Somehow I missed responding to this post ... and maybe we can get the thread back on track... I understand your script is not capable of $0 bids ... but what does it say about your directory if you can't sell them at $1.00 ... Chris put his minimum bid at $29.90 ... that is his choice, and given his track record most people are willing to pay that price. What does that say about his directory? If you look at the bids he has received it would not have been long before they were at that level anyway!
i have no problem spending the money to advertise my site especially if i feel that they will promote it..ie,chris.....but begs the question,i spent $2 out of another paypal account for my bid on my site,http://www.direcbid.com i paid the paypal fees and all..is this unethical?i was testing the site,not trying to up bids
So you moved it from your left pocket to your right pocket ... and paid the fees? Scripts can be tested ... we all agree to that. Your own sites can be listed ... we all agree to that. It is only when site owners list their own sites for high amounts in order to force legitimate bids higher that people object. Nobody can force you to follow the rulz ... but they will be used to judge your directories.
i agree with that.since i have been submitting to some of these sites,i check out all the bids first for sure.and my site is still listed for $2 and will remain as such
So the bottom line is if people can trust or not? Just like any other dirctory, right? I manage several directories, including PR6, and I am sure I can grow this one to at least PR4 by the next update easily, so I don't feel like taking money while mine is PR0, and that's really the reason I wanted to give some free stuff I just wanted to invite some lucky guys in my directory for free listing (permanent anyways). Once the directory has a decent PR, I am sure people will feel comfortable placing bids. In any case, I closed a free offer now in case some think free stuff on bidding directory is not right... To me, those bidding directories that got partner link on the home page don't seem to be fair. But that's just another personal opinion isn't it?
I started a website where you donate money to build an ecological house. In the beginning I put my two own sites there with donations of £5 and £3 and that's it. I'm not going to donate any more on behalf of them. So I think that I'm following the rules.
In the end that is all that matters ... trust your own skills, and people will see your directory is capable of delivering value. That was discussed in the another thread as well. The conclusion was that bid directories are no different and a reasonable amount of advertising is acceptable. The number of links per page is just one more consideration in determining the value of your bids.
At the end of the day, real directories will stand out. The ones worked hard to promote. So if you are suspicious about a bid directory about the PR(expired domains) you have to wait and see, I always believe in good domain names rather than PR's. Or the owners of the directories effect the pric, because people know they will promote well. I am sure everyone here knows the directories getting $$$ submissions with PR0.
Who runs it matters more than anything these days. Ultimately, we can't rely on PR either. It can be dropped no matter how a dedicated owner takes care of his directory. But if the owner takes care of it well, there is a chance for his directory to gain a high PR, stronger PS again. There is better future for directories that are maintained by dedicated owners. I don't believe in future PageRank tool much, but it shows mine to be PR5 already I'm trying my best for mine.
Very good post and I've every intention on doing so to the dot even prior to reading this. I think bid directories owners should focus on promoting first before reaping the rewards. This to me is a long term project which I have considered prior to jumping on the bandwagon.
I have a question that may be related to this subject .... Who owns the bid account on bid for position directories? If I choose to shut a site down, is the bid lost or can I sell it to someone else possibly at a discount? As a directory owner, will you change a listing to another site if requested by the owner? Would you bid higher knowing that some residual value could be recovered at a later date by selling your bid? I am guessing that a secondary market (buy, sell, trade of bid listings) could develop if handled correctly by directory owners.
I've already seen some phpld directories turned into phplb. To me, as long as the owner promotes it well, I am ok with it at the end. But honestly, I don't like to see this too often. It gives me an impression that the owner is probably after "get rich quick" purposes. I guess it's a little better than using expired domains...
yea, that is pretty much why this thread was made. it is always still good to note the ones that do it anyways.
It's not OK with me. If I paid for listings in a directory or spent my time submitting, those should remain in place either permanent or the time paid. Changing to a bid directory and all listings going away is bad. The site owner should at the very least transfer every single listing into the bid directory at the amount paid for the listing. If it was free, I can accept the listings being lost, although it is unfortunate.
oh I would agree with you there. If links are purchased, the owner shouldn't remove them or at least place in his new bidding directory though there is a big problem there. I simply meant those directories that were not promoted turned into bidding directory. But ultimately, this kind of practice doesn't give me a good/positive impression.