50states.com Clever Directory for US Information

One of the problems with Subject directories is that any directory structure is inherently subjective. Someone might think that your categories don't make sense, while they're perfectly sensible to you. One of the benefits of niche directories is that you don't have to make as many macro-level decisions about how you're going to divide up and categorize information.

I got to thinking about that when I visited 50states.com ( http://www.50states.com ). Instead of a clearinghouse of information on the 50 United States of America, I found instead a link directory that's organized in a manner that's almost ideally objective because of the niche it covers. Iowa links belong in Iowa. Wyoming links belong in Wyoming. No one is going to look for Kansas City links in Alaska, because the niche of this directory has a perfect infrastructure -- a listing of fifty states.

From the front page, choose a state (or a territory.) You'll be taken to a page that both supplies essential information about the state (capital city, area, population, etc.) but you'll also find links to a variety of other stuff -- economic information, political information, license plates, for crying out loud, weather, etc.

This is a great example of a site recognizing a perfect infrastructure and leveraging it by going beyond the standard expected information and providing all kinds of esoteric information. There's also separate sections for birds, flags, state songs --

(oh, shut up, Calishain. Is it worth a look or not?)

Yes it is.

Posted to Countries-United States