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Is DMOZ still a good SEO option, or will it someday soon be a "Bad Neighborhood"?

Discussion in 'ODP / DMOZ' started by kudy, Sep 1, 2007.

  1. Qryztufre

    Qryztufre Prominent Member

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    #41
    Search for the topix domain, it has over 10,000 links, and is listed on well over 1,000 pages. At least the majority of CNN links are all crammed into a centralized location...
     
    Qryztufre, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  2. sweetfunny

    sweetfunny Banned

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    #42
    It's not that as such, i find there's too many old and outdated websites that may of been great back in the day of animated .gif's and blinding font/background combos. I've reported a few sites i "know" have been offline for 2 1/2 years, as i owned them and lost the domains to a rogue registrar.

    I've actually spoke to you and praised the work you do some months ago, but alot of categories seem very "stagnant". I can't even seem to get listed in my locality that has just a couple of old sites despite mine having a very high profile in the town, and known internationally. The section hasn't had an edit in many years and i doubt it will again which is a shame, i've even suggested competitors to get some life in it.

    Edit: Ouch i just looked up the Topix site, they have everything from pharma to cancer to cars and back again.
     
    sweetfunny, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  3. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #43
    That's very appreciated, :). Yep, one of those rascals stole mine right out from under me. I tracked him down and gave him a phone call, :mad:, it's not a pleasant thing to have happen.

    Thank you, :). Even when a locality doesn't have a named resident editor, there are editors in higher categories who can and do edit there, like myself. But, there again, if there are not enough editors in that area, then 4 or 5 editors with wide editing permissions may be looking at around 10,000 site suggestions.

    If there is a named editor in the locality, he/she is usually restricted to just that category, until the editor gains some experience and requests wider permissions. So, editors have various levels of editing permissions. If that helps to explain things a little.
     
    crowbar, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  4. sweetfunny

    sweetfunny Banned

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    #44
    So did i, he wasn't real happy being woken up at that hour either... Several times. ;)

    There's no editors listed for quite a few rungs up the tree, i just think the town is not a priority to anyone at all. I don't recall an edit in there for as many years as i can remember.

    I did apply to edit there in 2002'ish when i didn't have a site that was applicable to be listed there but rather because i've lived here all my life and know all the local businesses & websites but was knocked back.
     
    sweetfunny, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  5. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #45
    Having a personal site that belongs in a category you want to edit is allowed, as long as you treat it like every other site there. That's how I became an editor. My locality only had 4 sites, now it has 130 (it's a small city of 20,000).

    Small towns are a favorite place for most of us to edit, I think. It's very rewarding to give a small locality a presence on the web, so they can compete with the larger cities. A lot of them have very unsophisticated, but charming sites, :).

    I hope you'll apply again, sometimes it takes a few tries to get accepted.
     
    crowbar, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  6. Qryztufre

    Qryztufre Prominent Member

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    #46
    Did you lose your sites?

    :D
     
    Qryztufre, Oct 12, 2007 IP
  7. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #47
    You mean my personal sites?

    No, I took them down myself, and deleted them from the Directory.

    One was a business site that I decided I really didn't need because all of my business is local, within a 100 mile radius. Occasionally, I would get a visitor to it, but not all that often (which shows me that an ODP listing alone, without the aid of a webmaster or seo, really doesn't do much as far as traffic to a site goes) :D.

    The sites main purpose was just to use as a tool to inform the locals about what I do, and it was just kind of cool to have a site.

    My other site was a topical site. It was more like a trade magazine/club for other businesses in my industry, including my competitors (who ended up being friends). Strange how things can go from being a bitter competition to being more like an industry partnership where you share information and help each other out occasionally. It doesn't have to be a hatefest, people just make it that, ;).

    Some guy contacted me and wanted to know if I'd be willing to sell the one url. I told him I had no intention of ever using it again, and he was welcome to it, no charge. Not everything has to be about money.

    When I joined, I didn't know what a webmaster, seo, or search engine was. I kind of liked the sound of the ODP mission, and I wondered if this would be something good to get my site into. Bein ignorant an all, one of my sample sites I submitted was my business site, and I made that clear on my application form.

    All three sites belonged in that category, I followed the Guidelines in writing the descriptions, and I was accepted 3 days later.

