Is it ethical?

I was going to submit one of my sites to some good directories when I've noticed that a few owners have their other directories listed as featured. I have nothing against when a directory owner run a free directory and choose to list his other directories/sites as featured but when you run a paid directory I don't quite fancy to pay let's say $25(regular) to be listed on the 8th page knowing at the same time that the person in cause has his own other sites listed as featured.
I'm not going to give any link examples for obvious reasons but I'm sure if you do a bit of research and you know who owns the directories, you'll find quite a lot of similar situations.

My question...is it ethical to do such a thing? I mean if you want to list your other sites just do it regular but not featured...so is it ethical from submiter's point of view?

Thanks

 

I wouldn't especially think its good business practice to do this
To begin with the site owner is losing some sales because of it and I think it puts the directory in a bad light because the webmaster gives preference at all
thing is when this is done most people don't know that the sites belong to the directory owner but I'm sure it happens a lot

Best way to show you don't approve of this is don't pay

 

I tend to avoid directories where the owner seems to be more interested in promoting their own sites.

 

i also do not like this practice,and i do not do it on any of mine

 

Excellent point there loredan, I've seen some examples of such web directories where the users chose to display their other directories as featured, I don't really think that this is any good for a submitter, as a submitter you want your listing exposed for the visitors and not the other way around.

I don't also like web directories that have 400 listings on a category, and 1-5 on the rest (this is usually, web directories category that is fed with listings) and I think owners need to find a balance between listings, and selfpromoting, I respect that only if it goes there as a basic listing (lowest package available) and as long as it matches the directory standards.

- Meti

 

Hmmm... not sure.

It is considered unethical, but then if you pay for a regular listing and there are sites listed as featured then no matter what they are, whether they are owned by the directory owner or not, I don't see how this effects the amount you paid for a regular listing.

At the end of the day, a site owned by a person will lend a hand in promoting another owned by the same person.

 

Its a good question, yeah i think a directory owner should avoid giving their own other directories featured and other special listings.

 

I don't see a problem if a directory owner lists/"reviews" his own websites as long as you respect the sorting order of your directory. You can't just place your new websites above older listings if you sort by date, older first.
I chose not to accept links in the top level directories category in rakCha and I don't see why I don't use that space to place an advertisement to my own directory.

 

I've always thought it's the biggest problem with web directories

 

Just because its the "biggest problem" doesn't mean you have to "be like the other directories", perhaps making the web directories category even deeper?

Regards,
Meti

 

And this accomplishes what exactly? It doesn't change the fact that most directories are just promoting other directories.

 

Excellent point you have there CReed...and do you know why is that? Because most of the people here on DP will only advertise their directories on these forums and perhaps another couple more.

The internet is huge and DP is just a drop in the ocean

 

I don't really have to concern myself with this as I have one directory that I focus on. There is just not enough time in the day to have more.

If I did have more I do not think I would list the other directories as anything more than a regular link and in the case of bidding directories nothing more than the minimum bid. Bidding up your own links on bid directories seems completely unethical.

 

I agree it doesn't but it changes the fact that the category seems really unbalanced and unnatural. Also, from my point of view, this happens to be the web directories that are mainly represented on webmaster forums.

I've probably never encountered a real business directory having such many web directory listings, have you?

- Meti

 

It also shows how limited the reach is and who their primary audience is even though they continue to claim that they're not just selling links.

Nice to see that some do look beyond a few of the more popular webmaster forums.

 

i say why not..

it is pretty much like saying giving your site a sitewide link saying also visit our network site ... why should you promote your site ?? i mean thats unethical because there is an extra outbound link on the page and people are paying for sitewides or featured link and your own site in the network section is taking away the link value.

bid directories it is a different issue as you are saying no one can get the higher bid ... but with featured listings others can get featured listing just as well as you can ... so i think there is nothing wrong with it...

and if bid directories can show the owner and other at the top spot ... and the owner doesn't have some insane amount than why not ... but it doesn't work like that in a bid directory that is why bid directories are bid directories not general paid directories.


I think the owner should have full rights to put their site as a featured listing in their directory ... and if it is considered unethical than no one should put any network links or any sort of link to their site at any cost because those will be unethical ...

 

the other question is do they advertise their own directories or are they filling the space because they have no paid links to go there ?!?

 

I don't think anyone can call this ethical or unethical since you see what you pay for and it is up to you to buy listing and up to owner to promote his sites instead of client's and loose sales.
If he ads 10-20 of his sites as featured after you pay and push you away to 2nd page, that would be a situation to discus.

Just the way I look at it.