What's so good about DMOZ?

Let's get one things straight, I'm not championing anything other than my own views. I made reference to that post simply because I stumbled across it and didn't like what I saw.

Try not to come across as so patronizing, it won't get you a paid job in Dmoz, you'll always remain a plain old volunteer, I know exactly what the post said. If you'd bother to ask I would have told you the primary reason for posting that link was my horror at reading this part.

There's only one thing that confuses me, why people like you are defending the indefensible by trying to deflect from the main points.

 

Why would I want to get a paid job with the ODP? I have a successful career that that has nothing to do with IT or the internet. The ODP is a hobby, getting to talk to people like you is a just a bonus. I have wondered why a big shot lawyer like you bothers with a tin pot directory like the one in your sig. Is that a hobby too?

As an editor I too was horrified that AOL neglected their hardware/back ups in this way. What I can’t understand is why were you?

 

LOL.

With so many comedians among the DMOZ editors, they should start their own comedy club.

 

I have to concede the guy is incredibly funny.

Here's a joke for you, what's a volunteer editor with dmoz got in common with a pubic hair on a toilet seat?




Sooner or later they'll get pissed off!

oh! Sorry I missed this bit nebuchadrezzar;

Why was I horrified? Because all the hard work done by good people like you was lost due to the ineptitude of people who are paid to make sure it doesn't happen. Reason enough.

 

Aw gee Jamie, I go and re-add gworld to my ignore list and you now you go quoting him. I am not sure that he would get that British humor with his Canadian/Iranian back ground.

Oh. I see. You can relax, it all got restored and no work was lost. Nice of you to be so concerned.

 

They have already The DMOZ Blog. All are Masters of BS.

 

He did.

Nice one.

 

Webmasters are interested in DMOZ. It gives good ranking in google.

 

Hush falguni1. We will have none of that sort of talk here. Many of the members here will tell you that a ODP link is worthless and that it has as much value as writing a link down on a peice of paper and flushing it down the toilet. Apparently a link from a sig at DP is worth many times a junky ODP link.

 

Not sure what abuse of good intentions you're talking about?

Aol Staff work for AOL, so naturely they would get paid, hopefully well paid. It's their real life jobs. I, personally, wouldn't want to work for a corporation, too much infighting and politics. It's a dirty world to operate in.

Anything below that are volunteer positions that get no pay of any kind.

As far as skrenta goes, I've talked to him personally, have you?

My impression is that he hates the corporate AOL as much as you do. My own personal opinion of him is this:
He's Tom Sawyer. He came up with a good idea and he invited suckers like me to come help him paint the fence. Then, he sold us out for money.

Does that mean he's a bad apple? Maybe, maybe not, I don't have all the details to make an informed decision about that.

Does it mean that I should disrespect what he created and accomplished because of it? Absolutely not. As the founder of the Directory and the top editor of all editors, I have a great deal of respect for him.

Do the shenanigans at the corporate level diminish my own motivations and contributions? Hell no, why should it? I had nothing to do with it, and it's none of my business, my concerns are working to create a good resource.

If AOL or anybody else who owns DMOZ makes money on it, so what? What's your beef, they also pay all the bills. I think they're entitled to make a profit or at least break even. They don't invite us to their board meetings, why should they?

That doesn't have a thing to do with what editors do or why editors devote their time to doing it. We're not as ignorant as you seem to think we are.

We have a spot on the map to operate in, a set of Guidelines to work within, just enough corporate help to keep it going, a goal, and the freedom to self govern and take it where we want to take it.

I think it's a pretty sweet deal, myself. We get no interference from AOL, only support. Granted, we would all like more resources and support, we've been neglected for way too long, but, things are starting to move in our direction, so I have nothing but high hopes.

Hell, man, if things go down the tube, so what? Ya think I don't have other things I can be doing?

 

I'll believe you, thousands wouldn't.

 

I corrected your post Jamie.
But why did you say that ? Do they lie ? Do they twist facts ? Are they full of smokescreen and BS ?

btw dmoz.org is back in English version because the bastard in Germany found out that its worthless.

 

Is there any senior editor at all that you don't have the great deal of respect for?

 

Well, you got me there, you're right, I do respect senior editors as being more knowledgeable and experienced in Directory matters than I am.

Of course, if I got promoted to higher privleges because I ass kissed my way there, what would be the purpose, if I wasn't qualified or experienced enough to use the tools or do the job?

I don't need titles for anything, or power, or more responsibilities. I have no websites, so you couldn't accuse me of unfairly promoting those. I have a RL business, so I'm already a CEO.

There must be some reason you think I want higher permissions. What is it?

 

I thought so.

I don't know, you tell me.

I think you mentioned before that this behavior was part of your character.

 

What worries me, is that I like most of you guys, you don't even irritate me anymore, .

 

Yahoo Directory is king, and with much less controversy.

 

You should be worried. Honesty and integrity can be very contiguous and before you know it, they will kick you out of DMOZ. Do you remember oneeye?

 

I think oneeye left on his own, but I like all those Aussies. I never met one I didn't like, at least, and I liked oneeye. People can disagree and still like each other.

The things I try to explain about the ODP are my honest beliefs as I understand them, nothing more. It was an outsiders passion about a category that brought me back to editing, and that person is now an editor, .

 

Oneeye got in trouble after coming here to defend DMOZ and instead learned to open both eyes and see the truth about the corruption in DMOZ. His departure from DMOZ was just a few short steps before getting kicked out for starting unpopular threads in DMOZ internal forum about the organizational corruption in DMOZ.