Maybe its me but there seems to be an increase in the use of Lists in both inside and outside of the work place. Social Media is full of them such as:

• 14 Reasons to like….
• 6 things you didn’t know about…..
• 50 ways to…..

Businesses are also using this format internally to publish key information to their employees.

Lists (known as Listicles) are everywhere and ever popular as a way of getting information across to an audience. Listicles have been used for a long time in Magazines and now very common in all forms of media.

In journalism and blogging, a listicle is a short-form of writing that uses a list as its thematic structure, but is fleshed out with sufficient copy to be published as an article.

– Wikipedia

Why are they so popular?

• They get a message across in the title
• Quickly distil information
• Popular form of getting the message across
• Quick to read
• Easy to write (no additional context needed)
• Attract readers

So are there any dangers to lists? Readers are drawn into lists on Social Media which have been published with the sole reason of filling your screen with adverts. Known as Clickbait. We are so use to seeing lists and utilising them that we often click to read with no thought about where the link is taking us to.

There is some good advice on list writing that is often in the form of another list. The main key to a good list is the topic and the content.

Like them or hate them, lists have been around for a long time and will still be here for around for the foreseeable future.