Love them or hate them, top ten lists have become an extremely pervasive format for [tag-tec]blog[/tag-tec] posts in today’s online popularity contest known as blogging. Top ten lists seem to be a handy way to get traffic one’s blog though. Why is this? Is it because the reader sees the headline and thinks “Wow here’s a nice concise list of things I am interested in - AND its only ten! Sure I can read that before my ADD kicks in” ?

So here is my list of reasons to avoid top ten lists:

1. They’re bait - Top ten lists are a psychological tool bloggers use to attract traffic to their sites. To bloggers, traffic = increased readership = ad [tag-tec]revenue[/tag-tec]. So think twice before bookmarking that article on the “top ten ways to earn a paycheck by sitting on your ass” (unless you really really enjoy sitting on your ass.)

2. Its quantity over quality - Even though ten seems like a short, digestible, easy-to-follow number to a reader - to a blogger, ten can take a long time to reach when trying to squeeze good content out of noodley, idea-dry fingers. So usually after about three or four items in a top ten list, the content gets weak, less compelling and overall DUH in nature.

3. Love and hate - Often times a top ten list will go something like this … “Top ten things I love about … ” or “Top ten things I hate about … ”

Now love is cool. I get love. But hate? But do we really need more hate in our daily reading and bookmarking? C’mon people now. Smile on your brother. Everybody get together. Try to love one another right now.

4. Thin ice - Top ten lists can be dangerous. I recently stumbled upon a list called “[Top ten] Appliances to plug into one single overloaded outlet!” Really! You can’t make this stuff up.

5. Amateur writing - The art of top tenning should be left to professionals. A professional top ten list maker is someone who has been in the top ten composition business for a long time. I’m talkin’ decades. I’m talkin’ about David Letterman.

6. Where’d it go? - Content publishers (aka Bloggers) love to get their content on digg.com for the traffic. The social networking site digg.com is arguably the most popular social news site out there. If you find a top-ten list on the front page of [tag-tec]digg[/tag-tec], chances are there are a few thousand other readers trying to access that top-ten list as well. All that traffic will quickly bring down a bloggers $5/month cheapie webhost leaving you with no way to read about the “Top ten places to find your Remote Control!”

7. Passe - Top ten lists will eventually go the way of the dodo bird, tube socks and WHAM! Don’t get left behind holding a pile of bookmarks pointing at top-ten lists that promise you riches, smarts, dating success and overall happiness. They make pills to satisfy these human cravings. Consult your doctor.

8. Teasing - Sneaky bloggers like to leave you wanting more. So they will use a technique that saves them time by jotting down nine half-assed ideas and calling it SUBTLE HUMOR. Avoid male bloggers who claim to use subtle humor. Women mastered the art of subtlety millions of years ago.

9. You’ve seen it before - Chances are the [tag-tec]top ten[/tag-tec] list your are reading (except this one) is regurgitated content. What? You thought regurgitation was only for mama-birds feeding baby-birds? No sir. Bloggers thoroughly love having top-notch content that drives readers to their blog. The only thing they love even more is “borrowing” someone else’s content to use as their own. It saves them time and brain cells. It ties into the whole sitting-on-ass lifestyle mentioned in item #1.

10. Eleven - Everyone knows that the finite number TEN is so played out. Does anyone remember “These go to eleven”?