Since end-of-year top-ten lists are so de rigueur, I figured I would mail it in with an easy one, and spice it up with an eleventh item. Here are my top eleven favorite websites of 2006…no particular thread that ties them together, other than the fact that I read/visit/use/check them almost daily and would be sad if I couldn’t or didn’t.

  1. Bloglines - This is where it all comes together. I know there are other RSS readers out there, but I am pretty deeply entrenched with Bloglines and have no real compelling reasons to leave. If you are NOT someone who users an RSS aggregator, I suggest you start right away. There is no better way to consume daily content on the web.
  2. MySpace - I am sure that MySpace is teetering on the cusp of uncoolness, but it still is the undisputed king of the social web right now, and it is a daily part of my online life.
  3. Google - How can this not make the list? What other site is more a part of every web user’s life than Google. I search easily 50 times per day on average.
  4. Yelp - This is a new one for me in 2006. It is my go-to for all restaurant reviews, and is a well done, well laid out, easy to use, and fun community review site for almost anything you can think of, that involves eating and fun in your city.
  5. Last.fm - I put on Last.fm each morning at 9, and run it until I leave each evening at 6.
  6. PaidContent - Simple, straightforward, relevant to my professional life, and niche enough and broad enough at the same time.
  7. Universal Hub - Universal hub is the best local news filter around. I can easily digest all of the things that are going on in and around Boston, not all of which will and do make the newspapers.
  8. Gawker Network - Gawker just brings it. Deadspin, Valleywag, Fleshbot, Gawker proper. Always snarky, always well written.
  9. WormtownNightlife.com - I recently parted ways with this site after creating it some 5+ years ago, but old habits die hard. I still pop in and see what’s going on every day.
  10. Boston Police Blog - Some blogs are complete pointless wastes of time, and others actually serve a purpose and present relevant information in a meaningful way, that is typically hard to find or access. This is the latter.
  11. Flickr - Why would anyone bother with any other photo sharing or photo organization sites?

And there ya have it. Beyond that top 11 list, some blogger friends who also deserve some props (in no particular order) are:

Amy
Pete
Linnea
Buck
John
Noah
Duncan
Sooz
Kareem
Eric
Jonathan

Happy 2007.

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