If you have… then you’ll know what I’m talking about.

While I have no problems with Countdowns or Top Ten Lists… the folks over at CANOE seem to have this strange affection for numbered lists.  Yep… numbers upon numbers upon numbers.

Today’s front page alone shows how much they love their numbers…

“10 most famous battlefields”
“10 places famous for death”
“10 worst hells on earth”
“8 trips that make you smarter”
“5 ways to deal with a bad boss”
“6 ways to turn off employers”
“7 things employers should do”
“9 tips to avoid the axe”
“5 true nightmare dates”
“11 who play by their own rules”
“22 biggest crises in Canadian history”

Does any of this really matter?  Does Quebecor have so many experts in their operation that they’re bursting at the seams with knowledge and feel compelled to order what they know in to numbered lists?

Now, I take this shot at CANOE in a loving way.  Out of all the national online portals, it is my favourite.  Canada.com is incredibly difficult to navigate… CBC.ca is a hodge-podge mess… The Globe and Mail is a solid online newspaper, but it doesn’t offer the sticky gooey entertainment goodness of the Sun papers.

Using poorly created content (which I’m guessing is imported from somewhere else) to fill space is just wrong.  And it takes away from my enjoyment of the CANOE.

Why use numbered lists to fill space when you could be creating more rich and useful content?

Here’s hoping someone over there will reconsider…

+J