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Do submissions to directories actually get reviewed?

Discussion in 'Directories' started by JamieG, Jun 26, 2008.

  1. #1
    I've taken some battering from one or two people here over the past couple of days for standing up to why pay for inclusion directories do have some benefit. One of the main ones being that many claim to be family friendly? And that they payment is for a review?

    But are these directories really reviewed? The reason why I ask is I know from experience that it isn't easy to review a site before calling it family safe, there are so many things to take into account. In Cantufind.com we've gone to the stages of now offering what is effectively proof that a site gets reviewed because we post the review on our blog. It takes a heck of a lot of hard work but its well worth it if your really serious about making your directory stand up to the critics who try to put PFI directories down as nothing but scammers. Not every site is going to want a written review, so as directory owners we shouldn't be put of by that extra bit of work, it will pay off in the long run.

    And do people really pay attention to maintaining their directories as I wrote about a while back? We're writing about a major website that's actually getting deleted from ours simply because it has a problem that has developed that means it no longer qualifies.

    So the question in summary is can anyone stand up and say honestly that they really do review the sites they allow into their directories and support that by posting the url? I hope to see a load coming out of the woodwork, it would make my day as it would shut the critics up once and for all.


    BTW; We're taking on good editorial staff to carry out reviews for us now that we are providing this extra service, I'll post about that in solicitations later.
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
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  2. DrAnujGupta

    DrAnujGupta Peon

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    #2
    i read many times about dir and free dir. i submited also i didn't get traffcs as i expect...i need traffics not back links. my website have over 2000 links but not traffics...it is 50-60 per day only. i need 2000 per day...how possible?
     
    DrAnujGupta, Jun 26, 2008 IP
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  3. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #3
    This post has got nothing to do with traffic or how to get traffic, its about whether directory owners review their directories and maintain them. Do you?
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  4. gauravgrt

    gauravgrt Peon

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    #4
    as far as i know many directory owners do review free links genuinly. To get best approval ratio we must submit to newborn directories. i had good list of good quality dirs and i get 30%-40% approval ratio within 2-3 days of submission rest afterwards.

    I think those directory owners are not paying attention to free review who might have earned lot of money or just keep free link window open to get some traffic.
     
    gauravgrt, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  5. DownUnder

    DownUnder Well-Known Member

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    #5
    yes and sorry can't post the url
     
    DownUnder, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  6. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #6
    If its the one I'm aware of then that makes two of us so far. :)
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  7. DownUnder

    DownUnder Well-Known Member

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    #7
    One have the one, none of this we have 5 gazzilion directories here
     
    DownUnder, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  8. mori

    mori Peon

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    #8
    I think only 30% got accepted that I submitted. Directory owners make allot of backlinks when they say its free...
     
    mori, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  9. catapop

    catapop Peon

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    #9
    I've got 80-90% accept ratio to new directories and 40%-60% to older directories. I also provide reciprocal link
     
    catapop, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  10. swedal

    swedal Notable Member

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    #10
    The submissions to the directory in my sig get reviewed for standards every time. Average review time will take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes to complete.

    The whole family friendly moniker is so arbitrary I have removed its reference from the submissios page. The guidelines cover what we accept and do not, but stating family friendly can mean very different things to different people.
     
    swedal, Jun 26, 2008 IP
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  11. unitechy

    unitechy Peon

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    #11
    is it okay if i dont demand reciprocal link?
    i have just started with my directory and dont demand reciprocal link now.
    find my directory in sig
     
    unitechy, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  12. stoner3221

    stoner3221 Notable Member

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    #12
    For Skaffe and WoW Directory every website is reviewed prior to submission of course and are continually under review after submission. Skaffe has a small army of great volunteer editors reviewing the submissions for content and quality as well as paid professional editors to insure as best possible that it is family friendly.

    WoW is not family friendly but is constantly under review by professional editors and a unique automated system to maintain its quality standards. WoW processes over 300 free submissions a week. Out of all the free submissions we normally accept around 20 to 40.

    Websites are constantly changing hands and content. The content can go from children’s stories to hard core porn overnight. Maintaining a family friendly directory is difficult and never 100% safe but considerably better than most search engines.
     
    stoner3221, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  13. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #13
    Good post, and because its my intentions to promote safe searching and not to nitpick on why most directories aren't family safe for a number of reasons I'm going to send you a p.m on my observations.

    @Swedal, Credit to you for removing the reference, its not an easy thing to do but saves losing face if you can't stand up to that tag. Not saying you can't but as you said there are varying interpretations on what is considered family safe and what isn't. I'll p.m you a similar example to what I'm going to with stoner showing why.

    Edit: Stoner; you've set not to receive p.m's. Should I post what I found to you on open forum?
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  14. stoner3221

    stoner3221 Notable Member

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    #14
    Jamie, open forum is not a problem. 100% family friendly is not possible.
     
    stoner3221, Jun 26, 2008 IP
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  15. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #15
    I'd probably agree that 100% friendly will never be possible although you can get as near as damn it if you review well enough. The problem often lies with the way other sites link and the services they provide which is one of the reasons we're highly likely to be dropping our meta-websearch.

