Websites That Don't Need to Be Made Anymore

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but there is a finite number of social networking or selling websites that the world needs. Here is a collection of the eight kinds of websites that absolutely don't need to be made anymore. I'd add dating sites and anybody who uses pop-up ads myself, but I think that would eliminate half the Web.

Comments

Good thing the editors don't read the stories

[damn_registrars]

If the editors read the stories before posting them, they would have realized that the last item on the list describes the most recent slashdot initiatives...

Re:Good thing the editors don't read the stories

[PopeRatzo]

There's more to this, though, I think. We're going to be hearing a lot more about how "websites don't need to be made any more" and how it's not the presence of individuals on the web that really adds value.

There are very rich and very powerful forces that would like the Internet to become nothing but a commercial vehicle for the largest corporations. We're going to hear about how there's really no value in somebody making "another blog" and we're going to hear a lot of aspersions cast upon people who put up content without it being connected to business. Oh, certain big blogs are OK, because they drive eyeballs, carry advertisement and push opinions. Gizmodo: good. - Wired.com: good - Wikileaks: very bad

Re:Good thing the editors don't read the stories

[syousef]

There's more to this, though, I think. We're going to be hearing a lot more about how "websites don't need to be made any more" and how it's not the presence of individuals on the web that really adds value.

There are very rich and very powerful forces that would like the Internet to become nothing but a commercial vehicle for the largest corporations. We're going to hear about how there's really no value in somebody making "another blog" and we're going to hear a lot of aspersions cast upon people who put up content without it being connected to business. Oh, certain big blogs are OK, because they drive eyeballs, carry advertisement and push opinions. Gizmodo: good. - Wired.com: good - Wikileaks: very bad

That's easily countered. You just come back with 8 articles that don't need to be written anymore.

Re:Good thing the editors don't read the stories

[laddiebuck]

They've already taken down geocities, lycos, angelfire, whatever. People used to make sites and put their own content up. Today they don't seem to anymore, and I think the web is poorer for it. Luckily, I had recursively downloaded a couple of sites that had valuable info for myself, and archive.org has some, but the shift on all fronts (ditto usenet or forums) is towards fewer and bigger sites run by corporations instead of more, smaller sites run by individuals.

Re:Ummm. . .

[DeadJesusRodeo]

It's a moron from Digg - this guys crap get's on it all the time.

I know one more

[roman_mir]

Does anyone else have this problem with /., when you push the 'reply' it shows the page with the text area that is one quarter of the width of the page? I am too lazy to check the CSS, but is this happening for everyone here right now, or is it settings dependent and on case by case basis? /. - we don't really need more /. One is enough for everyone.

Re:I know one more

[maxume]

It is a feature of idle.

Idle seems to be a marketing initiative that the editors resent, but they seem to be required to post to it.

Re:I know one more

[corbettw]

I think it's just a problem with the CSS on Idle. If you remove "idle." from the URL it uses the default CSS, and everything looks normal again. Almost annoying enough to see if there's a Greasemonkey script to replace the Idle CSS with normal CSS on the fly.

Re:"the cloud"

[MrEricSir]

Are you kidding? Cloud computing can synergize your enterprise assets!

Wait a minute

[$RANDOMLUSER]

but I think that would eliminate half the web.

You say that like that's a bad thing.

Re:Wait a minute

[Minwee]

but I think that would eliminate half the web.

You say that like that's a bad thing.

I think the correct phrase is "but that would eliminate _only_ half the web".

Let me add #9

[maxwell demon]

Web sites which consist of a list of the top n things the author thinks are good, bad, useful, useless or whatever.

2 articles that don't need to be posted anymore

[Rotten]

1) "top 8 things" style articles
2) articles about apple loosing stuff

#4 Registering for an account

[Stiletto]

#4 hits it out of the park. STOP making me register for your site! I already have hundreds of passwords--I don't need to remember another one from your crappy web site!

Re:#4 Registering for an account

[vbraga]

Isn't OpenID a viable solutions? It seems to work for StackOverflow.

Re:#4 Registering for an account

[AndrewNeo]

There is another alternative. It's called OpenID, and it works great. Sites just need to implement it.

Re:Regarding #4

[Farmer Tim]

I don't know about you, but the more "sticky" a web site is the less inclined I am to give them my email address...

Facebook instead ???

[hey]

So there is no need to make signup because Facebook connect can do it.
No need for a another status update side because Facebook can do it.
No need for a "next facebook" because Facebook can do it.
Wrong!

Facebook is far from perfect. We should totally work on replacements.

