Helium will never become the next Wikipedia, not because it lacks quality articles, but because it is not a visually appealing source of information. Unlike sites such as Wikipedia, About.Com, e-How or HubPages, Helium articles do not have the capacity to ad visuals, graphics, or even links. This makes Helium look like a very amateurish website, even to those who actually take long enough to read the articles.

26 Seconds

Even though you shouldn't always judge a book by its cover, visual appeal is vital for a thriving web site to have any chance at survival. The Internet is the world's largest library, with thousands of new "books" added every day. You really need your "book" to stand out from the crowd in order to grab the majority of web surfers' attention. Helium, as of this writing (July 21, 2008) sadly lacks many of the qualities to hook readers and keep them reading or clicking around the site.

Because of the amateurish look of Helium articles, readers will assume the quality of the writing is equally amateurish and quickly click somewhere else. People stay an average of 26 seconds scanning a web page for the information they need. You have 26 seconds. That's it. Helium sadly lacks the eye-candy to keep web surfers after the 27th second.

This is a shame, because Helium's writers are just as good, if not better, than Wikipedia's. Of course, in Wikipedia, almost anyone can edit and article and so an article is always a work in progress. In Helium, an article is written and edited by just one writer. The unusually quirk that sets Helium apart from Wikipedia or About.com is that readers can rate many articles on the same topic. Helium, then is kind of like the "Pop Idol" of web content writing.

Change Is In The Air

This can easily be changed by Helium administration to change the article submission software to allow the use of links, images or just bold print. As of this writing, Helium IS working on a way to include links within their articles. They have also changed font size to make reading easier on the eyes. They have also added a site search feature and made navigating the site easier.

Until it becomes more visually attractive, Helium has no chance of getting the fraction of the hits that Wikipedia does. Wikipedia has the capacity to add images, multi-colored print and links. Small wonder why it is the first site readers go to for not only "citizen journalism", but about information on any topic in general. In becoming more visually exciting, Helium can lure away those readers, or at least keep them on longer than 27 seconds.

Learn more about this author, Rena Sherwood.
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