Ending the year with the dog days of summer, TIME released their 50 Best Websites of 2011 this week. As to be expected, the list falls heavily towards the newsy/informational end of the seesaw. But there are some significant trends worth cribbing if you’re working on the content of your website.
GENERATING USER CONTENT
User-generated content plays a huge role in many of TIME’s top 50. And we’re not talking “likes” and Facebook feeds. We’re talking about significant integration.
1. MIX AND MATCH WEBSITES
- Turntable.fm – Call it Chatroom 2.0 for music lovers. Turntable.fm allows people to talk and share their tastes.
- 8tracks – A savvy site for music lovers who create their own online mixtapes to share with users.
- Polyvore - Full of scrapbook and mix and match sets, Polyvore allows users to customize their fashion experience and seek the opinions of others.
- Gogobot – A more social alternative to TripAdvisor, Gogobot combines user-generated content with useful tools.
Idea to Steal – Allow your customers to share their knowledge and interests with each other.
2. MEMORY WEBSITES
- Proust – A site that uses memory prompts to help families craft their own histories.
- Dear Photograph – Marrying old photos to modern places, Dear Photograph provides a visual prompt for user stories.
Idea to Steal – Users need help. Provide prompts to generate quality content.
3. VIDEO WEBSITES
- Howcast – Unlike YouTube, this channel is limited to “How to” videos from around the planet.
Idea to Steal – Set parameters. A few rules will help users refine their content.
CURATING CONTENT
Sometimes user content is not appropriate for your aims. For many of TIME’s educational and sports-orientated website picks, the content needed to be curated by skilled individuals. You can do the same for your business. The trick is discovering what your customers will want to know.
4. EDUCATIONAL WEBSITES
- Smarthistory.org – Though it includes text and pictures, as well as video, this narrows the field of interest to art history.
- Khan Academy – An educational video series sponsored by Bill Gates, this covers a wide swath of knowledge.
Idea to Steal – Educational content can be fun if presented correctly.
5. FAN SITES
- Summer Tomato – The musings of Darya Pino, scientist and foodie, provide the basis of this healthy eating website.
- Jayski’s Silly Season Site – The first pit stop for NASCAR fans, this was started by rabid fan Jay Adamczyk and has grown into a powerhouse of information.
Idea to Steal – Your biggest fans and followers may be your best resources for content.
ARCHIVING CONTENT
One of the biggest trends in TIME’s top 50 of 2011 is helping users organize and archive content across the digital universe.
6. “BUNDLING” WEBSITES
- Pinterest – A virtual pinboard for anything that strikes your fancy.
- Instapaper - A tool to help you archive interesting articles and read them later.
- Evernote – A website that lets you search and find anything in your digital sphere.
- Storify – A site that bundles web (Twitter, FB, Tweets, Flickr) into a one-stop-story.
Idea to Steal - Are there ways you can help your users organize and personalize the way they view information on your website?
INVENTING CONTENT TOOLS
The last huge trend in TIME’s 50 Best Websites of 2011? Utility is the name of the game. Simple tools that help users access information quickly and efficiently can be lifesavers.
7. KNOWLEDGE TOOLS
- GetHuman – Reach a real person with the phone numbers of big companies.
- Quora - The Wikipedia of Q&A for when search engines fail.
- Calorie King – Track your nutritional intake.
- MapMyRun – Plan your next jog.
Idea to Steal – Provide users with tools that relate to your goals.
8. SEARCH TOOLS
- Airbnb - TIME calls it the “eBay of places to stay.”
- Hipmunk - Need a way to compare plane tickets? Try this one.
Idea to Steal - Make your search tools rich with information.
PLANNING YOUR WEBSITE?
Need some help with ideas and best practices? Contact me at any time for a free consultation.
Still brainstorming? Check out my follow-up post:
August 22nd, 2011 → 2:11 pm
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September 15th, 2011 → 5:35 pm
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April 16th, 2012 → 2:31 pm
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April 27th, 2012 → 2:41 pm
[...] In last year’s post on TIME’s 50 Best Websites: 8 Ideas You Can Steal, I highlighted the trend towards user-generated content. Along with Turntable.fm, Polyvore, Proust [...]