what this author said is very misleading: anyone who is actually in Yahoo Directory knows that is a total crock of s***. If I get one hit every 3 days from Yahoo Directory, it's a lot....and my site is in a higher profile section than that.
In my opinion the the Yahoo directory is just like any other directory. You just pay more because it has the yahoo branding/userbase. You will have the same PR/SEPR increase as any other link will give you. At most you can expect more clicks for the price you pay, but you will not always get that. If I was going to spend the money, I would chose several lower priced directories and submit to them.
I dont think they should be allowed to do this, page ranking should be about the content on the page and not just how much money you pay them to be listed
Sorry, but that article is old and absolutely useless. Also, to clear up any mis-conceptions, the technique some members say will get you a free listing - submitting your site to non-US regional Yahoo directory - does not work either. Yes, you could get your site in for free back in the days when Zeal directory was live, but that is gone also. The only way to get in Yahoo directory is to pay the $299 and it is definitely not worth it. Maybe a few years ago, the case was different, but we all know Google and Yahoo are in competition, so why would Google hold value for Yahoo's directory. As another member here stated, it's best to use your $299 to drive traffic to your site with contests or giveaways and possibly spend some money cheap advertising on up and coming blogs. One thing I've learned, spreading a little money around to talented new bloggers is definitely a good idea because people remember who supported them when they were starting out. More times than not, I've made friends and got permanent backlinks for a $20 contribution to some new blogger's tip bucket. I personally look for blogs with the Scratchback widget or the Tip-Me jar. It's very effective promotion.