Do you think DMOZ is a joke Minstrel or is it possible for them to make a comeback if they fire all editors and automate the submission process?
There's no hope for a "comeback". They are too entrenched in their "traditions" and much too busy defending what they do (or don't do) now to be open to innovation or improvement. They are on their way to extinction like the dinosaur. What does not evolve dies.
DMOZ will never consider an automated submission process. They won't even consider automated emails to site submitters saying "we've received your submission", "we've accepted your submission", or "we've rejected your submission". I told you: They like things the way they are. They are not interested in improvements or innovation or anything except explaining to all and one that they believe the way things are done now is perfect.
I do think AOL/Netscape will bring this home and fire all the editors since they are moving ahead in the search business Minstrel. How will you feel then
Last time I read about it they did http://vivisimo.com/search?v%3Asources=Web&query=DMOZ+owned+by+Netscape&x=40&y=10
I may be mistaken here -- I thought they were independent. It's not like you can tell from the DMOZ website -- they don't even update their own site with any regularity:
With AOL's expansion into the search business and plans to invest in their search business, you can look for them to do something with DMOZ down the road. First off, I would fire all the editors and completely automate the submission process.
You know, I would really like to believe this were possible, AC, but I'm afraid I see the DMOZ concept as fundamentally flawed and the infrastructure as too entrenched and unwieldy to have any real hope. But I hope you're right and I'm wrong.
Minstrel, marketing is meeting the needs of the customers, without doing something about this terrible submission and approval process and making the directory database more useful to searchers they are not meeting the needs of the customers. AOL/Netscape will be forced to change this soon.
I don't know. Meeting the needs of the customers has certainly not guided DMOZ to this point. And if indeed AOL owns them, why haven't they done something about it up to this point? And why is now any different?
Because AOL is a for profit company and they are investing big money in search (local search also). http://news.com.com/This+week+in+search+wars/2100-1030_3-5545480.html?tag=html.alert They are working with more than Google in developing search technology.
If you were running AOL search and you had this resource, what would you do Minstrel Those executives can't be that stupid that are running AOL search
Maybe I'm not being clear. 1. IF indeed AOL does own DMOZ, how long have they done so? 2. IF they own it and they have plans to change it, why haven't they already done so? 3. AOL and AOL Search are not new entities: Why do you think anything is going to change at this point?
When AOL acquired Netscape they became the owner of everything Netscape owned, DMOZ happens to be one of those properties. It would not be hard for them to take the database and tell the editors to all get lost, implement an automated system of submissions and maintenance of the database the same way other directories do it. They could also make it a for profit directory just like your Yellow Page directory.
OK, but they bought Netscape some time ago, no? Have they given any indications whatsoever that they intend to revamp DMOZ? They have already taken steps to update Netscape...