By Ron VandenBoom
As I mentioned last week, I thought Id spend this week going over some of the top 100 websites as reported by www.100hot.com.
This week Im concentrating my efforts on the bottom half of the top 100. This doesnt mean they are any less enjoyable than the top of the list, because just to make the list is a monumental accomplishment.
Remember, too, that the list changes every week and this is just one of many lists you can find on the Internet.
First on the list this week is #68 at www.homepage.com a site that is typical of many today that offer surfers a chance to build a free home page. I dont know yet how sites can offer to host a free website without some kind of a gimmick to pay the bills. Its not the difficulty related to building the page or the fact that someone is willing to do it, its what is unseen that bothers me.
Regardless of my concerns, take a moment and check it out, and if anyone figures out how theyre making money on this one, let me know.
Coming in right behind Homepage.com at #69 this week is www.mp3.com.
As most surfers already know, MP3.Com is the leading site for MP3 downloads in the nation and possibly the world.
These are not pirate MP3s, but legitimate recordings from already popular acts who choose to post their material on the Internet, or yet unknown acts that hope Internet exposure will launch their careers.
This is a site worth your time if you like music. All genres of music are here from country to hip-hop and downloading takes only about 10-12 minutes.
I reviewed this site once before in one of my columns, so I wont say anything more right now than check it out.
At #79 this week is www.winamp.com. Winamp.com is a high-fidelity audio music player that will play MP3 and other formats on Windows 98/95 or NT operating systems.
There are many players available for download on the Internet and most people who enjoy music will have at least two on their desktops.
Is Winamp better than the others. I wouldnt hazard a guess. Real Audio Jukebox is a fine player and so is Winamp. The best I can tell you is check them out for yourself and use the one you like best.
Sitting at #74 this week is www.about.com. About.com is a site where just about anyone can find something useful. You can choose from any of the of the categories and just cruise the list or type in a search word and check out the suggestions.
What I like best about the site is that the staff has already done the leg-work for you and all you need to do is reap the benefits.
Dont miss checking this one out. I did and I use it.
Number 83 on the hot 100 list is www.askjeeves.com a site of unquestioned depth and brilliance. Well maybe not brilliance, but its certainly fun.
The site is exactly what it says it is ask Jeeves. Have a question, type it in and wait for a reply. Its that simple. The site must have a database thats incredible.
It wont always provide a simple and exact answer that depends on the question, but it will refer you to websites that can provide the answer. Its fun, simple, and perfect for the student who hates working with complex search engines that give you thousands of hits, but never the right one.
Some testing will show that Jeeves does not live in a perfect world, but he could still be a real help on those homework assignments. The 100 hottest Websites also lists the top 100 jokes of the week, the top 100 celebrities for the week, and the top 100 sites in categories like entertainment, shopping, and technology.
