Sunday, May 30, 2010

Top websites devoted to top 10 lists

The Internet has no shortage of websites devoted to providing people with numbered lists of the best, worst, funniest, strangest, etc., things.
In my opinion, the best is Listverse. The site is the most professional of the bunch. I like how the lists are dated, so you know how fresh they are. The archives also are nicely organized.
Listverse has more transparency than other list sites. Founder Jamie Frater of Wellington, New Zealand, does a good job keeping visitors posted on changes to the website.
For instance, Frater announced May 30 that the site is getting a professional redesign, has hired an editor, and will be doing podcasts and videos. Plus, Listverse is publishing its second book of lists in November.
In earlier posts, Frater has been frank about mistakes Listverse had made since it was started in July 2007.
One major flaw of Listverse and other list websites continues to be the lack of sourcing and documentation for their lists. Without proof or some evidence, the information in these lists is suspect.
Listverse gets 1.5 million unique visitors a month, the site says.
Another good top 10 list website is TopTenz.
The lists are entertaining and the website is well organized and attractive. But it could use some improvement. Most notably it doesn’t date its entries, so you have no idea how old its lists are. TopTenz probably wants to keep its lists evergreen, but that’s a mistake.
TopTenz also isn’t very forthcoming about who is responsible for the website. Based on its Twitter page, I gather it’s the project of someone who lives in Richmond, Va. But that’s it.
And like Listverse, top TopTenz falls short in sourcing its top 10 list claims.
There are many other websites devoted to numbered lists. They include Make The List, The Top Tens, Top 10 Land, Top 10 Top 10, and The Top 10 List.
Almost enough for a top 10 list.

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