Windows 7: Competition

So I had this rocket science idea that I would throw this competition where we would narrow down and vote for the best Windows 7 site out there.

Even though we have a Windows 7 site as well, we thought it would be a nice idea to draw attention to the best Windows 7 sites out there and start to (try and) build a sense of community.

The idea of drawing some traffic in to the site was a nice benefit too (mea culpa).

Anyway, I went to the trouble of doing the research, finding the judges (thank you again judges) and asking for initial suggestions from members of the public.

Well, the suggestions came streaming in and soon we were off to the races and had this rock star contest going.

Without naming names, it was brought to my attention that certain sites (they know who they are) had members trying to game the Polldaddy poll. Even though I put in IP blockiing and Cookie blocking, it became obvious that these sites were cheating.

I reset the poll once but the behavior continued and I had no other choice: I had to cancel the contest.

To be clear, it seemed like this was member activity and not activity solicited by the webmasters themselves.

No sanctimonious lecture from me though. People are people and it's harder to control a worldwide audience than we thought. Damn techies! :-)

Anyway, since there is no official contest, (and I don't have to give out money or prizes anymore) I am free to name my choices for the 5 best Windows 7 sites.

I have been reading about Windows 7 since Microsoft started talking about it and have visited ALL of the major Windows 7 sites out there.

Here are my 5 favorite Windows 7 sites.

Click on the each little site graphic to get a site preview.

Windows7update.com

Hey, come on, you know we were going to talk about ourselves.

My scrappy site takes the long view and seeks to be a one stop shop for all things Windows 7.

From basic Windows 7 stuff to Enterprise Windows 7 software and hardware, Windows7update.com rocks.

Not just a day by day Windows 7 updates site but more of a "here's what you really need to know about Windows 7 at the end of the day" site.

Run by Onuora Amobi.

 

Windows7news.com

This Windows 7 juggernaut is run jointly by Everton Blair and Martin Brinkmann in Europe (London and Germany respectively). By far the biggest Windows 7 site and these guys are working on a Windows 8 site to boot.

The site is timely and informative. Design has gotten cleaner and load times are much faster since a recent infrastructure upgrade. They continue to add writers and have a massive and mature audience. A must read in the Windows 7 space.

 

Windows7center.com

A clean looking blog with lots of updates as well.

It's run by the admin called Al.

This site is also informative and timely but has an extremely active and animated audience. Seems to be a high traffic and lively blog and I definitely like the amount of news and updates they provide about Windows 7.

 

Istartedsomething.com

Not exclusively a Windows 7 site but rather a Microsoft and tech site, this is one of my favorite websites. Something very calming about the green template and the simple looking blog theme.

Run by Long Zheng, this site is a perfect combination of humor, tech and tech news.

Long also has a great sense of humor (read his about page) but the blog is very impressive. Another one to watch.

 

Maximumpcguides.com

A very straight forward site, this is run by Brent Trahan.

The stated goal of the site is "to help you get the most out of your PC". It is incredibly granular and has a lot of useful information "guides" about Windows 7.

 

Please take some time and visit these sites and help build the Windows 7 community.

I would love to get your feedback about these choices..

Let me know what you think...

Onuora

Do you think these 5 sites embody the best and brightest Windows 7 sites out there?

I'd love to get your opinion about this. Share it with the world...

Enter your comment title

Fill out the rest of the details... [ ? ]

Close Help Just type and tell me why you agree or disagree.. Your entry will appear on a Web page exactly the way you enter it here. You can wrap a word in square brackets to make it appear bold. For example [my story] would show as my story on the Web page containing your story.

Upload 1-4 Pictures or Graphics (optional) [ ? ]

Close Help Do you have a picture to add? Great! Click the button and find it on your computer. Then select it.

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Click here to upload more images (optional)

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Add a Picture/Graphic Caption (optional) 

Author Information (optional)

To receive credit as the author, enter your information below.

Your Name	(first or full name)
Your Location	(ex. City, State, Country)

Submit Your Contribution

Check box to agree to these submission guidelines.

(You can preview and edit on the next page)

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...