Okay maybe not the world, but with the surge of company review sites you can certainly complain, gossip, and freak out to a sizeable audience. Now I’m as big a fan of user-generated content as the next guy. In fact I am an abuser of UGC if anything—where to go for dinner? Hello Yelp.com. What mini-computer should I get? I’ll ask my fellow tweeters. And so on and so forth.

Job review sites are not a new concept. Sites like Glassdoor.com and Jobvent.com have given voice to the conflicted employee for a few years now. However, it seems lately that this niche is seeing some growth, not just in number, but in site activity and membership…I wonder why that is?

Perhaps it’s simply the result of job-searches increasing and smart entrepreneurs, or maybe it’s something more? Perhaps this is the only hand employees have to play right now? It’s our way of saying, “you may have the upper hand in deciding if I work here, but that can't shut me up.” After all when the economy rebounds, a workforce will need to be replenished. Where will job-applicants turn when two job offers sit in front of them? Surely not HR departments, or company promotional material. Instead, they will look to the people that endured the last year with them. They will turn to unfiltered insight into company salaries, cultures, priorities and most importantly—downfalls.

Whatever the reason behind it, these sites are gaining momentum. Many of them are incorporating community features enabling their users to share info and vent in real time and others are lacing in networking capabilities, as if to say, “if its that bad then let us help you get out of there.” Talk about efficient water-cooler gossip. Imagine going to fill your coffee cup, upset over your latest discouraging conversation with your passive-aggressive boss, only to be met by a job recruiter with job opportunities in your field, an updated version of your resume, and a cheery smile. Crazy huh?

But that’s exactly what these sites are all about. I have put together quick summaries of the three best ones to cross my desk in recent weeks. TwilightPad, Telonu, and Jobbeehive are all new entries to the race, but with some unique offerings, encouraging all of us to get in touch with our inner drama queens/kings. Perhaps even better then that, these sites are empowering employees to do something about it—connect and comfort each other or sometimes—get out of there and find a new water cooler to congregate around.

TwilightPad.com
With their byline—“Speak Up,” TwilightPad offers a place for employees to talk about a company’s working conditions, hiring process, interview procedures, and more. Going beyond your traditional company review site, TwilightPad also offers the unique ability for community members to discuss recent layoff rumors, job loss stories, as well as job search success stories. With all user discussions completely unedited, I see this site having either—a whole of four-letter words, or a ton of great, raw material on the business in question. Time will tell which way they go.

Telonu.com
Get it? Tell-On-You. Clever stuff. Anyway, Telonu positions itself as “a cool, powerful, rock-your-world online community where you can tell one and all about the really important stuff.” Although community members can also focus on their schools, the primary user base is professional. It’s hoping to catch the “ranters and ravers” by spotlighting the easy review process—taking only “30 seconds” to get something off your chest. Telonu has set up a Q & A community (similar to the Answers function in LinkedIn) encouraging its members to reach out and “mingle” with other members. What is the best (or perhaps the shadiest) part? You can “search people at work,” which suggests to me…managers better watch their step if this site catches fire. Watch. Their. Step.

Jobeehive.com
On the classier and more professional side of the spectrum is Jobeehive, which brings together a community of professionals to share career information on both companies and industries in general. They focus on helping user’s answer the question, “Where should I go next” propelling it from simply a company review site to a career enhancement community. I also love the “research and share” approach to information they are taking. Jobeehive will be releasing bi-annual company reports, highlighting the companies people are enjoying, the companies with the best salaries, and much more. With quality information coming in, and their willingness to share it, I can see this site doing very well moving forward.

These are just a few of my favorites out of the number to cross my desk. As to be expected, some will flourish with content and some will fall short, but the increased attention to company culture is the real storyteller. Perhaps more importantly will be how companies handle this public feedback. The best companies will find a way to address the negative reviews, while spotlighting the positive comments when interviewing future applicants. One thing you can be sure of--company review sites are shifting the balance of power back into the hands of the employees, and one has to wonder—how will this change the job-search process moving forward?