5 Reasons Numbered Lists Are Stupid – Friday Curmudgeon

IMG_0245Numbered lists on blogs are all the rage, particularly at the turn of a new year.

Since mid December my RSS feed has been stuffed with 10 best if 2011, 20 ways to do that, and 12 things to look for in the new year. Oh February please come soon.

If you find yourself falling for this brand of year-end-birdbrainery consider the following 5 points.

4. Lists Are Cliche

At this point there is nothing original in banging out a list. Do you want your blog to stand out for original content or do you want to be just another hamster on the wheel?

2. They Are Cheap Salvation

Reading a list about making your life better is just like making it better – only quicker and easier. Right?

5. They Are Arbitrary Link Bait

I scanned “30 Ways to Make Your Life Better” and wished the authors had taken the brain power to consolidate down to 3. Instead they dumped a truckload of self-help books in a messy pile.

Yeah, shame on me for clicking on it.

3. Forwarding Them is Passive Aggressive Advice Giving

If you want to make your point with barbed humor use the content over at Passive Aggressive Notes. We are all Amy Misto.

1. There Is More – buy why bother.

Don’t say you weren’t warned. Now, where is my TPS report?

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Alright kids, get off my lawn.

OPOL