    You offer an image search from picsource resource on skaffe, that's what lets you down as a family safe directory, when it was just images it wasn't too bad, although if you clicked on the images some of the urls were questionable. But now picsource has a 'new' feature' called web, or at least you have it as that, do a quick keyword search for 'porn' using the 'web' setting, look about 7 results down and you'll see what I mean.

    It could easily be argued that as these results are not actually in your directory then the directory is family safe, but the two search boxes are side by side offering the same type of access rendering your resource in general open to finding crap like that. You might want to get your editors to review one or two sites a little more often as well as I found http://www.performingartsregister.com/ down and this site a load of crap http://www.csixxxiii.org/

    That's the problem that comes with success stoner,you have to be right on top of your game to prevent this kind of dynamic change happening which is exactly what happened with dmoz.

    Please don't take my points as anything other than constructive observations, I like your directory, and your attitude toward it. I am merely demonstrating how hard it is to maintain high levels and still call ourselves family safe and so on.

    That said skaffe is definitely one of the better ones. I'm off to check ours now as no doubt we could fall prey to this kind of change, I already pointed out to swedal one site we're deleting which is very reputable, unfortunately it provides access to crap just like picsearch does so doesn't fit in with our model.
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  16. stoner3221

    stoner3221 Notable Member

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    #16
    I’m aware of picsource and if you’re looking for porn on it you can find it, but for the most part you have to be looking for it. As for unresponsive websites, we have our search engine Skampy running every day looking for them. Large database maintenance is an interesting job to say the least, and unresponsive websites will get found in time. We have some very impressive technology working for us that we are always working on improving.
     
    stoner3221, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  17. swedal

    swedal Notable Member

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    #17
    This is part of why I feel there is just too much ambiguity in the term. I have had conversations with several dp members on this subject. With every one of them you get different variations on what is family friendly.

    I did the search through the directory and picsource and I don't personally find an issue with that. Someone has to be specifically looking for it to find it. They will not stumble across it searching through the directory. I have a couple sites listed in that directory and am happy to have them there.

    There is one particular definition of family friendly that I keep going back to. Though I am not sure I completely buy into it there is a compelling arguement for it. That being if the business can market itself and advertise through normal print media it is family friendly. For example with yellow pages or newspaper ads.

    That definition would leave things in like escort services and sex toys which I think can be grey areas for the term family friendly.

    My thought was that using the term leaves you open to someone elses interpretation of the meaning.

    While I may feel that my directory is family friendly, I think it better to spell it out in your guidelines and leave that ambiguity of "family friendly" out of the equation. Otherwise you get others coming along and judging your site based on their interpretation of the whole family friendly moniker.
     
    swedal, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  18. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #18
    Absolutely agree with you Stoner, although you can make it a hell of a lot harder if you try. There are certain methods anyone can use structures in place to prevent that, although as you said if people want to find stuff like porn and there is a way to on a site they will exploit that to the max so its best to make it as hard as possible to prevent it, X amount of clicks normally does it.

    Mine wasn't to criticise your directory, and I'm sure you know that, I did ask to p.m you deliberately to avoid even the hint. Hot topics like this should be discussed on this forum, and without having slanging matches and so on. We're all here to learn and improve which will make your site along with the one I work with stay the distance while others fade.

    Contributors like DownUnder and Swedal are also good for the directory business because they bring into the equation the common sense approach where there is a fine line to what can or can't be called family safe. They are both right, there are different interpretations, and just because we choose to be as strict as possible doesn't mean we're any better it just means we're stricter or have different rules in place.

    My post clearly hit a nerve with some though and the fact many don't go to the lengths some of us do as the so called 'senior member' I won't name now (he did leave his name) red repped me. Perhaps that poster who didn't post on this thread was one of them. Who knows, at least he never came onto the thread pulling it away from the subject matter.

    As for monitoring directories for changes Stoner we're investing a huge amount of money into developing software that detects this better than anything out there at the moment, if its possible we'll be making it available to all if it helps to clean up the sewer part of the web which is what most of us want.
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  19. syted

    syted Notable Member

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    #19
    I decided to add this category http://www.blogdirectory.org.uk/Society/Lifestyle/Sex_Life/ as I want my directory to be comprehensive and feel that sex is so easily available there is no point in excluding them. These are good quality blogs imo and I would not include any that I considered tacky. I have it on my mind to maybe have a warning on that category that it's only suitable for adults when I get it designed, but wonder if it's worthwhile - I'd like to know what others think about this.
     
    syted, Jun 26, 2008 IP
  20. JamieG

    JamieG Banned

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    #20
    With attitudes like that it will always be available syted, I wonder if your parents take the same liberal approach as you though? I doubt it? I know mine don't. It's your choice though and I have to respect that even if I don't agree with it.

    My honest opinion? I think its pathetic when someone feels the need to write about their sex-life online or anywhere else for that matter, pretty sad indeed, but hey I'm a Christian and have beliefs.

    If it gives them a buzz then so be it, something a bit perverted about it though h, why not just invite people into your bedroom to watch if your that warped?

    Some blogs may be fine, but look at the adverts in one or two of them, they go to some of the vilest porn sites about, and its that what brings the level of even the best intentioned blogs down. If you feel comfortable promoting porn albeit indirectly then you have to live with it, I don't.
     
    JamieG, Jun 26, 2008 IP