I think this link says it all: http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/search.dmoz.org?q= the site still has a top 2000 alexa rank to my surprise, but thats one heck of a downward spiral!!! MOG
Cool, and that affects editors or the Directory how? How much traffic you all get on your sites is a money matter, so I can see how it might put you in panic mode, but how does it affect a free Directory or the every day work that editors do? It doesn't. If no one at all visited the Directory, it would have zero effect. We just collect and organize sites, nothing else, and offer the data freely to anyone who wants to use it. If everyone chose not to use it, which is doubtful, it would still have no affect, because we'll still enjoy building it. I don't think the Directory needs to justify its continued existance, any more than a butterfly collector needs to justify his collection, because it's a hobby he enjoys indulging in, and he does it for his own enjoyment, not money.
You should learn how to spell, my friend, and not be so critical of work that hobbyists do freely for their own enjoyment. They owe you nothing.
You are right in a literal sense (they owe you nothing); but since we all occupy the same planet, it is not a bad habit to be nice. I guess after the editors at DMOZ have received a certain number of verbal assaults they tend to get mean I was and am frustrated by the fact that whomever the editor is for my cat., this person has seen fit to allow 170 or so sites reside there and not mine... I have a twenty plus year pedigree for what I do (real estate education), a wealth of experience and a clean informative site. Still I am outside and some on the inside leave much to be desired. The frustration is because the "Butterfly Collection" can hurt you very badly, and the keeper of the collection refuses to give equal access to viewing the collection...
OK, I totally understand what you are trying to say but please remember that a catagory belongs to nobody, not you or even an editor. Second, you could always contribute and join in on the "Butterfly Collection" .
for about the gazillionth time on this forum - Im not dmoz editor bashing, I never even referred to editors at all, or the design of the site. I was just referring to the sharpish drop in traffic that dmoz is seeing at the moment, which I find interesting.
Well, it doesn't surprise me much, as the Directory itself isn't meant to be a destination site and search engines get better and better at what they do. I've switched over to using the Google bar exclusively because their search box gives you a list of suggestions which I find saves me a tremendous amount of time when I'm searching for info about the WoW game I play. I wouldn't say the decline in traffic is as much a Directory issue, as it is a great improvement in search engine capabilities. You can never go wrong by using common sense and focusing on the needs of the searcher, and giving them exactly what they are looking for. When I see a list of results pop up, I seriously want to see an ODP type of description for each of them so that I can go right to the site that has the most specific information I'm looking for. In this instance, time is extremely important to me because I'm in the middle of playing the game, but at other times I'm more interested in just getting a comprehensive list of good info that I can take my time to browse through (the game gets quite complicated). The WoW category in the Directory is helpful because it lists a lot of sites that might not show up on the first few pages of a search. It gives me a list of all WoW sites under different subcategories that might not pop up on a search because of the search terms I'm using, so I find using both is very helpful. For the sites you guys own, and because only so many sites can be listed on the first few pages of a search, I can see that being listed in the Directory can be very important to you, not because of PR improvement, let's face it only 10-20 listings out of thousands can be on that first page, but a Directory category and its subcats can display hundreds at a time.
I'm an ex-Marine and an ex-editor (by choice), I know how to get mean, but I'm gentle as a lamb . Sometimes stating facts and giving information sounds less than kind hearted, but it's not meant to. Thanks for pointing out your impression though, it's duly noted. I like honesty. Some of us do get a little jaded after being attacked over and over. Then it's about time you took over the collection, don't you think? Sounds like you would make a good editor for it. Real Estate is not only spam ridden and time consuming to deal with, most editors find it unpleasant to edit in and more productive to edit elsewhere. RE and Travel sites are a sneaky bunch of cut throats sometimes. Not all of them, but a lot of them, and in the last few years I've seen more and more unlicensed, unregistered RE agents popping up all over the US.
