25 Great “Best Of” Lists from 2010

Happy New Year to you all! As we all start to settle in to 2011, what better way than to enjoy the best of last year’s wealth of goodness on the Web.

Here are 25 list posts to highlight the best of 2010 and to help propel you into 2011.

Here’s to a great year ahead!

photo by jaxxon

General

1. BBC – Most read stories of 2010
2010 started with a lot of snow and ended much the same way. Oh yes, and if you looked carefully, you may have spotted some student protests somewhere in between.

2. Wall Street Journal – Words of the Year 2010
Be it ‘iPad’ or ‘Eyjafjallajökull’, some words suddenly grew in popularity.

3. Top 10 Harvard Business Review posts 2010
You don’t need to wait until you graduate to think about business issues. Many tips are just as relevant now.

4. Guardian’s most read business stories for 2010
Speaking of business, here’s what people have been reading (and photos they’ve been viewing) over at The Guardian.

5. The Best of Open Culture in 2010
So much to discover. Varied and entertaining stuff.

6. Essential Zen Habits of 2010
More calm win.

Students, Learning & Productivity

7. Freelance Students: 10 most popular posts of 2010
Judging by the list, a lot of students are looking for CV, career & graduate advice.

8. Her Campus Top 10 Articles in 2010
Fashion, social life & careers take the top spots on Her Campus.

9. Top 10 Most Inspiring Graduation Speeches Of All Time
Famous people pumping new graduates full of inspiration for the future.

10. Lifehack – 100 Best Lifehacks of 2010 (Year in review)
Covering personal growth, productivity, lifestyle, relationships, creativity and more. As always, Lifehack delivers plenty.

11. Best Critical Thinking Posts in 2010
These critical thinking posts are great. Don’t consider that, just take my word…

12. Top 10 student insights from 2010 to use in 2011
From potential student to job-seeking graduate, what are the trends for 2011?

Social Media, E-Learning & Tech

13. Jane Hart’s Top Social Media & Learning Links for 2010
A wide range of hand-picked links around the Web on social learning. Sorted by month.

14. Tweet Smarter – Most important social media events of 2010
A brief infographic of all the big online landmarks last year.

15. Best of Twittercism 2010
I like Twitter. If you do too, don’t miss Twittercism’s best.

16. e-Learning Stuff – Top 10 posts of 2010
James Clay presents the most popular learning and technology posts on his site.

17. MakeUseOf’s 10 most popular posts of the year
MakeUseOf give the lowdown on Internet and tech goodies you’ll want in your life.

18. Rapid E-Learning: Favourite posts of 2010
Aimed more at creating e-learning courses. However, there are some good presentation tips here, as well as creative guidance.

19. Chronicle – Most popular education technology articles of 2010
If articles weren’t enough, Chronicle even highlight their most popular podcasts. Spoiling us, really.

20. Top 113 eLearning posts & 28 hottest topics for 2010
Whether you’re a student, a tutor, or just interested in learning, there’s an almost overwhelming amount of information here.

Creativity & Personal Development

21. Angela Maiers’ Top Posts for 2010
Angela Maiers gives much focus to childhood learning and development on her blog. But don’t be fooled; there’s a great deal of relevant insight in what Maiers says, no matter what level of learning you’re at.

22. Best of Lateral Action in 2010
Time to get creative!

23. A Daring Adventure – 10 best self-development posts of 2010
If you’re gonna do it yourself, it’s good to get some help…

24. Penelope Trunk’s most popular posts of 2010
Happiness, anger, liking, hating. Something for everyone!

25. Charade: Make Your Life Amazing
Not a ‘best of 2010’ post, but a brilliant way to end this list of lists. Megan has put together a set of articles on how to make your year a great one.

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If you have found any other ‘best of’ lists for last year, share the wealth and let us know in the comments!

photo by Mooi

Why blogging is no popularity contest

Is blogging really on the decline?

More importantly, does a decline in blogging matter?

Blogging Tips examined data from a study by Pew Internet that found very few people blogging themselves and fewer than half of respondents saying they read blogs.

But a blog is just a type of website. Past surveys have discovered that some people who say they’ve never read a blog don’t realise when they are. After all, it’s just surfing the web and finding content that you like.

And I’m fine with that. Definitions don’t matter. Neither does the popularity. A blog is a published part of you and an opportunity to shine.

Writing – photo by JohnONolan

What if nobody else is doing it? The main question to ask is: “Am I making or can I make good use of my time and resources by publishing my content online?”

If the answer is ‘yes’, it doesn’t matter how many other people are doing it. You can still make good use of things, so go ahead and be brilliant.

A blog is a way of building up a portfolio. You don’t even need loads of readers and traffic. Once you’ve written something, you have achieved something. There are all sorts of ways you can flag up those achievements.

