Anyone who has spent time watching online series knows by now that much of it is not all that compelling and not worth revisiting.

"The West Side" is a notable exception.

The intriguing Web series deftly blends two genres -- the Western and contemporary urban drama. The premise is original, and the technical quality is high.

"West Side" follows the violent conflicts between a group of New York gangster/cowboys. Pace and tension builds well within the framework of the short episodes. Filmed in high-contrast black and white, the series is set in a bleak no-man's land where trash blows through the streets like tumbleweeds.

Four episodes of the 12-episode series have been posted so far, enough so that "West Side" -- written, produced and directed by Ryan Bilsborrow-Koo and Zachary Lieberman -- won this year's Webby Award for best online drama series.

The "West Side" site includes some interesting technical background, such as how digital effects are used to create an intensely brutal image of a man hanging from a streetlight pole. Because of scenes like this and other violence, it's not recommended for all viewers.

But it shows Web video's potential as a medium for independent filmmakers and raises the bar for future Web video efforts.

thewestside.tv

Or for something a little lighter, check out "The Line," a new Web comedy created by "Saturday Night Live" cast member Bill Hader and writer Simon Rich.

The series was inspired by the experience of waiting in line and observing "line crazy" behavior at a movie premiere.

The seven episodes of "The Line," which features guest appearances by Jason Sudeikis ("SNL"), Paul Scheer ("30 Rock") and Liz Cackowski ("Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), can been seen on several Web video sites: Crackle, YouTube, Hulu and Heavy.

Social networking and shopping are among the most popular of online activities. VirtualEShopping, a new site that combines the two, launched in July.

Shoppers looking to save gasoline can sit at their PC and visit these virtual-reality mall outlets, where 3-D imagery and audio simulate the physical experience of shopping. Virtual shoppers teleport to different retail storefronts, buy stuff and collect coupons for additional cost savings. They can visit their own city's mall -- there's a Pittsburgh version -- or check out other cities across the United States.

They can also create a persona, as in Second Life, and chat with other shoppers and friends who are online.

Retailers include Barnes and Noble, The Apple Store, Best Buy, Old Navy, The Sharper Image and others.

The site also features a listing of local attractions and movie listings, which are customized to each city's site.

www.virtualepittsburgh.com

Musicians continue to bypass traditional ways of releasing new records. "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today," a new collaboration between David Byrne and Brian Eno, will be released exclusively online.

The CD will be out this fall, but listeners can stream all of the songs for free now or buy several kinds of download packages: a download of high-quality sound files with no digital rights management and a lyric booklet ($8.99); the CD version, which will ship by November, plus immediate download of sound files ($11.99); and a limited-edition package with four bonus songs, a short film about the recording, a miniature hardbound "Everything That Happens" book, screensaver and immediate download (also ships in November; $69.99).

www.everythingthathappens.com

Gamers waiting for the Sept. 7 release of "Spore" can whet their appetites for the game's creature-building features with the "Spore" Web site.

The new game by "Sims" creator Will Wright involves creating a creature and taking it through five stages of evolution: Cell, Creature, Tribe, Civilization and Space. The choices players make influence the future of the civilizations they build.

In the online component, people have been creating wild and wonderful creatures and posting them for others to see. More than 2.7 million creatures have been posted in the "Sporepedia" section.

www.spore.com