    Well, I got in, took one look around, got completely overwhelmed and told myself, "Good Lord, what have I gotten myself into?" This place was massive. It didn't take long though, before I was welcomed very warmly, and made to feel at home.

    I soon realized that nobody was going to boss me around or lead me by the nose. That it was just like my business, you make what you want to of it, so as confusing as it was, I was in my kind of element. :)

    Added - By the way, the informational site was by membership only, not open to the general public, and I investigated the guy who wanted to buy the url for it, before I gave it to him. Owner of a small directory that looked like he was on the up and up.
     
    crowbar, Oct 13, 2007 IP
  8. Anonymously

    Anonymously Notable Member

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    #48
    I echo crowbars request to re-apply, both he and I have nothing to do with accepting new editirs, so our invite is just that with no idea if you will be accepted. Main thing is be honest. Say that you have a site you think fits in the category. You can even use it as part of your three submissions. Also ensure that you select sites that are appropriate, which is not too difficult to do in regional. But ensure that you say which sub categories you would list them in if you are going for a small town with some sub cats. Do descpriptions in line with anything on the category charter and look at how they are done both in the category you apply to and ones further up the tree. No hype, especially on your own site, with a word about the site and what one will find when one goes there. Should be two parts, short and enable the surfer to descide from the description if it is what they are looking for (and check the spelling and punctuation!). It might be better in a larger town just to apply for the sub category that your site fits in, newbies are only accepted for fairly small categories at first. Say your interest as you have done here to us.

    Hope you do try and good luck, let us know either way.
     
    Anonymously, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  9. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #49
    Thank you for clarifying that, Anonymously, I forgot where I was posting and that I don't have a signature here yet, but, on another forum it reads:

    If that isn't clear enough:

    I am a minor editor that has no authority of any kind, just honest opinion, and I speak for no other editor, and nothing I say is official in any way.
     
    crowbar, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  10. Ivan Bajlo

    Ivan Bajlo Peon

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    #50
    Apply, become editor, meet interesting people, get branded as corrupt and removed by metas for reason you will never know and join ranks of disgruntled ex-editors. :p

    No, main thing is to lie and create completely new fake identity which totally unrelated to you and cannot be traced back, fake personal website that uses Wordpress, Blogspot etc. with lots of personal content to create image that this person actually exist and never use this identity anywhere else except at DMOZ. :eek:

    Honesty at DMOZ is one way ticket for removal sooner or later unless your some metas pet. :mad:
     
    Ivan Bajlo, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  11. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #51
    Well, yeah, Ivan. If the bank robber is honest enough, one might expect them to get caught, too, :).

    My view about removed editors is that it's none of my business, or any other editors business. It's a private matter between the removed editor and the staff/meta community.

    I try not to form any opinion about them, one way or another, and not all ex-editors were removed, some of us leave on our own for various reasons. Some rejoin and others don't, so, it would be unfair to form any opinion about ex-editors.


    If they did something wrong and were removed, none of us know what the details were, so how could we judge them, or form any opinion? I don't think you've seen any current editors come in here and start bashing ex-editors, that I'm aware of. :)

    Added - I'm going to step real close to the confidentiality line, because I think it's worth the risk, and say that the same rules that are applied to editors like myself, are also applied and enforced within the meta community, amongst themselves, and the results are exactly the same.

    That is why I have great confidence, respect, and loyalty for our meta community.
     
    crowbar, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  12. Ivan Bajlo

    Ivan Bajlo Peon

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    #52
    Companies involved in shady business usually fire people which are too honest since they might have a conscience and decided to report them to authority.

    So much about DMOZ being global community of volunteer editors, we don't give a **** about each other, edit and obey metas is true DMOZ motto.

    Metas decide to remove editor in absolute secret only amongst themselves and they don't have to answer to anyone for their screw ups.

    It seems to me your best DMOZ friend is robozilla. :p

    You have access to edit logs which you are free to read and find if anything is wrong.

    Read older threads and you'll find plenty DMOZ trolls bashing ex-editors naming all of then corrupt bunch.

    Based on my experience with Wikipedia, chance of admins/metas policing themselves is somewhere around zero and this is wikipedia which keeps everything in open, only extreme and most obvious cases of abusive admins get kicked out by admins themselves, but at wikipedia community can at lest act against loser and bullies who want to keep their power at any cost.

