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What we're lookin' at online

by Jerry Hitchcock
| December 24, 2010 8:00 PM

We've been an Internet-infused society for a couple of decades now, and that has made an indelible impression on us, especially those of us who spend a majority of our working time facing a computer screen.

The World Wide Web doesn't come by that name just by happenstance. Trying to wrap your head around the billions of websites now right at your fingertips is mind boggling. As such, I thought I'd let my mouse do the clicking and compile a little hi-tech data about our time in cyberspace.

A quick glance at the most popular websites (complied by - yes - www.mostpopularwebsites.net) reveals plenty of the obvious and a few surprises.

Anyone who spends any time "clicking" could probably tell you most of the top five: Google, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo! and Live.com. Other faves Wikipedia, Blogger and Twitter are in the top 10.

I was surprised to see Craigslist only made it up to No. 31. I visit our local (Spokane) site at least a few times a week. It's great fun, and there are so many categories, from items for sale to free stuff, local announcements, jobs, etc.

Search engine Bing.com checks in at No. 26 - not exactly keeping up with its competition, Google.

eBay, the once-darling online auction site, only came in at No. 21. Losing a little luster, maybe?

On the other end of the spectrum are the specialty sites. You know, the ones that don't get all that many visits compared to google, but can be very amusing, nonetheless.

A real fun site I stumbled across recently is www.bigsites.com. It has a nice long list of things in alphabetical order that you might find interesting on a long winter day.

• One site says you 'can chat with God online' (at least that is what the link says in happening - can't confirm it is God)

• A site full of men's bathroom humor ... can't say that would be all that worthwhile

• Another site offers a virtual zoo ("dozens of videos of animals you can watch online")

• A site lists crazy fads from the last 50 years. A sample from the 1970s: CB radios, bean bag chairs, Happy Days and Lite Brite

• One I couldn't bring myself to click on: "Death Forecast: Find out when you'll die." Hmmm... I think I want my death to be an absolute surprise

• Wacky Inventions: Best on this site is the Wake Nae Bacon Alarm Clock. It is supposed to be a contraption that cooks bacon within and wakes you up with its aroma, but it's built out of wood - haven't seen too many ovens with that construction. A great concept, though

• A site devoted to the crazy things workers did to get fired. Hopefully writing a column about crazy websites wasn't one of them...

• One site, whichisworse.com, allows you to vote on two scenarios. Here's a sample: Which is worse: A; Not being able to control your temper, or B; Not being able to control your bowels?

• You're feeling very sleepy: www.gethypnotized.com has categories that claims it can make you lose weight, stop smoking, get rich or find romance. You'll be a new man (or woman) by the time you close out of this site

• Wanna be a star? www.createvids.com lets you upload a photo of yourself into one of their simple videos

So, really, if you want to spend the time, you can pretty much find anything you want online. Now if I could just find that site that throws a million dollars into my checking account when I say the word, I'll be golden.

Jerry Hitchcock is a copy editor for The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176 Ext. 2017, or via e-mail at jhitchcock@cdapress.com