Here are five “city-profile” sites that will help me in putting together my own project:
1. Yelp
Why I Like? : The site is very user-content rich and extensive, which makes all of the answers and reviews seem very reliable. Many of the community members also appear to be extremely involved with Yelp, so the content they provide is usually well-thought out and entertaining to read.
Features to use for my site? : The “Fresh Lists” section. It’s an area where Yelp members can post there own “favorite lists” on whatever they please – for example, “My favorite Sushi places in town”. I wish you had the ability to make comments or debate about other’s member’s list, but the idea is still a great reflection of the type of information I want to provide on my site.
Strongest Feature?: The community building aspect of the site. Because members create their own profiles and have so many options for interacting with other members, it creates a strong sense of community among Yelp contributors. As such, they are more enthusiastic about writing reviews and the like, which makes the content available to visitors that much richer.
Why I Like? : This site’s friendly, laid back mood. The little animated dog does a good job in personifying what the site provides: an enthusiastic and generous help guide for anyone who needs it.
Features to use for my site? : The site’s main “online-quiz” feature. I had already considered doing something like this for my site, so seeing a real example of it gave me some good insight into what questions and formats I might want to use myself. However, I’m not sure I will have the time in order to create such a quiz; seeing how extensive findyourspot.com is makes me wonder if I create something similar with much less time and information to put toward it.
Strongest Feature? : Again, the site’s quiz. Its simple and fun to use, and the answers it provides are a good place to start when looking at other cities to move to or visit.
Why I Like? : Simple and straightforward. Though a site like Yelp has much more content, it can also tend to be overwhelming to a first time visitor. BestPlaces keeps the format simple and you don’t have difficulty in absorbing the data and user feedback on the site.
Features to use for my site? : Though the user forum is pretty much like any regular website forum, it is especially relevant to me since many of the postings featured there give me great ideas for the type of questions I want to use for my own site. It really makes me think of how to write my questions and think of the process for posting answers. This site does have a bit of a problem of “shouting match” styles forum postings, which makes me consider how I will avoid doing that on my project.
Strongest Feature? : There aren’t any revolutionary features, but I think that’s one of its strongest attributes. The layout and structuring of the content is the site’s real strength.
Why I like? : Much like bestplaces.net, I think city-data does a good job of mixing raw data with more detailed answers in a straightforward format.
Features to use for my site? : Some of the questions on the forum are very valuable to my own efforts, such as “Top Ten Reasons Not to Move to (blank)” or “New Yorkers Considering Austin”. I like how some of these do a good job comparing one city to the other, but like bestplaces.net the unfiltered forum approach can sometimes devolve into useless name calling that hurts the content. The small image gallery provided at the beginning of each city profile is something I will probably use on my site, though not at the very top of the page as it is positioned here.
Strongest Feature? : Nothing stands out in particular, but the mix of numbers and user quotes is well integrated and accessible.
5. epodunk.com
Why I like? : Though the information provided is very-data and number heavy, epodunk does a good job of making it simple to search through: a long list-format with practically every topic you could think of. Pretty old-school approach, but great for getting a thorough answer without having to guess where everything is.
Features to use for my site? : They feature a large quote from a well-known person on each of the city pages, something I had already considered posting on my site. Seeing it used elsewhere is a good starting point for how to use it myself.
Strongest Feature? : Topic-driven list format. No hassle in trying to find anything, and the data-driven approach means you avoid some of the moronic bickering that creeps into unregulated forums.