    At DMOZ metas aren't answerable to anyone for their actions which mostly remain secret even from common editors themselves - how on Earth can you trust somebody who doesn't trust a single thing about you and is constantly checking on you and you have to get special permission each time you want to little more???

    In other words you want to join their ranks so your practicing a** kissing.
     
    Ivan Bajlo, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  13. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #53
    lol, love it, Ivan, :D.

    My friend, you keep forgetting that being an editor is just a hobby for all of us. When it is no longer something that is fun to do, then there is no longer a reason to do it, :).

    The only real purpose in becoming an editall or a meta is that you'd like to do work within the Directory that requires those kind of tools. The only promotional part of it is in the promotion of trust and responsibilities, not the title itself.

    I'm really way too lazy to want all that extra work, myself, but kudos to anyone who is, and why shouldn't I feel grateful, appreciative, and give my loyalty to any such person who is willing to take on those responsibilities?

    And, do you really think that people of that caliber would not see through an obvious ass kisser, or that the ass kisser (as you've refered to me) wouldn't at least be more subtle and less obvious about it? I'd think if I were that stupid, I wouldn't manage to write very good descriptions (no wise cracks) :).

    You know, all this name calling just rolls off my back like rain off the back of a duck, it's very ineffective. It doesn't insult me, hurt me, or make me angry, it's just funny, lol. It's aimed at an ego I just don't have. :)

    So, higher privledges isn't a reward (we get no rewards), it's just another tool that an editor needs to accomplish something in the Directory. Many people, including editors, misunderstand this concept.

    If I did want to become an editall or meta, our Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Keating, has suggested that we contact a meta or admin, and ask for their advice and guidance in becoming one. There are certain things required, like a need for those tools and the experience to use them. All senior editors are more than happy to help an editor up the ladder where they can help out in a wider area, there's no reason to discourage such people.

    Having a title means nothing to me, I'm happy just being one of the foot soldiers.
     
    crowbar, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  14. sweetfunny

    sweetfunny Banned

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    #54
    I dont think i will apply again for a few reasons. One is there is too much conflict surrounding the project. The other is time, i manage alot of sites and clients.. Plus i do road crash rescue, flood and storms, land search rescue and that sort of thing which is voluntary work in this country. I also train and assess people in this plus im on call 24/7, so this fills my time and volunteer quota.

    I guess thats why im so bummed it seems my site will probably never appear in the locality listing, after doing so much for the community.
     
    sweetfunny, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  15. crowbar

    crowbar Peon

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    #55
    It's always the busiest people who do the volunteering, sweetfunny. Thank you for your community service, :). Editors hop around like bees on flowers (every flower has an equal chance), that's why we can make no promises or predictions, just like you can never know where your next emergency will come from.
     
    crowbar, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  16. sweetfunny

    sweetfunny Banned

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    #56
    It may pop up someday, i can honestly say i dont care about a listing for SEO or Pagerank though. The category has no Pagerank and i doubt it ever will, and i already rank page one for all the terms i care about anyway.

    I've built quite a few sites for non-profit organizations for free, plus im basically the only person that does what i do in my area so call me biased but i believe it deserves a listing,

    Out of the 50 odd sites i currently own, this is the only one i have submitted or care about its inclusion.
     
    sweetfunny, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  17. gworld

    gworld Prominent Member

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    #57
    Does anyone believe this?
     
    gworld, Oct 14, 2007 IP
    guerilla likes this.
  18. sweetfunny

    sweetfunny Banned

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    #58
    I believe its a hobby for crowbar yes, i dont believe its a hobby for all editors.. Especially when an editor offers to sell me an account/login so quote, "i can sell listings and make a profit" because they own multiple editor accounts.
     
    sweetfunny, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  19. Anonymously

    Anonymously Notable Member

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    #59
    sweetfunny, don't believe every person who claims to be an editor and offers accounts, check if they are editors. If they are then they will give you an editor name and some proof that they are that person. Then instead of taking up their offer report them and they will be disciplined. But I guess its like gworld on here claims many things but does not prove any of it.
     
    Anonymously, Oct 14, 2007 IP
  20. Qryztufre

    Qryztufre Prominent Member

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    #60

    Sorry, just thought that was funny enough to repeat, as it was posted by someone claiming to be an editor but posting Anonymously.

    I do agree with what was said however.
     
    Qryztufre, Oct 14, 2007 IP