For me, the limitation of time is a huge part of what I base my opinion of a website on – I need to be able to access information in a safe, easy and fun way. All of the websites I spend the most time on are really skilled at delivering the information I’m looking for AND any related information.
Here's a list of my top 5 websites:
I’m not sure if any website can deliver a better recommendation engine then www.Amazon.com – it not only gets smarter the more I use the site, but it helps organize my experience by providing breadcrumbs and saves browsing information. It’s truly everything that a shopping experience should be about – in fact; I find it better than physical shopping experiences. A store clerk rarely manages to recommend me something to buy as consistently as Amazon.
Discovering www.lastfm.com was like learning I could have a tiny angel on my shoulder leading me through the murky waters of music exploration. I have a tremendous passion for music and actually have a hard time keeping up with myself at times. Lastfm allows me to select a band or genre and it plays me the ultimate soundtrack –they call it radio, but I call it an awesome mix of all the stuff I like. It does cost me $3 per month, but there’s no DJ or annoying commercials. Lastfm is what MySpace should have become.
I’m something of a closet nerd – I love reading about techie news and gadgets, but I rarely feel compelled to actually buy any of them. www.boingboing.net allows me to learn about all the cool new techie stuff without shelling out any money. It’s also very much the voice of my generation in terms of the perspective the writers deploy to their articles. Their editorial blog posts are very cyber-punk and Gen X centric. I can always relate – even when I don’t entirely understand all the ‘geek-speak’.
One of my other favourite sites is more work related, but in saying that I think social media news is applicable to nearly anyone- no matter what you do for a living social media effects just about everyone these days. www.mashable.com is an incredible resource about anything related to social media. The contributors have specific areas of expertise and it brings a very rich, comprehensive perspective to a topic that is ordinarily treated like an annoying fad at best and the end of the world at worst. It’s no big surprise that Mashable articles are spread and shared around more than anyone – perhaps even more then Huffington Post articles (btw www.huffingtonpost.com a fantastic online news source).
Oh, www.wired.com how I adore thee- let me count all the ways: intelligent, thought-provoking, contemporary, innovative and just really super clever. Wired is the one of the few American magazines I keep buying while living in Australia. It’s worth the $11.95 price tag (its $4.99 in the US). I’m not as big a fan of the UK version – don’t know why, but the American offering details the issues faced by those who are creating the technology that I’m more in touch with – Google, Twitter, Apple, etc. Of course, everyone is talking about these products, but Wired is putting them into context. Most publications tackle life with technology as the brave new world- when in fact; it’s just normal everyday life. Where we are going is an important thing to think about, but Wired is more about this moment and the times we live in today. The website offers just about all of the content you get in the mag- plus some really great blogs on a plethora of topics.