Hey, listen, everybody wants to get listed in the Directory, but it's a mistake to depend on it so much, I doubt it will help you get rich. As far as editors go, it's a hobby, not a job. That's why they are not accountable to you. You all need to lighten up a bit. Editors are just normal, everyday people volunteering their time. There's no reason to be jealous or suspicious of them. They are not out to get you, or prevent you from being listed, they don't even know who you are or what you do, they merely look at sites and what's on them, nothing else. They often don't have time to do that, let alone anything else. Editors come and go, their interests change, they get fed up, they get tired of it, real life interferes with it, all kinds of things. They get no pay, they get no benefits, they get no thank yous, how could they, none of you know which editor lists you or when, and hopefully, 90% of them never visit forums like this. I gotta tell you, most of you don't inspire editors to work harder, just the opposite. They give their efforts and free time, and they get called low down, corrupt, dirty dogs because your particular site hasn't been added. How inspiring. And these are mothers, fathers, kids, retired people, business owners, people of all nationalities, races, ages, gender, and economic backgrounds. Just ordinary people who have been trusted and are expected to edit honestly and without bias, as they have time to. When we discover a corrupt one it hurts us all, and we feel terribly betrayed and slapped in the face, and doubly so when unproven allegations are made towards all editors in general. And why? Because you're concerned about yourself and your site. The "prove you're not crooked by listing my site" theme runs rampant in these forums. It's a waste of time to do that, it doesn't work. Neither does, " hey, go look at my site and either advise me or list me". How could we in good conscience do something for you that can't be done for everyone, and still remain unbiased? Something we agreed to do when we became editors. You're asking us to break our rules for you, personally. So, which of us is corrupt and selfish? It's a little disgusting, don't you think?
Hey mate. I take that as a compliment I guess? Why are you getting so worked up about what people think about DMOZ? In some SEO circles some think that a DMOZ link is a magic bullet to rankings, so they get pissed off when they don't get listed, even though there crappy sites more then likely. Anyone doing voluntary work should be appreciated for their efforts, but it's a thankless job unfortunately.
It is. I can honestly say that every aussie I've ever talked to was very likeable, honest, and open, (even when we disagreed). Very down to earth, sensible people. You're right, of course, I shouldn't let it bother me. Hell, I'm not even an editor any more, . I guess once you've become a part of a family of really decent people, you never stop caring about the editing community. I suppose I come here because I can speak my mind a little more freely, and I can give an editors view to the silent majority of people who might read these forums, but never speak up. I think I have a talent for explaining things in a way that might be a little clearer to people who don't understand the inside workings of the Directory. I don't mean to sound cocky in saying that, but there's no other way to say it.
I did apply to be an editor, but I received a response saying in effect, "no" I can only hope they include me later. I would have been happy to volunteer a few hours a week to the project... I can only imagine how sneaky and deceitful some of the suggestion URL's are that these folks receive. Real Estate has been, is and probably will be a area that attracts a whole layer of scam artist (I guess because the "Ticket" is so large?
The frustration of not being listed in DMOZ is real for me too. How do you get an editor's attention? How do you find who is the editor for your category? The only main reason to get a link in DMOZ is because Google loves the domain and gives great weight to this backlink. Is anyone who's listed in DMOZ getting good traffic from it? It is by no means a magic bullet but nice to have and does give a rankings boost. The editors do have a thankless job and the only thing they hear is criticism. I wonder how many times they've gotten a thank you from a site owner who they listed in the directory.
Neither would do you any particular good, as most editors won't respond to you. Those that do soon find out that they shouldn't have. I'll answer both questions. You get an editors attention by writing an ODP compliant Title & Description. That will make the site suggestion stand out somewhat. http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/describing.html You find editors who might edit in a particular category by looking for their names at the bottom of the category page. If there isn't a name, look in a higher category, those editors edit in every category beneath them. Contacting an editor directly is a very poor idea, they are not going to give you special consideration over others who have also submitted site suggestions, doesn't matter how much you beg or bitch. Everybody is on the same level playing field, asking to be put ahead of others sort of leaves a bad impression, so I wouldn't do it.
That would be funny to see, how were you going to kill the enemy as a Marine? Were you planning to praise them for so long that they will die of boredom?