Lack of Originality: A Movement for Change

I have been watching the directory industry explode within the past year and have been noticing a startling problem: Lack of Originality.

As I have watched the directory industry grow, a large amount of free templates, scripts, and category dumps have been available to webmasters which they have been using, and frankly now overusing.

To combat this uniformity movement, I would like to call for a change:

I would like to challenge directory owners (new & old) to redesign or restructure your directory to make it unique to your directory and your directory only. Whether it is changing of css on your existing template or designing of a new template, this change, I believe, will strengthen this industry and give yourself a new brand to build on.

In rewarding this change: I will offer free, permanent links on my blog to every owner who shows a sufficient change to the appearance of their site. Also, I plan to report of these changes through blog posting and I hope other directory owners will endorse this change as well (PM me if you are willing to donate anything to this cause).

In any case, I hope this gets the attention of directory owners and makes a positive difference.

Thanks

 

i did not include any forgen templets or scripts in this one it is all home made you can find it in my sig

thank you

Tv

 

I tought you were going to say how good my services are and promote them for me

But anyways, if anyone looks forward to a change of their directory with a fresh design, contact me. There are many options available for those who just want minor changes done and those who want a complete redesign.

 

While I agree with your sentiments 100%, I'm not changing my site.

It was designed to be unique in the first place.

 

The idea of this movement is for sites that are just using the free templates, to make some changes to make their sites unique. I am not speaking in terms of directories that are already unique in design.

 

Then I suggest you check mine!

www.squidlink.com

I use a free template there (even though I've payed for it - footer removal, etc.) but I've edited a lot and you can see it's different from others.

Original template is from coolweb and can be found in various dirs around!

 

For any changes we can concur that aspidov is one of the best designers in the Directory Sector

 

Yes, there's a lack of originality in a lot of new directories coming out. But I'm not sure that a link on your blog will be sufficient incentive to anyone to come up with a redesign, unless they were already going to do one. And even if it is, there will most likely be a bunch more directories built in the meantime that use the same old templates and category structures.

 

I agree. There are also some great designers that I'm sure wouldn't mind helping you customize your directory (instead of a complete overhaul).

Here is an examples of what I am challenging you guys to do:

Changing of colors and elements in Spring Break Template to this design.

Changing of colors and elements in StoneFlash Template to this design.

Even though the changes are not major, it still gives each directory it's own style and brand.

 

Yeah, i know. Right now, that's all I can offer and I hope other directory owners see this problem and are willing to donate something (a free listing or anything) to this cause.

 

Regardless of the lack of originalty in design, a directory would benefit more from some originality in naming and dividing categories and subcategories.

As far as a SE bot can see, everyone using the same phpLD script and the same list of categories, has a site that appears identicle in navigation, and file name structure to every other similar phpLD directory. Changing your CSS to tweak your template does not change a thing.

Sure, from a human point of view unique templates are nice. I submit to directories because i want back-links to my site. A nicer looking directory does not add to the value of the link. A unique directory structure does.

So my advice to anyone taking up the challenge put forth by the original poster, revise your categories and add some relevant sub-categories, while your getting your template re-designed. Do some research and put some thought into this. I can't stand directories where the owner obvioulsy did not put any thought into naming their categories. Some are so bad it is impossible to find a relevant spot to submit a link. Most are not quite that bad, but some are.

 

Great Point axemedia.

The whole point of this change is to improve the directory industry by unique designs, categories, etc.

 

Here, here , I am with you on this one and have been ranting about this for a while now... if people turely want to be serious in the directory business they need to put forth an effort in giving their site it's own unique flavor.

 

Uhm, I did start with one of the free templates and redesigned it to the point of the support personel having to clarify which one it was.

My original post was mainly a weak attempt at being cheeky and was the reason why the post itself did not include a link.

As to the lack of original designs, one way to stop them would be if people would not reward these sites with purchased featured listings and free content in the name of getting a free backlink. Rather than rewarding folks for doing what they should have done in the first place, perhaps it would be more effective to not assist those who are QBC's and are putting even more mediocre and less content on the web.

 

there is nothing good then start from scrach , i have designeed mine just in fun time of coding , i have tried to mak it unique not just design but even submission , the submission is so easy to do , just drop the link and the title the description will be automaticly collected from the website submited , i have hear alot from people that submit that was th emost easiest way they have ever seen in the directory industry , i dont want to brag but it will be alot more eaier specialy for free directories to follow that path most of the people are too lazy "tired" to type description and title email blabla specialy if they have more then one link to submit , i have seen people profiting from the difficulties of the submission by doing biz "gime 20$ i will submit manualy to 100 directories " i am not against them it is a biz that was born because of the problem i just explained ,

the collection of the email is one more thing that people avoid alot because of them stupid spammers, i dont ask people for thier email excepte when they try to change the category after they submit in wrong one , and the email does not get to be saved in db ,

about the design i do not like alot of colors and stuff a directory should be simple IMO as all old fushion directory but i am not against the new generation who likes to do more decoration

Tv

 

I sent a pm to you with a couple of what I consider to be unique directories, or ones I at least made an effort to be, and am also working on http://www.1gt.org but that one is a ways off from being finished, unfortunately.....

 

It is true that recently this industry has been flooded with hundreds and thusands of directories. Quantity increases but quality is not ! There are a very few directories who are providing good and functional quality!
I am also a directory owner but when I judge myself then I find that I am not giving my best effort! As a result along with users I am also becoming loser!

Though I am PHPLD template designer so my directories www.urlstand.com and www.webdirectorylink.com is not using any free/modified templates. Now I decided to make them more functional and user freindly (I am working on it)

But what I feel rather applying mere changes in free templates or doing general custom template owners should go for establishing their brand with
more extraordinary and unique templates and functions.

 

The problem is that submitters don’t care they just want to drop a link anywhere, if people didn’t submit even on free directories if it doesn’t have the minimum quality, owners would improve to get submissions or just close the directory.

98% of directories are nothing more than human scrappers, even worse with exactly the same links and content at exactly the same pages, it’s just crazy.

 

Hi.

I was just wondering.

What about if someone designed his directory with this idea in mind right from the start?

Can he get a post in your blog too?

take care

 

NRLMedia, did you see this thread?