The Internet is filled with a great deal of useful information. Unfortunately, it also contains a number of websites that provide incorrect information or that exist solely as an attempt to strip money from those that are searching the Internet. Therefore, finding a valuable website that contains accurate and useful information can sometimes be a challenge.
About.com strives to help web surfers sort through the muck and find information, articles, and web sites that are beneficial. The site does this by employing hundreds of expert “Guides†that help steer site visitors in the right direction when researching specific topics. To date, the site has over 570 guides and new guides and new topics are being added on a regular basis.
The use of these expert guides combined with the massive amount of topics already covered by the site has earned the site well over 34 million visitors. It has also earned the site recognition as one of the top ten content sites on the Net.
More… About.com was started in 1996 and quickly gained user attention and respect. By combining elements of other popular content sites, such as AOL, MSN, CNET, and WebMD, the site was able to develop its own unique user-friendly formula. As a result, the site was purchased by The New York Times Company in March 2005, which is where the site remains today.
In order to provide site visitors with a meaningful and unique experience, About.com carefully screens those that will work as site Guides. Each of its Guides must meet certain criteria, including:
* Individual Expertise
* Supreme Dedication
* Highly Credentialed
* Rigorously Trained
* Award Winning
In essence, the site selects only the “cream of the crop†to work as one of its Guides. Each Guide must demonstrate their expertise in the subject area through their educational qualifications as well as their personal experiences and writing abilities. Since each Guide must demonstrate a supreme amount of dedication, only about 2% of those that begin the training process actually complete it.
Many of those employed as Guides with About.com are also nationally recognized experts in their fields or are nationally recognized authors. As a result, many of these Guides are sought online and off for their opinions and expertise in these areas. In addition, 20 of the guides on the site have been recognized by Forbes as “Best of Web,†with three being listed among the Forbes “Favorites.â€
Each of those selected as potential Guides must also undergo a rigorous training program. Not only does this program help to hone their writing skills, it also teaches them how to hold the interest of their audience as well as how to maintain the content of their subject in the best manner possible.
As a result of this rigorous training and the dedication of the management and Guides on About.com, the site has received numerous accolades. It has also grown the point that it offers 1.5 million pieces of original content to its readers as well as 22 different channels. The site currently offers pieces spanning an amazing 57,000 different topics and more than 3,000 new pieces of information are added to the site every week.
The expertise of the Guides has also turned the About.com community into one that is well-trusted and looked toward when surfing the Internet for valuable and useful information. It is also ideal for businesses looking for a place on the Internet where they can surround their brand with relevant information that will help bring new visitors to their sites. As a result, it is a win-win formula for everyone involved with the site.
