Whoever said that directories are oldfashioned and useless is operating under a misconception: themed directories are actually popping up all over the place (Alexa is building it’s with the help of its users) and they are very useful (take a look at Mahalo, for instance). NorthGuide.
com belongs to a network of sites featuring extensive information on tourism, leisure and recreational facilities in northern Michigan; each site specializes in one area of interest, and NorthGuide.com focuses in accommodation: the site gathers an impressive amount of links pointing to local government and chamber of commerce’s sites, and also to specific resorts, hotels and inns, providing highlight where highlight is due, so it’s certainly an important companion when planning your trip. There are several points of improvement for it, though: one of them is clearly web 2.0 and design, which needs to be upgraded to make the site’s useful contents attractive and appealing. The former needs to be serviced by allowing users at least to send links of interest to other people, and preferably to be able to send several links in one email. 
