future? Let us know in the comments.

These five free services are some of the best I’ve found.

Mint

Mint is one of the most popular money management tools on the web, and for good reason. Mint automatically syncs all your bank accounts, credit cards, loans, and investments, and then gives you detailed charts and reports on where your money is going.

It also allows you to set budgets for yourself, alerting you via email or mobile when you go over your limits.

Karl did a review of Mint here.

Rudder

Rudder is similar to Mint in that it syncs your accounts and keeps your balances updated in a central location. It’s different though, because it not only tells you how much money you have, but it also forecasts how much you can actually spend.

It does this by calculating what you will spend on bills and other regular expenses, and then giving you what’s left over. Rudder also gives you more control over your user experience with a draggable widget interface.

ClearCheckbook

While expense tracking tools like Mint and Rudder are useful for seeing where your money is going, you also should keep track of your money as you spend it. After all, checks sometimes take a couple of business days to clear, as do some credit card transactions. Even up to the minute bank balances can be deceiving if you haven’t factored that in.

ClearCheckbook helps you balance your virtual or real checkbook by keeping track of your account balances as you spend your money. This keeps you from doing something dumb, like overdrawing your account.

SmartyPig

Americans are not known for saving their money, but saving is an important part of wise financial management. SmartyPig makes saving fun and easy – even social. The concept is simple: motivate yourself by setting a savings goal; then, set a deadline for reaching it.

SmartyPig will do the rest, automatically withdrawing payments from your checking account every month. If you have generous friends or a rich uncle, you can share your savings goal. Friends and family can then contribute to help you reach it. Oh, and don’t worry: SmartyPig works with a real, FDIC insured bank, so your money will be safe.

CreditKarma

Have you ever wondered what your credit score looks like, but you aren’t sure how to find out? Try CreditKarma. CreditKarma is a free site that lets you check your credit score easily, and as often as you want.

It tracks the changes to your score graphically, so you can see if your credit is getting better or worse. CreditKarma, like Mint, makes money by offering you deals from credit card companies and other institutions.

So what online apps do you use to track and control your money? One of these four or a totally different one? Let us know in the comments!