I am saddened to see that idk.in is being sold. I do not have any listings there, but it is sorry to see the "end" (I know it is not being closed, but you know what I mean) such a big name in the industry. I honestly believe that even though the sale has nothing to do with this big stir in the industry with Google, that this is the cornerstone to a revolution. I think that the loss and de-indexing of directories will bring a new heyday to directories. In the next year or two, I for see the collapse of thousands of directories. I think that more directories will fall every day than are created. This will leave the web with few very very strong directories and the rest will be history. Directories might become visitor magnets instead of spider magnets. Visitors are growing more web savvy everyday and the thirst for information is growing. Search engines, though valuable aren't always the answer to the average web browser. Directories will provide categorically relevant information and best of all will list only the most elite of all websites. The search feature of directories will disappear, and the categories will regain their dominance. This is my hope at least.
Google has always told webmasters to make their sites for users, not for SEs. People have always said that "SEO friendly directories" whose main pupose was to provide backlinks will fail in the future. Empty categories and a heap of links helps nobody. Be different.
It's easy to tell people to create a website for the visitor, it is another thing for them (you and me included) to actually provide a 100% quality resource for our visitors.
hopefully your directory(ies) will be some of the few that survive. But I am intent on stirring up the directory world, after I am finished we are going to be a new breed. We will be more powerful and also we will bring a smile to the facs of our visitors. Google will bow at our feet
I don't agree that a few handfuls of directories dropping in the SERPs is the end of anything. But I do think that a real evolution that will take place over the next 6-12 months in the industry. The days of throwing up a free script on a dropped domain are taking a huge toll on the industry and it is forcing serious webmasters like myself to work even harder and to invest more resources in creating more useful directory based projects. I have personally moved far away from (and will likely not create another) basic link directory again. My new projects are focusing on specific niches and are designed to offer much more than just listings. I want each of my new directory based portals to offer, news, commentary, information, links and disscussion. Here is an example Music Directory Portal.
I don't think it is the end of the world for web directories. In fact google recommends submitting your site(s) to directories.
5-6 months ago, I realized that general directories have no future, so I tested our user friendly directories. Which means, have to deliver traffic to webmasters, because users. And traffic general directories will not delive, but niche directories will do. For example, www.myspacepresto.com. It's a paid directory for myspace users. Webmasters pay to submit there, and users visit their sites (well at least that was the initial idea lol). Same applies to my other, www.hostinglinks.eu who is developed to be a directory for persons who seek european hosting (and its free) I also blogged about it a while ago on my new blog: http://raduantohi.com/internet-marketing/general-directories-vs-niche-directories/
To be honest, i wouldn't like to see that happen, the smaller directories just disappearing all of the time and in a few years leaving a select few giants. That would be a terrible shame and would be similar to what is happening in the UK regarding small independant shops being eaten up so that eventually their all gone and all your left with is the huge Walmart style places where everything is under one roof. When many businesses become huge is often when they lose touch with customers, is when they no longer care about satisfaction and providing the service that they started out with and instead it becomes about shareholders and everything that made their business likeable is lost. Accessibility of the internet will become less enjoyable if this happens, this is where the WWW leaves behind what made it great and turns into a all seeing monster of an elite few where lack of funds or contacts will mean a brick wall for the many that are entitled to their share of what they would like to be involved in. Promotion would become harder and the strangle like grip that a search engine already has on any type of site would become so much tighter. The talk of directories standing on their own two feet and being less reliant would become even more difficult, impossible even. I sincerely hope that "the rest" dont become history.
I like your thoughts on "walmart" style stores. The way I see it, the powerhouses will be general directories, a one stop shop. And the niche dierctories will be the mom and pop stores. Mom and pop stores will always exist, so the smaller niche directories that are good will survive. Size isn't always quality. Also, I hope to see a drop in needed advertising money to survive. Not all of us have $50,000 a year to sepdn on advertising. In my paypal account right now I have a measly $338 or something like that. But I am not going to let that stop me from making a big directory that is useful for my visitors.
Does that mean death to directory template coders, death for bidding directories, death for directory critics , death for directory scripts ?
This thread and so many like it remind me of the crazy guys you can see in big cities with billboards and signs saying the 'End is Near', "The World is Over', etc... It is all a matter of perspective I guess....I would like to see the crappiest 5,000 directories dropped from the SERPs permanently...so ya, whoohoo, the end is near, the sky is falling and all that jazz!
I define 'big' as having enough listings to give the avgerage visitor the information he wants. As for what will i provide that small directories wno't? Well I think that small general directories will fade and maybe disappear. So I think that smaller directories will be more niche focused, thus I won't really provide anything different fromt hem, just to a broader audience.