I edited about 11K listings in DMOZ. I joined the Google Co-Op a short while ago. There are several differences between the two, and I believe the Google Co-Op to be superior to the ODP in a number of ways. (1) Example. I know of about 100 sites that sells widgets and offer widget plans. Only 10 sites are exclusively devoted to widget plans. In DMOZ, the "widget plan" category would contain only the 10 sites that concentrate on widget plans. Also, a site selling widget plans would be in "Shopping" while a site giving out FREE widget plans would end up in the corresponding non-shopping category. Pretty messy. But the ODP is in the business of listing web SITES, not web PAGES. In Google Co-Op, I am free to isolate the web PAGES, or clusters of similarly-named web pages using wildcards. I can legitametely create a category and list relevant webpages. (2) Google Co-Op allows the assignment of degrees of relevance to each page, site or web cluster listed. (3) Does it sound labor-intensive? Not more than the ODP. Why? I don't have to bother dreaming of a description of the site, spellcheck, and rewrite the site's actual title (submitters never got that right). I spend less time on nonsense, and more on what's actually important. I am still unclear on how that works, but if you do a good job, and people subscribe to your topics, good things happen! If you do a poor job, you sink.
Are we able to submit to the Google Co-op yet, or is it still in the works? I have submitted my site to DMOZ with no results; though, I realize from reading the DMOZ forums, there is no guarantee for the time it will take to be accepted into the directory. As a new online business, realizing the importance of being listed in DMOZ, and being indexed in Google, not having a generalized timeframe for getting listed/indexed is a hard pill to swallow. I wish there were a more predictable way to submit my site, and see it listed within a certain period of time - whether or not it ranks highly. I also have issues with the importance of inbound liks concerning Google, but that's suited for another area of the forum, I suppose. I could write a novel about why my site will struggle on Google (at least in the beginning), because I do not have a ton of relevant inbound links; though I have 445 pages of relevant content, and products...
Someone can correct me if I am wrong, but I do not believe that you can submit to Google Co-Op. A topic creator can decide to include your site, or not. The model is competely different from DMOZ, thank god. The front page states that users can: "Enrich your search results with instant information like restaurant reservations, financial info, or even celebrity gossip." "Subscribe to experts in the topics you care about and start getting quick links to help refine your searches." While contributors can: "Create subscribed links to make your services more accessible to users." "Label websites to help build topics and make information more discoverable."
I'm viewing it right now and it's not that bad.. Here's my Profile if you all want to see it just for view: http://www.google.com/coop/profile?user=013147519812538276349
lol, thanks helleborine Still viewing the site and possibly get into the "Groups" for discussions. Good information in there "Hint..hint" Thanks for sharing this information
I think that this concept is perhaps a component in the next evolution of search. In the old days site owners and SEOs were really good at fooling search engines and directories were generally the best source of sites. Then along came page rank as a system of ranking sites in searches. Then the SEOs found ways to manipulate page rank. Ultimately this could provide google with a huge database of trusted sites along the lines of trust rank. They can sort of get this from existing large directories but the advantage of co-op is that they get a graded ranking of each site based on how many users have subscribed. Its great in theory but its downfall might be the ability of webmaster to manipulate the results. Also don’t forget that this database is only available to google.
Yes. And it means that Google no longer has to depend on the dubious contributions of DMOZ editors over whom they have no control. As long ago as 2003, I said that based on everything Google has done, this was what would eventually happen - either they would dump the idea of a Google Directory altogether or they would create their own. Clearly, they have decided on the latter. Give it a few months or a year, and they will sump DMOZ entirely.
First off...Sorry for the unrelevant post.. But I just found it amusing to see helleborine vs minstrel Stats... helleborine Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 44 minstrel Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 12,025 ---- helleborine.. Thanks for the info.. I am off to create a profile..
I apologize for being so dense... minstrel and I joined in the same month... he's posted a lot more... so? Anyway, while I await enlightenment, I found this Blog that explains things a little better than me. Oh, and promo... don't forget to link to your profile!
Please dont take offence.. I just find amusement in such funny coincidences.. I am dweeb I know... Sorry for taking up the space in the thread.. Now I apologize for being so dense... What do you mean?
Oh, promo, Grand Master of All Dweebs, after you create a profile in the Co-Op, you can post the URL of the profile.
Oh helleborine, you speaker of few but well chosen words, I hast created myself a Profile.. http://www.google.com/coop/profile?user=015090668973521815051
I can see the threads now... I'll pay you $xxx to list my site in your google coop! These guys with a lot of subscribers are going to become as popular as people with myspace accounts with thousands of friends.
Ha! he's figured it out! I think it's true though and it will become a VERY popular thing to. Now as far as paying, hmm.. *Grins*