In this post, I divide three sites into the categories “good”, “bad”, and “ugly. I thought it would be interesting to talk about social media sites in particular.

The Good-Reddit

Reddit is a social media site that is divided into “subreddits”, which act as forums. Any user can create a subreddit on endless subjects and the topics range from animals, woodworking, video games, skincare, and beyond. The site has an option for users to choose the new and old site layouts. Subreddit moderators can input their own personal design, customizing the header and sidebar links. The sidebar is always on the right of the page and often has useful links to posts.

Reddit has a vast amount of information on endless topics as well as a great source of entertainment. One can learn how to properly care for a rabbit, treat acne, build a shelf, knit a scarf, master a fighting video game, and much more. Because of how large a site it is, Reddit proves to be both informative and fun. The simple layout is easy to use and navigate. It’s difficult to feel bored when browsing Reddit.

I recommend Reddit for anyone due to the division of topics by subreddit. One of Reddit’s greatest strengths is how the subreddits keep everything organized. Another great point about Reddit is how informed the users are about different areas and these are often linked in the sidebar of a subreddit. Even without an account, you can find something fun like a zoo animal post or informative like a step by step skincare routine. It’s easy to find your interests and hobbies discussed in-depth on Reddit than the next two sites I will discuss.

The Bad-Tumblr

Tumblr.com is a blogging site where users can make text, photo, audio, and video posts on their own site with the domain username.tumblr.com. A Tumblr user can customize their blog with templates. One scrolls through the dashboard of users they follow to see posts. In additional to blogging functions, Tumblr also has social aspects. Users can message other as well as send them asks and submissions. Posts can be tagged and the tags as well as the content within the post can be searched for. The search function is one of the more ineffective features of the site.

The unfortunate aspects of Tumblr are with the functionality of the website. As many people like to use Tumblr as an online diary, they prefer their personal posts to not be searchable. But Tumblr changed their search algorithm so it will pick up matching words in the post even if the user did not tag them. This is also causing a problem as irrelevant posts can appear in a search result, such as looking for “cats” and finding all posts that contain the word “cats” in them. There is not advanced option for searching so many great posts are not often found.

Tumblr is a popular blogging site but it is not easy to find what you are looking for. Due to the poor search function, it is difficult to find relevant posts. The tags also pick up too many posts. I also have found the types of informative posts you can find on Reddit easily are not as common on Tumblr. I would recommend Tumblr to someone that vastly prefers the personal blogging format over a forum style site like Reddit.

The Ugly-Facebook

Facebook is an extremely popular social media site. Growing up, having a Facebook account was a must and to not engage on Facebook was considered odd. To give a brief overview, one signs up with their real name and friends people. Facebook Pages are for businesses and other interests. Pages that are liked and friends posts make up your Facebook dashboard. There are also Groups based on interests and locations. You can also use Facebook Messenger to write to friends as well as Pages. Facebook’s functionality is complicated and can be confusing as there are many privacy options and this is often changing.

What makes Facebook the “ugly” site for me firstly is the lack of variety. I enjoy spending my time on the internet browsing things I enjoy. While some Facebook pages are entertaining, most are there to sell products. The Facebook dashboard works similarly to the two previous sites where you can choose to let the site show you what the algorithm believes you want to see, or you can sort by date posted. But because you can easily have hundreds of friends and have liked dozens of Pages, information is easily lost and buried. Because Facebook is the most connected site to my real life, the missed information can become a critical issue. I did not know of the death of a friend until someone close to me called because the post was not appearing in my dashboard.

Facebook has ranked on the bottom of my list as it is not adequate for resources or for socializing. I prefer to socialize in person or through text. I believe relying on a site for your personal life is risky and Facebook is only giving the illusion of being connected. I would recommend Facebook only because it has become a social norm to have one. For finding resources and interesting information, other sites outperform it. For socializing, it is best find a mix of in-person and online activities.

In this post, I will two very fascinating sites in my opinion.

Hellogiggles.com

HelloGiggles is a site aimed at young women covering culture, social issues, fashion, beauty, self-esteem, and much more. The design is very appealing to its audience; the layout is white with touches of pastel pink and green. The header includes links to categories of articles and a drop down menu on the top left also covers the same links. A search bar is included to help you find older articles. The front page showcases recent articles in a variety of categories.

