Content Consumption By The Numbers

20 Crazy Santa Claus Photos
19 Snacky Foods
18 LOL Memes
17 Unselfish Selfies
16 Inexpensive Gifts
15 Best Movie Lines
14 Victoria Secret Lingerie Models
...
You get the picture.  Lately, web pages are filled with numbers with eye catching graphics and compelling subject lines that want us to click page after page to get to the number one reason. It is the success of David Letterman's Top Ten List that has been reworked for the web.  And the bottom line, more pages consumed, more time spent with the website, and more ad impressions. 

And who is doing this "content by the numbers" game well?  Almost everyone these days.  From Buzzfeed to Huffington Post, you can catch articles like "17 Santa Claus Photos That Make Your Skin Crawl" to "11 Things You've Always Wanted To Know About Lesbian Sex But Were Afraid To Ask".  From unusual to titillating, these headlines keep our fingers clicking on the pages, with photos, videos and articles to view, as well as display ads, pre-rolls, pop-overs and pop-unders, and everything inbetween.  It seems we are caught up in top 10 or whatever number suits your fancy.  So have fun clicking.  Me, I'm off to Business Insider to learn about "23 Spin-Off TV Shows That Totally Bombed".