Before I started writing on TheUniversityBlog, I didn’t have a huge portfolio of writing on higher education matters. I hadn’t started publishing advice for students.

Fast forward three years and now I have an archive of articles for all to see. I did it in my own time and in my own way. Not only is this portfolio now visible, it also demonstrates my genuine interest in a particular field.

Before I went to university myself, I was interested in higher education. That interest has never gone away. It only grows. Yet before I started this site, got tweeting, and generally took things public, I was never able to show the true extent of what’s important to me.

Anyone can say they are passionate about a subject. Anyone can feign interest in a topic. But not everyone can highlight a growing example of work as a clear indicator that they care and know what they’re talking about.

You’re not just blogging…

You’re writing. You’re communicating. You’re creating.

In the film Julie & Julia, office worker Julie starts a blog and it becomes a hit. In less than a year, the character is getting offers of book deals, TV shows and the like. In response to her surprise success, Julie tells her husband, “I’m going to be a writer!”

Julie’s husband replies, “You ARE a writer!”

And that really is the point. Even if blogging declined until you were the only person doing it, the decline would be irrelevant.

Do stuff because it works for you; not just because it’s popular.

EduLinks – Thinking, Fees and Festivities

A ‘not as chatty as usual’ EduLinks. Prefer it short and simple, or do you miss my accompanying ramble? Tell me what you think!

Scott Young ponders permanent incubation and lifelong learning.

Kelly Page gives many reasons why students should get blogging. Good, clear advice.

When a to-do list isn’t your thing, the ‘Autofocus Productivity Method‘ may be your answer.

Get even more done with these 8 habits of highly productive people.

New site, FeelGooder, helps you leverage your passions to bypass entry level jobs.

Doing some group work? Critical Thinkers examines how to avoid ‘GroupThink’ and do things more effectively.

Leo Babauta of Zen Habits is interviewed by Stanley Lee, where they discuss lifestyle, freeganism and consumerism.

Just before yesterday’s vote on higher tuition fees, a new site appeared, called factsonfees.com. Responses came pretty quickly. There’s the facts on facts on fees, as well as the ‘REAL Facts on Fees‘. BBC also has a Q&A on university funding.

CV writing doesn’t have to be conventional. Is it time to start writing your future?

Finally, while it’s not quite Christmas yet, I hope you enjoy this bizarre wooness (via Derek Baird):

How fonts help (and hinder) your writing

Your academic outfit is a big deal. Every element related to learning impacts upon you in some way:

Time of day;
Location;
Lighting;
Output method (pen & paper, laptop, etc.);
Ambient sound;
Music (or lack of);
Disturbances;
Company;
And so on.

I give my study setup a lot of consideration and have always been aware of how my attitude changes, depending on my circumstances.

It seems that I overlooked one important element that alters perspective on productivity…Fonts.

photo by vial3tt3r

Fonts, the styles of writing you see on screen and on the printed page, are not only useful for layout and pretty structure. They have another special power.

Your workflow and approach changes greatly depending on the font you use on screen. Fonts bring a new dimension to your writing.

This all came about when I read about the different printing costs between different fonts. The most efficient font is apparently Century Gothic. And, as Ampercent mentions, “The more pleasing a font looks at the screen, the less tempted someone will be to print it. This will save both ink and paper”.

In which case, you should be able to take the logic further to aid study.

When reading, different fonts alter effectiveness and motivation, leading the reader to believe something is more difficult than it really is.

Therefore, your own engagement with text as you type probably makes an impact.

The more pleasing a font looks on screen, you’d hope it would help your own output too. As you type, you watch the text appear on screen. You’re engaging with the text. You’re creating.

Until recently, I didn’t try using different fonts to see if they made a difference to my writing. But once I changed font to Century Gothic for printing purposes, I noticed a change in how I viewed the text.

After some (still ongoing) experimentation with different fonts, I found that my workflow changed. Sometimes I wanted to write more and more and more and…

Depending on the typeface, the text suddenly let me open up further with ease. Even on work that I considered complete. Quite an eye opener.

I’m amazed I didn’t pay much attention to font use for productivity in the past. It’s not like I’ve ignored fonts. Yet I didn’t ever think far enough to imagine a simple change of font could noticeably change my relationship with the text on screen. Neither did I think certain fonts would let me tap away at the keyboard and enjoy the writing process more.

If you haven’t got enough fonts, or want to experiment with a wider range, a good place to start is Addictive Fonts. The site showcases all sorts, including:

That should be plenty to be getting on with. I’m sure that the most effective fonts differ from person to person, so find out what works best for you and enjoy!

I’m curious. How affected are you by fonts?