HelloGiggles is an interesting site to me because it covers a variety of topics that I find appealing. There are more “fluffy” articles about makeup and more serious articles about mental health. The lighthearted articles are relaxing to scroll through such as this one about a rabbit making the Guinness World Records for playing basketball. When I was studying psychology, I found the narrative pieces about the different aspects of mental disorders to be fascinating. HelloGiggles allows me to explore my interests in beauty and psychology in one site.

HelloGiggles is a site I would recommend to anyone with a dual interest in pop culture and psychology. The site is tackles fun and difficult topics well. Articles are easy to find with the categories and search bar. While the site is aimed at young women, others outside this demographic can find something interesting, especially in the personal essays on mental health. If this sounds appealing to you, check it out today.

Temptalia.com

Temptalia is a major beauty review blog founded by Christine Mielke in 2006. It aims to not only review cosmetics, but also to compare the colors and find similar products. It covers lip products, eyeshadow, foundation, and more. A product page will contain high quality photos, links to an overall review, a place for readers to review the product themselves, and links to swatches of each color, especially with eyeshadow. Readers can get more involved by registering, marking which products are their favorites, and sharing their makeup looks.

Temptalia is simply one of the best sites on beauty products. As someone who is especially fond of eyeshadow, Temptalia’s swatch section is fascinating. One can find many different products from different companies in a vast variety of colors. She also goes in-depth on the texture of each eyeshadow, how long each shadow wears on her, and how pigmented the product is. She has nearly every product photographed and reviewed from major cosmetic companies. As a makeup enthusiast, it’s fun to see what a company has produced in its lifespan. An example is the amount of food related products the cosmetic company Too Faced has come out with.

Temptalia is a must read for makeup lovers. It is simply fun to browser through collections of cosmetics. One of the most interesting things about is that it allows one to indulge in the collector aspect of makeup without having to break the bank. I am often interested in what a product looks like without any desire to buy it and this site fulfills that need. For anyone with an interest in makeup, Temptalia will not disappoint you.

In this post, I discuss two very different, but extremely valuable sites.

Askamanager.org

Ask a Manager was created by Alison Green, a former HR Manager for a non-profit. She gives advice to job seekers, employees, and employers. Readers can write in their questions and Alison will answer them either in a round up post done several times a week; or if the question requires a longer answer, it can get its own post. The search bar for the site is powered by Google and is accurate and reliable.  The layout is very simple but pleasing to look at with the header on top with links, and the sidebar on the right.

Ask a Manager is one of the most helpful websites I have ever discovered. Though nearly everyone needs to apply to jobs at some point in their lives, it is hard to find up to date information on the job process. Alison is a reliable source as she has worked in HR for many years. Another great aspect of the site is the comment section. The comment section is thriving-there are often hundreds of comments on each post and many veteran commenters are well established in their fields. An open thread for work and non-work discussion is published weekly.  There is a link to a free PDF on how to prepare for interviews which helped me land my first job out of college.

Ask a Manager is one of the best sites for job information. Alison covers a vast amount of topics and issues, from how to apply for a job, how to ask for a raise, how to deal with embarrassing work situations, and much more. This site is the first thing I show someone if they are having trouble with work. I highly recommend anyone, even if they are still in school or established in their job, to go through the site. The information there is truly valuable.

best4bunny.com

Best4Bunny is an informative site for rabbit owners. It offers articles on rabbit care, housing, diet, as well as an online shop. The layout is simple but appealing to its audience; there is a cute cartoon header of rabbits and easy to navigate links. The sidebar offers links to affiliate companies as well as their own online shop. A link to their blog leads you to recent posts on rabbit care.

As I have worked with rabbits through volunteering for over five years, I have learned that they are complex creatures. While they share some similarities to cats and dogs, they are their own animal and must be cared for as such. Best4Bunny fills the need for accurate information about rabbits. The articles are enjoyable to read and cover everything you need to know to properly care for your rabbit. You can quickly find the links to pick out the right rabbit for you, how they should be housed, what they should eat, and how to play with them.

Best4Bunny is one of the most accurate sites for rabbit owners. As I’ve previously stated, rabbits are unique and it can come as a shock to many about how they are to be properly raised. Best4Bunny covers rabbit care in an easy to understand way. Their shop can also help you in seeing how much a rabbit needs to live comfortably. I recommend this site for all rabbit owners and anyone interested in the mystique of rabbits.