Santa isn’t the only one who should be making a list and checking it twice. Bloggers interested in increasing traffic to their websites should, too.
There’s simply no denying the popularity of lists. They’re everywhere and on every topic imaginable. Readers like lists because they’re quick and easy to read and provide instant gratification. They’re easy to share as well, and can break complex information into its simplest form.
Of course, bloggers should like lists because readers like them and the increased traffic that comes with those readers. Lists are also easy to write, offer visual appeal, and can create interest and discussion on a blog.
While bloggers can snap up or link to countless lists on the web, collaborative lists, also called crowdsourced lists, tend to build the most interest and because they involve readers in their creation can help a blog create a sense of community.
A list of lists sharing apps
While bloggers can use a variety of survey and polling apps and plugins to incorporate collaborative lists in their blogs, there are also a number of web-based apps designed to make list making fun and easy. Here’s a look at the top rated such apps based on their Alexa rank, all easily integrated with Facebook and Twitter.
List.ly
While it’s ranked number 3 in list sharing on Alexa, it’s listed first here because unlike others, List.ly offers a WordPress plugin that allows its lists to be embedded using shortcodes into blog posts and pages. The obvious advantage is that readers don’t have to leave your blog for an external site to participate. The plugin also allows easy integration into a variety of platforms, including Tumblr.
Creating a list is simple and straightforward. After clicking the “start a list” button, you give your list a title, a description and add any tags you want included. Then you set parameters for guest participation, including whether the list can be commented on and modified.
Listal and Ranker
While List.ly is a relative newcomer to Alexa rankings, launched in mid-2011, the top two list creation and sharing apps have been around for a while.
Founded back in 2005, Listal also gives users the ability to help create lists and share their opinions on those lists. Primarily dedicated to entertainment, Listal categories include television shows, DVDs, music, books, authors, directors, actors and actresses, and musicians.
At No. 3, Ranker covers a much wider range of categories, including arts, travel, sports, music, television, film, cars, technology, food and drink, people, comics and others. In addition to lists, media found on Ranker and the other sites includes images, video clips and reviews. The site provides features that allow users to vote on their favorite things in a number of very unique categories. Users can also learn about items they may be interested in but had no idea existed.
Rounding out the top 5
In addition a resource for list-making, recent UK startup Top10.com is also developing games and apps for mobile devices. And its popular Top10 Spotify app lets users create playlists and compare those lists with friends.
At No. 5, Get Vega is another recent startup with smart list capabilities that lets users easily pull data from any web page, especially useful for compiling lists for comparison shopping.
The rest of the field
At No. 6, Listphile is well organized, easy to navigate, and features OpenID support for users who don’t want yet another account to keep track of. List options include the ability to embed Google Maps for location-based lists.
Designed as a wiki, Listoid users can create their own list as well as modify others. Lists can also be embedded in the user’s Facebook wall and users earn “reputation points” good for rewards.
Set up as a social network, No. 8 Listgeeks is about lists pure and simple, with no images or audio and video files allowed in its text only lists. Users are encouraged to develop full profiles and follow other users and their lists.
Born as a brainchild of Amazon in 2006 in an effort to tightly integrate the giant retailer with Facebook, Unspun is no longer affiliated with Amazon but Facebook integration remains a priority.
Rounding out the top 10, Demolistic is another wiki list site that allows users to create lists, edit other lists, and debate those lists on discussion boards. Ultimately, lists are created from a consensus of opinions.
Many of these list making tools is represented in Facebook’s app center as well. But since the App Center doesn’t have an even slightly advanced search function, the best bloggers can do in finding other list making apps is to search for “lists” or “Top10” and then scroll down through the results.
By Guest Author – This guest post is written by Eric Nacul.Eric is a tech enthusiast who enjoys writing freeware reviews at BestFreeOnline.
