What is left to offer in directories?

Thanks very much for your kind comments. I'm not necessarily looking for the next best thing, the next best always comes second and who wants to be No2? but I'm not actively seeking that great idea - so I guess my answer is No.

Fame helps a lot, the media is very powerful, but I actually dislike the fame stigma. It's just that the media makes something known very quickly, and it beats chasing links for the rest of my life, and I've been there, so don't recommend it, for it can really zap your time away.

No actually I do still 'do directories' - just not general ones. One local directory did end up in the press, but that was the exception to the rule, and not something I wish to copy. I simply use the media to become well-known, and so people use my site because of that 'fame' as you put it. I don't consider myself to be famous or above anybody else, although I suppose I am in a way due to my website, so it's kind of a weird thing to explain.

Perhaps a little bit of fame, but not as famous as some. But doing the directory thing is more about providing a service than any money I make from it. It's about doing something others can't, and we can't let the big guns have all the fun now can we hehe.

I don't rate Yell.com's site as all that, I mean it's very basic for a multi-million pound company and I've already beaten them on so many levels, yet they trash me from a success point of view - now ask me why. Pretty obvious really - BRANDING , they are famous to a higher level - but how to beat them, and that requires establishing a brand, and doing that on the web only is crazy, and too slow a method to accomplish anything to that higher level.

The press helps with that branding.

Well, some are happy with that. If I have to explain why, it might offend, suffice to say that some shouldn't be running websites at all. Eg: I'm not about to suddenly become a plumber - god, people's houses would be flooded hehe

 

I've bashed and red-repped you in the past Mr King, and I apologise. I now have a better understanding of where you're coming from. You have my deepest sympathy.

 

As much as I cannot stand the crap that comes out of Liams mouth on times he's right on this one.

What I think, and maybe he'll confirm this? Is that a directory with any real aspirations would definitely use the newspapers to advertise itself to let people know its there. People don't type in the word 'web directory' that's pretty much a fact, the only one's who do that are people in the field looking at keyword competition, so what Liam (Event_King) is saying I guess is that you let the people who read newspapers, (and there are a lot of them) know you have an internet presence.

I for one would use them to promote as there is NO better way than offline media to promote online facilities. Ask the CEO's of supermarket.com that. I never heard of the place in 12 years and more on the web until they were advertised on the t.v. Next thing, they were sold for $1600 million.

Power of the press is enormous.

 

My cousin works for Yell.com, i dont have contact with him though, its easy for them though as they existed for so long on paper, everyone can relate to it.

Show me something that is yours, pm or il provide an email that you can send to, i assure you i wont share your site/s but show me something that connects you with the site/s.

If you dont il not ask you any more questions and il leave it at that but il also not believe a word that you say either the reason being that i encounter fantasists all of the time.

Quick little story for you.

Once upon a time pipes (John) Me worked in a warehouse before ever owning a computer and there worked a young man who told all of these stories and all the other guys gave him a name because he always seemed to have stories to tell.

They called him Captain Bulls**t (honestly) and i never did as i said it was unfair and maybe what he told was true and im often the last person to jump in and start being nasty. So months past and i still refused to join the group in the insults towards this person as i kept on saying he was ok until one day...

I finally accepted that the young man was indeed full of nothing more than made up stories, he was a compulsive liar, and to be honest i think his mum didn't give him enough attention or something when he was little so he craved any type of attention from anyone, even if it made him look bad.

And eventually everyone kept a distance from him and he comforted himself by smoking skunk weed and telling more lies funnily enough, lol while he was high

Eventually even his mum left home and went to live on a boat on the canals and left him and his brother to live in the house she left behind, i dont know if he drove her out too or if it was just coincidence but, well.... what do you think about that person?

Let me know if you want my email to send a Url to

 

I'll hit the papers when you come out of the closet and stop hiding in the shadows

 

You need to do your homework on the guy syted, he's a compulsive bullshitter who's been caught out on national television in the UK, by the press, and by just about everyone in the home town he lives in.

That said, he does actually know some of what he's talking about.

 

If he is Liam I think he got Liverpool and New York mixed up....

 

Interesting chats, rather than comment on that i will throw another left turn to " what has web directories got to offer question ", and it is this, I often see a directory does not send me traffic, they are crap and many words to those effects which is fine.

But here is the twist, so far in putting together our Bets stage i have started to list some sites, and here is how i see it, after selecting sites that offer ( or claim to offer ) value to the end user I am already seeing some great pretenders, in that where people are saying i get no visitors from directories, i monitor these sites and guess what.

