I am compiling information from a user's point of view, not a webmaster's, on why directories are worthwhile, useful and a viable entity on the Internet. I would appreciate any comments and even examples on the use of directories for searching, researching, etc.
I only use niche directories if I'm looking for something specific like hosting or something. Other than that, they just clutter the net.
Yes SEbasic, I like them for researching. Whether niche or not, a well categorized directory can be a good way to get a bunch of relevant results for a particulary subject area without trolling through a bunch of spam. However, some directories have an open-gate approach and it's not too uncommon to find junk there too. Any good examples of directories?
Sooooo much crap out there. There are a few 'decent' directories out there... http://www.site-sift.com/ is the only one I can think of off the top of my head, otherwise I just search for '[term] directory' That usually finds something half decent - but the only time I can think of looking for that kind of thing, like I said, is when I look for hosting.
Agreed. You may as well use google. But niche directories are well helpful. I have been working on a niche directory for 4 months and Im not even close to finishing it. This directory is for users only, and once it's done it will be the ultimate resource for the niche - better than a search engine. The point is, you have to put a lot of work in to make your directory useful for user. This includes alot of category interlinking, content writing, descriptions etc. Also navigation has to be clear and *really* easy (I mean for the dumbest users). Sometimes webmasters overlook this because what seems easy to them is not easy to others. I dont have any examples, and my new dir wont be finished for another few months
Good comments Masetek. I'm not looking to emulate anyone's directory. I am looking for information to write an information paper. The problem honestly for me is trying to narrow the focus down to a single thesis and elaborate, and then maybe show an example or two of what users want in a directory. For example, I find that directories are really great for research on a specific topic or category. Search engines, despite their best efforts, are often full of millions of results and let's face it, a large chunk can be potentially spam. However, if I'm wanting just information about Psychology, I can usually find very relevant results on just that subject in a well categorized directory. Okay, the psychology subject may not be the best example as I'd just go to our in house DP SME (subject matter expert) on that matter (Minstrel) but you get my point hopefully.
From a typical users point of view, I don't think directories are worthwhile. Before I ever made my first site, if I came across a directory it was by accident. I always used search engines.
I'd echo all of the above. When I'm looking for something specific, I will use a human-edited (not auto-inclusion) niche directory that shows some quality control. Non-edited (auto-submit and auto-inclusion) directories of any kind are a total waste of time and space. General directories for the most part are the same.
In the Netherlands there's http://www.startpagina.nl/ a general web directory/starting page, it's used by they have over 4 milion pageviews a day (!) Dutch internet users use this website as a portal to find websites all over the world. I agree with people above that some directories are totally useless, only build for adsense ads, co-op weight building, or what ever other purpose. Those will not contribute to the internet. What I'm also seeing is a lot of paid web direcotries that charge huge amounts for a listing but those direcotries have hardly any traffic nor is such a amount worth the backlink. However there are some directories out there that contribute to the internet by giving a organized view of websites within a category (niche or general). If the editor from the directory is critical it will provide a good list of websites within a category. For instance for the topic pschology I've found the following web directories interesting for futher investigation. General directories: http://botw.org/top/Science/Social_Sciences/Psychology/ http://www.skaffe.com/viewCat/11109 http://www.joeant.com/DIR/cat/10136/Psychology Niche directories: http://www.reasoned.org/dir/psych.htm http://www.psychology-directory.com/ http://www.hypnosisdirectory.net/psychology.htm http://psychcentral.com/resources/Psychology/ I still believe web directories can give 'another' view to the www other than search results from google, yahoo or msn. Search results on general topics, like hosting as said above give almost only affiliate websites results in the top 10. Check for instance this niche hosting directories http://www.upperhost.com/ or http://www.hosting-review.com/ these results give me a good view on how to choose or even find a certain website. On and on there's much talked about the value of web directories, hopefully all the scam, copy and rubbish web directories will vanish and the good ones, read as well maintained, organized and promoted, will survive.
Awesome comments and feedback WhatiFind - that's the kind of stuff I'm looking for to help with some writing I'm trying to get motivated for; thanks!
Personally, I don't use directories unless there is something specific I'm looking for and the search engines don't provide enough good results. Yellowpage type directories are not bad when you're looking for something locally. When you ask about members' directories ... there are a few good member owned niche directories here in DP, but we all know that most of the regular ones are just self serving. One I like though is http://www.andilinks.com/ (owned by a member). It's more than just links, it's well pu together. I can see people use that one more than once And I do visit blog directories sometimes, like http://www.bloguniverse.com/ and more blog directories
Keep in mind that a small directory today could be an awsome resource in a year or two. There are some great directories out there, both for niche and general. And directories are evolving as people are adding more functionality or finding more uses. Here are a couple of miscellaneous examples: Blog Directories Podcast Directories Ringtone Directories Flash Game Directories Directories that import product feeds Regional directories (www.regionaldirectory.org) RSS News (www.newstopica.com) Article Directories (www.articlescript.org almost complete) For use as a reciprocal link manager Indexing favorites/bookmarks The list goes on and on!
Thanks for that! Yes, I do get many return visits and the directory is becoming much more of a niche player concentrating on clothing and pop music. While both of those things are close to my heart the directory was mostly technology for two years and moved in the new direction because that's what worked, it's still a mystery to me. I don't remove the old tech pages and still remove the dead links periodically, but growth is in the areas I mentioned above. Yes! Human-edited directories will have an edge on search engines in the niches for a few more decades at least. IMHO... Andi
I think eventually most traffic will go through some portal with ranking based on links and human rating combined. Digg.com wasn't an accident. This way the best site is almost always at the top of the rankings, because it is the site that helped users the most. Spaming of human ratings will always be a problem with this model IMO.
I just don't see this happening. It isn't just the spamming problem - it's subjectivity, sites getting votes by friends and negative votes against competitors, all sorts of similar issues.