Interview with David DuVal Owner of PHP link directory
Directory-Owners.Com is happy to announce the long awaited interview with David DuVal Owner of PHP link directory has now been published. You are able to view the interview below. Once again we would like to thank David DuVal for taking part!
You can view the PHP Link directory script here:-
http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/
Q. Are you able to give us a short insight into your background?
I started working on the internet in 1998. I was working at a dance studio
as a ballroom dance instructor. At night I worked on the website for the
studio. I was quickly fascinated with search engine optimization, and I was
able to get the studio to rank #1. As time progressed I started helping with
other sites, such as vendors to the ballroom dance industry, and then many
others outside the industry. Over time, I have met and worked with lots of
interesting and talented people from all over the world, and I really love
working with other people.
Q. How did the idea of PHP link directory come to you? Did you expect it to
be one of the industry leaders?
Initially, my first goal was to create a method for tracking all the link
exchange requests I was sending out. I would research the backlinks of other
sites, and then email webmasters with similar interest to see if they would
exchange links. It would get complicated trying to figure out who I had
emailed, so with the help of a PHP programmer we came up with PHP Link
Directory version 1 probably around 2002. It wasn't called PHP Link
Directory back then. I was just something to help me manage links. If we
have any phpLD history buffs, you can still download v1 here:
http://www.netcreated.com/directory.zip
In early 2005 I purchased the domain phplinkdirectory.com and immediately
started offering phpLD v2 freely for download. I did not expect to be one of
the industry leaders at the time, but as people found out about it, we
quickly grew, and thousands of people downloaded and installed the software.
In early 2006, we had reached a point where we decided we needed to go to a paid version. We were getting tons of requests for mods and support, and
felt the best way to help people was to start collecting some money that we
could reinvest into the script. We have moved at a brisk development pace.
Since February 1, 2006, there have been 7 releases (once per month!). We
will be releasing v3.07 in a month or so, with some exciting new features
and improvements.
Q. What was your biggest challenge getting the PHP link directory script to
where it is now?
The biggest challenge over the last couple of years has been balancing
support with development. If you spend too much time with support, you don't have time on development. If you add features too quickly, you end up
getting loaded up with support requests. So a careful balance must be
achieved between support and development.
Q. With so many directories, what do you see for the future of the industry?
People are always going to need to have a way to organize links or other
information in an organized fashion, and this need will not be going away
anytime soon. In the future, there will be better ways to organize the
information, as well as exchange this information with others. Probably the
biggest challenge for people right now is to find either new types of
information to organized, or organizing the same information in a better
way. There is certainly a problem with seeing the same links and categories
across multiple sites, and I think the people that will be successfully will
be the ones that find ways to make the information they offer more helpful
and unique.
Q. With many website owners now placing high level's of attention to SEO, do you think that directories will have to evolve to keep up with the changes
on the internet?
While there will always be a need to organize links on your website,
offering the same type of info as everyone else is not going to cut it. For
example, waiting for links to be submitted to you is not going to produce
content that is high in quality and uniqueness. A successful directory will
seek out qualty content proactively. I have recently released a mod for
phpLD that allows you to easily add content to your site very similar to the
method used at del.icio.us. Here is a link to a little more info:
http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/articlescript/New_Del_icio_us_Mod_for_v3_06.php. We have some other interesting ways to improve content addition and
delivery coming soon.
Q. What do you think are the main key points to a successful directory?
You need a beautiful design and quality content.
Q. Do you own any other sites or scripts?
Yes, here are some of the other scripts I offer:
www.dancestudiomanager.com
www.newstopica.com
www.articlescript.org
www.phpmaps.com
www.phpmysite.com
www.regionaldirectory.org
www.phpdictionary.com (free)
Q. How do you relax at the end of the day?
I love to dance with my wife, and we are active in the ballroom dance scene,
and compete several times per year.
