banners and logos is just one of the unique distinctions from garbage QBC's any other smart questions?
Although I think it would be a good idea to offer the "people" something valuable (other than an easy to use & well organized listing)... "people" are not your customers... webmasters are. They should be the ones a directory owner wants to please.
isn't it sad, I have asked something similar here before and no one seemed to even get the idea that a directory could have more of a purpose than help raise PR.
Yes I am thinking of sorting my directories links by pagedata but the only glitch in it is Yahoo's api as it does not allow more than 5000 queries per day
Yes it is sad to see so many pr chasers instead of providing a real service, perhaps if we can get people to see through some of the crap posted by thread jumpers decent questions like this will get seen and the points taken. Don't you find it annoying when you post a half decent question only to see it clouded by crappy posting? Wish people would take the directory scene a little more seriously maybe it would improve then, we can live in hope.
What a question, it really gets you to think. For virtually every feature we offer users there seems to be something also offered to webmasters, so for example we offer the users the ability to subscribe to RSS feeds of news pushed live from listed sites, i.e. product announcements from clothes sites, but this also requires webmasters push their news to us. The user gains feeds on their topic of interest while the webmaster gains an advertising outlet. We do have a Jabber server and in the interests of keeping visitors happy we will not list business sites that do not clearly display a trading address, phone number and offer an online contact method. The second is of benefit to shoppers etc and not webmasters, however we can argue that by keeping the users happy by listing sites that they can contact that the shoppers will keep coming back to our directory and therefore it is of benefit to webmasters as an increase in traffic. Even the act of categorising listings properly to make the directory easier for visitors to use also has a benefit for webmasters. As such I think that anything we do for users will also be of benefit to webmasters. The reverse of course isn't true. Therefore to answer your question of what do we offer users but not webmasters the only answer I can give is, nothing.
I don't think the OP meant something for users but not webmasters in the literal sense tolra, it seemed to me the OP was asking us to give our views on features a 'normal run of the mill' user would benefit and not just webmasters. I may be wrong though, we all read in different ways.
You could well be right The Pheonix, but because of "not webmasters" I figured the OP was after features for users only, well if we assume features targeted at users then my post should have read: Categorised listings with per category latest listings feeds Only listing business sites that display contact information News feeds of news items from listed sites, if/when supplied Currency converter Jabber server
It's interesting how the focus on pleasing webmasters has led to a loss of focus on the visitor experience. As far as I'm concerned, visitors will be looking for relevancy and usefulness, as well as ease of use. I've tried to achieve this by maintaining strict guidelines for inclusion, and having a search feature that lists matching categories as well as matching websites.
Mostly directories are for webmasters. For common users, I think directory offers internet resources, the travel guiding and health helping, but all depends on you only list useful resources. I think that's what my directory offers to user.
Really what most directories are offering as their meat-and-potatoes service is an easy way to search for related sites. Since generally speaking web directories list newer sites it is a good place to search if you are thinking of starting up a blog or want to scope out your competition's web presence, just because you have a blog or a website does not make you a 'webmaster'. So I would say the goal of most directories is to have a comperhensive listing of relevant related sites to search, for a web savy person. To that end I have been incoporating multiple search methods into my directories, including search box via keyword, a-z listing and listing via page rank.
We offer them $19,000 (£10,000) to improve their ecological living. Everybody can receive that support. Plus other environment, green living related information.
Well for normal visitors, my Web Directory offers Free Templates! I plan to extend it by starting entertainment and technology blog.
I would also like to know what services you directory provides to users, not only webmasters. I created a Wii Directory and not only would like to offer webmasters a link and other related services but also want users that own or want a Wii to come to my directory site and find information. Many of the directories I've seen their details page is very basic and the default. I am looking at adding more to the details page to benefit the user. Do non-webmasters really care about Alexa traffic? Any suggestions would be great. wii-directory.com
Crappy postings like this one right? You don't even own a directory and you've already spewed SOOO MUCH CRAP. I can't imagine what will happen when / if you ever do. General rule you should walk the walk before you talk the talk and in your case just atleast crawl alittle.
Since you asked...... Bloggeries provides its users with a full blog resource. -We offer Blog Reviews to members of our directory. They offer constructive critism and great exposure. Something for everyone regardless if it's your blog being reviewed. -We Offer a blogger forum where users can talk about blog promotion, show off their blogs, share ideas and do link exchanges with other bloggers. - We give away free blog polls so our users can interact with their readers. Interactivity is important in the blog scene. - We are building an a-z blog tutorial so newbies and experts alike can find what they need. Things are coming along running a resource is MUCH MORE exciting than just a directory and part of the reason I had a ~25% traffic increase in May was due to the additonal features than just a directory. Cool thread!