We’re always being told about the importance of making our sites "sticky," and everyone agrees it’s a great idea. The difficult part is trying to find ways to achieve this desirable state of affairs.

It sounds almost too simplistic to say that in order to keep people interested, you first have to know what interests them. There are four basic areas that interest every human being and these are: sex, family, wealth and humour -– not necessarily in that order.

The adult sites have the sex side tied up, there are nearly as many genealogy and parenting sites as there are sex sites, and you don’t need me to tell you that the Internet abounds with sites that exist to help you increase your wealth. But that still leaves us with one other area of immense interest -– humour.

We all know, instinctively, that laughter is good for us. "Laughter," says Steven M Sultanoff, Ph.D, (in an article orginally published in AhHa! Furthering the Understanding of Holistic Health, the Newsletter of the American Holistic Health Association Winter, 1999, Vol. 5, No. 1 Page 4) is the physiological reaction to humor. The research on laughter, while limited, indicates that there are physiological benefits from laughter including an increase in certain antibodies, a reduction of specific stress hormones, and an increased tolerance to pain."

Children’s hospitals around the world are realising the value of laughter in helping young patients recover more quickly, and many now employ nursing staff to dress up as clowns to entertain the children.

If it can make sick people well, it’s no wonder humour is so popular!

Every site benefits from a little humour, because in this day and age, it doesn’t pay to take yourself too seriously, so think of how you can incorporate some fun into your site.

Many sites will send you a joke-of-the-day (http://www.jokeaday.com/6feed.shtml) and will give you permission to post this on your site if you include a link to them. These sites automatically update the material (similar to the news services).

If you’d prefer a cartoon instead of a joke, try here: http://www.bravenet.com/webtools/cartoon/index.php

The downside to these services is that visitors may be so taken with the idea, that they’ll click off your page to sign up for the service themselves and never return.

The solution?

Provide your own material. We all seem to receive countless pieces of humour with our email, so why not set up a page where you showcase your favourites? (Rememebr to acknowledge sources.)

Or write your own!

There’s rarely a day goes by that we don’t encounter some example of bureaucratic lunacy, political foolishness or general insanity as we go about our business. Keep your eyes and ears open for these situations. Whenever you find yourself chuckling or shaking your head with a silly smile on your face, stop and think about what has amused you. Make a mental note to add these to your collection.

Always choose material that suits your site’s subject matter, acknowledge the sources and away you go.

Write101 is a site that focuses on writing, so it’s natural that any humour on the site will relate to writing, education, learning etc.

If you’re having a bad day, there’s nothing like a chuckle to boost your spirits and help you put things into perspective. Recently, I received a photo that still sends me into guffaws – and I’ve looked at it dozens of times. If you need a bit of a laugh, this should do it: http://www.write101.com/W.Tips116.htm

If you prefer something more substantial, how about the History of the World? You’re guaranteed to discover something new and wonderful here! http://www.write101.com/hist.htm

Planning on writing that great novel that lurks inside us all? Get some tips on writing a best-seller here: http://www.write101.com/best.htm

Want to submit a script for a soapie? Go no further: http://www.write101.com/soapie.htm

Take a look at your site, consider what you find funny and keep your visitors happy by offering them the gift of laughter.

If the spelling of words like "humour" in this article worried you, please read this http://www.write101.com/aus.htm

Jennifer Stewart is a professional writer who offers copy writing, proof reading and editing services for businesses and individuals from her site at http://www.write101.com. She has undertaken a variety of assignments for clients around the globe -- writing articles for ezines and the print media; preparing award submissions for business clients; copy writing and proof reading works of non-fiction; editing web pages and ebooks; writing press releases and much more. Subscribe to FREE, weekly Writing Tips to improve your writing: mailto:WritingTips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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