Yes they are crapola, they wonder why no one visits, yet they let the site die, let links go out of date images errors appear, blogs are not used properly and in general the site turns to rubbish.

These same people i suspect are the same one who sing, i get no visitors.

So I will be turning the tables in that if people want me to spend my time to promote their site, work 24 / 7, spend my money and run a pro outfit that can deliver, then i am going to expect a 2 way street from any site listed, where i would expect those sites listed to maintain and keep their site fresh for visitors, any thing short of that lets every other site listed down, as visitors will not come to view sites if they continually find rubbish.

In that ( and i monitor every site ) any site just blurting or turning to crap, any site that does not at least make an effort to present well or any other related factor, will be short shifted, and they may tell some who cares.

 

There you go, that's a reason why many go bust. When I visit a site, (any site) I want to be assured I'm not dealing with some kid in his bedroom - you know, a proper company complete with trademark, VAT regisitration etc etc.

Time and time again I see these sites and they don't keep updated, no news as to what the company is doing next, no proof of satisfied customers or evidence of their promotion efforts on behalf of clients. Infact zero anything that says "We are a professional and legitimate company" - all these things are is a website, with no company behind it, just 1 man outfits, no structure, just surviving from submit fees and offering nothing of value. Is it any wonder their not taken seriously and go bust or get sold off within a few years.



When I look for my info, I don't think 'directory', I don't even think 'search engine' - I think Keyword, and go to do a search for that and that only, at that time.

I will probably use a search engine, but not always the main ones. More like if I know the url of a cool resource, I'l go direct to that site and NOT use Google. People will go to the site they know, and directories/SE's take advantage of that, with directories being the faster/better resource for specialist info. General searches are mostly done on search engines, so inventing another one of those for a general market is a mistake, since everything has gone niche.

 

Some of the biggest companies in history were started by one man outfits in basements across the world. I wouldn't refuse to deal with anyone based purely on the fact that I couldn't find a trademark, VAT registration or some info in companies house. But thats just me, everyone is given at least one shot.

Well that whole Liam saga springs to mind and what he managed to get away with in all his lies.

First your thinking one dimensional. When I look for, I dont think, I think, I will probably.

It isn't just about you and what you would do. Basing your campaigns solely around what you think is what causes so many failures in this industry.

People don't always go to the sites they know, they are lazy which is why bookmarks were invented, but some are even lazier because they can't be bothered to bookmark so instead they go to the search engines and search for the web site instead of typing out the web site address from memory.

What a load of tosh. Search engines arn't just used for general queries, if they were Yahoo would still be on top given that it was a directory before becoming a search engine.... I can't even be bothered to type the rest, codswallop is all that springs to mind.

 

Being VAT registered and having a registered trademark doesn't guarantee legitimacy, in fact many a scam company have them deliberately to use as eye candy to tempt the unsuspecting. Look how you portrayed your "hosting company" claims when they were nothing more than a Reseller account, you made it look good and many fell for it, what's happened to it now, remind me, or click the link if you've forgotten.

FYI, Richard Branson still works predominantly from his home office as do many others. In fact offices = vanity if you don't need them and they create unnecessary overheads.

You really are a hoot.

 

Well, in my experience web directories will produce traffic. There is lot of directories with good stuff also. In fact google and yahoo also have this funny game.

 

So you're telling me that people use search engines for niche info and speed? - for the same reasons as a proper niche site? So why do so many quit searching after the 4th page on Google, funny because everyone I ever spoke to isn't happy with Google or Yahoo. Maybe you should check the reviews on Yahoo and see if the comments are favourable. You will find many Yahoo haters on there for sure, and I mean real hate here, I'm telling you many are switching to more reliable methods of search, faster too.

Everything has gone niche, and it's something many ignore. It's ignored because niche directories are a threat to the general ones, and only mugs will ignore that threat.

Niche areas have been going for years, Caterer.com is niche, so is CheapFlights and Monster.com - there are thousands of others and these companies will expand further and further until the searcher finally stops using search engines for business related queries. Business search will go totally niche.

 

A Directory feature wishlist.

 

Should be entertaining

 

And that is EXACTLY what is being provided.

 

I'm telling you that people use search engines to find everything, including niche web sites. If you can't comprehend the long tail system thats your loss, I'm tired of trying to teach you.

 

Insults won't get you anywhere and won't help your website either. Shame some can't learn that so important lesson.

 

Perhaps you should learn to read, I didn't in anyway insult you.

 

Okay, sorry, maybe I got that wrong. It's probably my suspicious nature.