You can’t really call about.com a search engine/directory because it’s not one in the traditional sense. What it is, is a huge portal of information managed and indexed by real people and updated regularly.
Because real people maintain the pages, all of the links and searches on subjects are relevant. Unfortunately because it is indexed by people, there can be a great deal of difference in the quality of the information on subjects, some very informative and others not so good, I’m afraid.
One benefit of using this portal is that you don’t get lots of useless information if you are doing a search.
If you want to find out about film stars then the pages and articles will be about film stars, not about pop stars or the solar system which some search engine results might bring back. If you want to find out something about a specific subject or topic, then a visit to about.com is as good a place to start as any.
Just about every conceivable subject is covered in some way, from popular subjects to some quite obscure pastimes/hobbies.
There are 36 major categories, plus chats and forums for loads of the major and sub-categories. Some of the major categories include Arts and Humanities - Anyone interested in writing of any kind should look here for information and links to other interesting sites for writers.The freelance pages contain good links to paying jobs, and articles for both the experienced and amateur writer.
Other sections and subjects include - Movies, Money, Teens, Hobbies, Health – just about every type of health topic, treatment or illness is covered- Small Business and loads more. These are all divided into sub categories; at the moment there are over 700 different sub categories, covering everything from learning HTML, to tips about home decorating. Each of these sub categories has web pages where articles and information about the subjects can be found.
The people, who maintain these pages have an interest in the given subject, most are experts, as are the people who write the articles that appear onsite. All the pages I’ve visited have links to other websites about the same subject, or websites that are related in some way to the topic being covered.
The site is easy to navigate as it’s laid out pretty well, and the vast majority of the links to other sites are current, although I have come across one or two that haven’t been. The pages load really quickly as there are very few advertising banners, or graphics on the about.com pages.
If you have a hobby or pastime, or are doing research on a subject I’m sure it will be covered here and I’m sure you will find some information that will interest you.
It would also be a great place to go if you are looking to take up a hobby, but don’t know where, or how, to go about getting started. I’d recommend this site to anyone, whether you are researching a subject, or just wanting to find out about your favourite film star.
This site will cover it.
It’s very informative and interesting too.