Re:"the cloud"

[roman_mir]

but can it utilize revolutionary interfaces to productize cross-media e-services to mesh extensible niches which helps to incubate end-to-end communities and to drive sticky functionalities while scaling collaborative systems in an effort to monetize open-source convergence?

We are all about transitioning value-added web-readiness here.

My favorites...

[Lumpy]

Website that make you log in to even view things.. WTF is that? A members only club that anyone can be a part of? You know how many of those sites have bugmenot logins? your site is a failure, stop being a power freak, You wont get my real email address anyways...

A Website with those damned popups when you roll over a word... OMFG! I want to physically harm the guy that runs that site that has those.

Sound of ANY KIND.. a pop up of your ugly face talking to me in flash? I dont think so. It's not neat, its not cool. It's dumb and makes me want to never go to your site again.

Funny site...

[Arkham]

I'm sure I've been living in a hole, but that site has some seriously funny stuff on it. Examples that made me actually laugh out loud:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/facebook_suck

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell

Dating?

[ktappe]

I'd add dating sites

Let me guess...you're married? Funny how as soon as one person's needs are met, they no longer see a need for anyone else to have access to services that would supply them similarly.

Re:Dating?

[ChefInnocent]

I think you missed the point. He's saying there is not a need for more dating sites. I was reading the other day that there is one for Apple fans. Why do we need a dating site that caters to Apple fans? Couldn't one just list it in the "looking for" box of plentyofish, Yahoo! Singles, Craigs List, or any one of the many other dating sites that already exist? When I was looking through the dating sites, I would have preferred fewer sites so I know where to look rather than having to register for 20 sites.

Same thing with social networks. If I want to join one to keep up with someone, I don't want to have to register with 20 different flavors of social network sites. With regards to the news sites, it would be awesome if they all used the same login; didn't requirement to use different password rules or pick a new id because I can't remember my old password or someone else has my id.

The point of the article wasn't to say these sites shouldn't exist, but there are just simply too many doing the same thing, and we don't need any more of X type.

OpenID

[tepples]

I have a Launchpad account, which I use as my identifier on a few sites that take OpenID. But one problem in practice with OpenID is that a lot of web sites are OpenID providers (sites that issue identifiers to users) but not as many are relying parties (sites that accept other providers' identifiers). And what prevents a spammer from setting up an OpenID provider and generating an unbounded number of plausible identities?

Cloudy since the mainframe days

[tepples]

Really? In the 1980s I could call up any number of virtual servers on the fly for a few dollars per month?

Cloud computing in the sense of buying time on a time-sharing computer system has been around since the mainframe days. Cloud computing in the sense of relying on an application service provider has also been around since the mainframe days.

Re:Cloudy since the mainframe days

[Sir_Lewk]

No, his answer is "Yes". Read his post again, but this time remember to turn on your brain and interpret the words he says.

The only thing that has changed is the cost and payment method, something that has always changed and does not warrant a new buzzword.

Re:#1 On That list

[narcc]

The people with six-digit id's are greater in number. Someday, we will rise up and toss-off the shackles of oppression and servitude!

You'll be the first with your back against the wall when the revolution comes.

"Article" writer is an Idiot

[vlueboy]

1. Update sites
2. Sharing sites
3. Digg / Reddit clones
4. Forced Registration sites
5. Social Media sites
6. Facebook clones
7. Flash sites
8. Web 2.0 sites

1,2,3, 5, 6 and 8 are almost the same, and sadly, all here to stay. Business processes ($$$) that weren't moving the web 20 years ago will guarantee it. Pandora's box, people.

I really expected a historical article about sites that are no longer, um, "socially vital" and have silently and mysteriously disappeared from the public eye.

Here's better candidates: "Shrine" sites with old midi's and gifs (we have blogs now). Ring sites linking each other so you don't need to search to find related interests. Sites with downloads of quirky icon sets and mouse pointers.

Sites that *should* also die because they're less usefull than those the TFA discusses: Perpetual domain parkers and typo squatters. Fake sites fishing for webcrawlers to point to thousands of other links, having no content themselves and adding noise to my searches. And I say to myself... "Good luck with THAT."

Re:"the cloud"

[R3d M3rcury]

"Visualize Open-Source Users"
*shudder*

Re:"the cloud"

[Thanshin]

but can it utilize revolutionary interfaces to productize cross-media e-services to mesh extensible niches which helps to incubate end-to-end communities and to drive sticky functionalities while scaling collaborative systems in an effort to monetize open-source convergence?

We are all about transitioning value-added web-readiness here.

A challenge!

My new mission is to use each and every word in that post, during a meeting, before next friday.