You can view this interview at:-
http://www.directory-owners.com/showthread.php?p=2686#post2686
Interview by Directory-Owners.Com
Directory-Owners.Com is happy to announce the long awaited interview with David DuVal Owner of PHP link directory has now been published. You are able to view the interview below. Once again we would like to thank David DuVal for taking part!
You can view the PHP Link directory script here:-
http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/
Q. Are you able to give us a short insight into your background?
I started working on the internet in 1998. I was working at a dance studio
as a ballroom dance instructor. At night I worked on the website for the
studio. I was quickly fascinated with search engine optimization, and I was
able to get the studio to rank #1. As time progressed I started helping with
other sites, such as vendors to the ballroom dance industry, and then many
others outside the industry. Over time, I have met and worked with lots of
interesting and talented people from all over the world, and I really love
working with other people.
Q. How did the idea of PHP link directory come to you? Did you expect it to
be one of the industry leaders?
Initially, my first goal was to create a method for tracking all the link
exchange requests I was sending out. I would research the backlinks of other
sites, and then email webmasters with similar interest to see if they would
exchange links. It would get complicated trying to figure out who I had
emailed, so with the help of a PHP programmer we came up with PHP Link
Directory version 1 probably around 2002. It wasn't called PHP Link
Directory back then. I was just something to help me manage links. If we
have any phpLD history buffs, you can still download v1 here:
http://www.netcreated.com/directory.zip
In early 2005 I purchased the domain phplinkdirectory.com and immediately
started offering phpLD v2 freely for download. I did not expect to be one of
the industry leaders at the time, but as people found out about it, we
quickly grew, and thousands of people downloaded and installed the software.
In early 2006, we had reached a point where we decided we needed to go to a paid version. We were getting tons of requests for mods and support, and
felt the best way to help people was to start collecting some money that we
could reinvest into the script. We have moved at a brisk development pace.
Since February 1, 2006, there have been 7 releases (once per month!). We
will be releasing v3.07 in a month or so, with some exciting new features
and improvements.
Q. What was your biggest challenge getting the PHP link directory script to
where it is now?
The biggest challenge over the last couple of years has been balancing
support with development. If you spend too much time with support, you don't have time on development. If you add features too quickly, you end up
getting loaded up with support requests. So a careful balance must be
achieved between support and development.
Q. With so many directories, what do you see for the future of the industry?
People are always going to need to have a way to organize links or other
information in an organized fashion, and this need will not be going away
anytime soon. In the future, there will be better ways to organize the
information, as well as exchange this information with others. Probably the
biggest challenge for people right now is to find either new types of
information to organized, or organizing the same information in a better
way. There is certainly a problem with seeing the same links and categories
across multiple sites, and I think the people that will be successfully will
be the ones that find ways to make the information they offer more helpful
and unique.
Q. With many website owners now placing high level's of attention to SEO, do you think that directories will have to evolve to keep up with the changes
on the internet?
While there will always be a need to organize links on your website,
offering the same type of info as everyone else is not going to cut it. For
example, waiting for links to be submitted to you is not going to produce
content that is high in quality and uniqueness. A successful directory will
seek out qualty content proactively. I have recently released a mod for
phpLD that allows you to easily add content to your site very similar to the
method used at del.icio.us. Here is a link to a little more info:
http://www.phplinkdirectory.com/articlescript/New_Del_icio_us_Mod_for_v3_06.php. We have some other interesting ways to improve content addition and
delivery coming soon.
Q. What do you think are the main key points to a successful directory?
You need a beautiful design and quality content.
Q. Do you own any other sites or scripts?
Yes, here are some of the other scripts I offer:
www.dancestudiomanager.com
www.newstopica.com
www.articlescript.org
www.phpmaps.com
www.phpmysite.com
www.regionaldirectory.org
www.phpdictionary.com (free)
Q. How do you relax at the end of the day?
I love to dance with my wife, and we are active in the ballroom dance scene,
and compete several times per year.
You can view this interview at:-
http://www.directory-owners.com/showthread.php?p=2686#post2686
Interview by Directory-Owners.Com
