Pointless Sites

What it is

Pointless Sites is a directory of useless websites that says it has been running since 2002, and looks it, in the best way: a purple header, a sidebar, a beige column, and a house policy it states up front. The site lists only pages that are, in its own words, completely pointless, original, free of pop-up ads, not offensive and make you smile. Family-friendly fun, as it says, with a deep archive behind it.

How to play

Start with the new-today list on the front page, twenty or so fresh links with a one-line description each. Then try the trending top forty in the sidebar, which visitors vote into place, or the three random picks that change daily. The category menu, the A-to-Z list and the search box cover the archive. Vote for the ones you like with a click, every day if you like, and submit a site you think belongs.

What makes it different

Age and consistency. It was collecting this stuff before most of the current directories existed, and the house rules keep the list clean: no pop-ups, no offensive pages, nothing that is not actually useless. The vote-driven top forty is a genuine barometer of what the pointless-web crowd is enjoying this month, and the descriptions are short enough to read fifty in a sitting.

Why it is on Bored

Yes, it is a fellow directory, and it is the elder of the genre, with an archive going back to 2002 and house rules that keep out pop-ups, offensive pages and anything that turns out to be useful. Twenty or so fresh links a day with one-line descriptions means a visit can be two minutes or a whole lunch break. When our own catalog runs dry, this is where we go too.

Tips

• Read the new-today list first, it is the freshest part of the site
• The most unpopular site box is more fun than it sounds
• Use the exclude-Flash option if old links keep failing
• Vote, the top forty is only as good as the people clicking

FAQ