Good Lists of Helpful Sites: Why Not to Ignore Them
What is a Good List of Helpful Sites?
To me, a good list of helpful sites is a list of sites that is much more than just a list of sites.
The web addresses or titles of the sites or pages should be clickable, so that the sites or articles are easy to link to.
Many of the site or article page links should have a bit of a description so that the reader knows more about the topic before visiting the page. This is particularly important if the name of the site or the title of the article does not itself give away the topic, or if there is not much other helpful or informative content on the same page as the list of helpful sites.
A good list of helpful sites is usually quite a long list that the writer has taken a lot of time and trouble to produce. The length of the list together with good descriptions and extra info usually tells the reader how much time and trouble went into producing the list.
How do you know if the sites are really helpful?
How do you know if clicking through to, and reading through many pages of information or interesting content will help you?
Honestly, you don't, and may only really find out if you actually visit all the sites and read through what is on them, and make use of the information. You can get a good idea, though, of how helpful the content may be, so that you can work out if it is worth your time to visit all or many of the sites.
You can guess that the content of the sites in the list may be helpful by:
Reading through the descriptions of each, nicely provided by the author of the list.
Knowing who produced the list: what other information is on the same page as the list? Is it helpful? Has the producer of the list previously provided helpful articles or information?
Does it seem like the producer of the list of helpful sites finds these sites or articles helpful too? The producer may even actually mention that he or she finds these sites helpful and makes use of them.
Other Ways to Recognize a Good List from a Bad List
How many referral links are in the list of links?
Are they all referral links?
I know that a page that is just a list of referral links certainly usually puts me off visiting the sites or finding out more, but if everything else about the list seems good, and there are not that many referral links in a long list of descriptive links, then I do give the author the benefit of the doubt.
In fact, if the list has been really useful to me, I may even thank the author for going to the trouble of producing such a helpful list, by joining a site in the list (that interests me) using the author's referral link.
Do Helpful People and Helpful Lists really Exist?
Of course!
If you have ascertained that a list is good, and that the sites or articles it links to are probably going to be helpful, should you ignore the list?
Of course not!
Where Can I Find Some Lists of Helpful Sites so I can Decide for Myself if the Lists are Helpful?
Comments
@ rsusan - thanks, and I like lists too. I'm forever making my own little lists too, just little ones to help me focus and get things done - unfortuntely not everything always gets done, so I often have to move some old items that are still outstanding onto my new list :)
Yes, Teresa, we have running jokes in our home about all the lists and all the 'old' items that are moved to yet another new list...learned about how handy lists are from my mom. Guess that is why I moved on to list building on the internet!:-) For me there is huge satisfaction in working through something like the RSS Submission list you mention above.
Wow this is good thanks! I will check those all out. It is good to have such a smart friend who is willing to share their knowledge. GBY
Polly
I'm not that smart Polly, but thanks, my friend :) I just know how hard it is for some people to learn new things when they are just starting out, no matter if it is trying to make money online or following any other dreams of theirs, and I hope my articles make things easier for them. Many other people's articles have made things easier for me.
JANUARY 25-2012
Hello,Teresa, This was a
GREAT read! Amazing presentation. Informative and very helpful. Voted up and away. I love your writing style and I am now honored to FOLLOW you.
I would love for you to email me a few GENUINE websites so I can earn some extra money. I am disabled and at home all of the time. I hope Im not a bother.
Please keep up the great work and I Invite YOU to check out my hubs, that is if you need a good laugh.
And I would love for you to be a follower. That would make my day. Highest Regards,
Kenneth Avery,
from Hamilton, a small (but proud) town in northwest Alabama that Norman Rockwell would have been happy to put on a magazine cover. Much Peace and Success to you!
rsusan 9 months ago
Good one, Teresa. I love lists! Always looking for one that is just that bit better than the last one... The ones you mention here, are awesome!