Open Directory Project (ODP),

[samename]

Open Directory Project (ODP), ?

it seems very useful to submit to this as many search engines reference this database BUT ... (i may be naive or paranoid)

can anyone set my mind at ease and tell me that the netscape that administers it is not "NETSCAPE" the browser?

 

[Webtwink]

well

well i didn't exactly understand ur question but here is my info. Editors check the urls that are submitted to ODP, and if they have good quality and orginality they are accepted.


**AD** : Enter Enom Domain Contest Exclusively at Name Pros

 

[SlashRoot.Com]

Yes, owned by AOL/Netscape group. Now AOL calls the shots if my memory serves me right.

 

[painperdu]

Re: Open Directory Project (ODP),

Originally posted by samename
Open Directory Project (ODP), ?

it seems very useful to submit to this as many search engines reference this database BUT ... (i may be naive or paranoid)

can anyone set my mind at ease and tell me that the netscape that administers it is not "NETSCAPE" the browser?

You sound sort of cynic . . .

DMOZ was formed in the better days of the once promising Netscape Corporation and a quick trip to the 'Social Contract' section of the DMOZ site should give a glimpse into the better side of the now much hated failed browser company.

It's funny now how much Netscape gets trashed as compared to it's once glorious times.

 

[identity_00]

DMOZ is good if you can get in. That is the hard part.
You almost have to create a bad website to get in. Then wait and wait till it is accepted (if ever) then redesign it.

Harse but true.

 

[teebob21]

Control of Dmoz

Originally posted by SlashRoot.Com
Yes, owned by AOL/Netscape group. Now AOL calls the shots if my memory serves me right.

Just thought everyone should know: DMOZ/ODP is an open source directory, ran mostly by volunteers. AOL has nothing to do with it. It's kind of like the Linux of Search engines (crude, crude analogy, I know ).

The volunteers (editors) who review submitted sites in ODP have strict guidleines by which to go by. If you don't follow the rules you can lose your spot as an editor. Whether you let a site in or not is totally up to you.

Anyway, the reason it takes so long to get in is because there are not enough editors. I should know, I am one! Anyone can become one, you just need to apply for the position.

Editors sometimes get involved with things other than volunteer open-source work, (like social and personal lives!), so don't get too offended if it takes a while to get in.

Submit, then give it about two weeks. If you aren't in, re-submit. Rinse, lather, and repeat.

If you want to make ODP accept sites faster, become an editor for a category. The cats without editors only get reveiwed about every two months, so apply if you can seriously commit to helping the open source cause.

Happy to supply the correct info.
teebob

 

[armstrong]

You can even be an editor in the category where you want your company listed. But you have to be upfront about it, and commit to being impartial in your editorial tasks, which could mean adding and modifying your competitors' entries.

 

[teebob21]

That's right. I was the editor of the traffic exchange section, back when I was in to that portion of e-biz. I posted many a competitor's site to the search engines.

Impartiality is the key.

 

[JMJ]

Overrated is all I can say. No matter how much they want people to think the editors are impartial it's not true in any way shape or form. I myself was an editor and had a heated battle with an editor who kept deleting one of my competing sites from the category he edited. After a year or so of me complaining and three or four years of his reign as editor I assume they figured it out. But, unfortunatly now noone is editing the category and I guess I got blacklisted for my complaints. Oh well, life will go on and my traffic hasn't been affected one bit... All in all it was a total waste of my time and energy.

 

[identity_00]

It must be great to own a company were volunteers can run your business and everyone believes it!

 

[SlashRoot.Com]

It's hard to believe they were/are having perpetual time out issues and hardware problems for such a long time if you look at the food chain:
Time Warner owns AOL --> owns Netscape --> owns ODP

However, with TW eager to dump AOL, and AOL reportedly planning on dumping Netscape in favor it's own browser, it's only the volunteer and open source crowd that is likely to keep it togetner -a la Mozilla.

It is a good project, has a lot of potential. I have had nothing but great experience with the editors I had interacted with. I am sure there must be some bad apples, but I would think the majority of DMOZ volunteers are good folks.

 

[teebob21]

Keep in mind that Netscape and AOL are too far removed from the spirit of Open-Source to dedicate any wothwhile time/money/resources to help ODP. However, the DMOZ project should keep us limping along until someone gets a new server for ODP. If you think its bad using it, you should try editing. It's even sssssssllllllllllllooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

(Yeah, it's about like that.)

 

[jj2ii3344]

Is the DMOZ project kind of dead right now??

 

[teebob21]

Certainly not dead, as far as the ODP and DMOZ is concerned. In fact, it's SO alive and active that the resources provided for this are overextended. Getting accepted into the ODP is the fastest way to get into Google, bar none.

(Unless of course you are in a category with a lazy editor, in which case if you are linked to, Google will pick you up on its own...)

 

[jj2ii3344]

Thanks TeeBob21! Because it has occured to me that DMOZ was actually down for quite sometime several months ago!

 

[Chris_C]

Because it has occured to me that DMOZ was actually down for quite sometime several months ago!

They were having some major issues with their site over the last few months to the point where submission was impossible. The upside was that it gave the editors some much needed time to catch up with backlog.

Getting accepted into the ODP is the fastest way to get into Google

It's a great way to get a stronger presense into google (it is the google directory afterall) but I'm not sure it's legal to include *ODP* and *fast* in the same sentence. :P

 

[teebob21]

ODP and Google

(it is the google directory afterall) but I'm not sure it's legal to include *ODP* and *fast* in the same sentence.

My only response to that is : apparently you don't submit to my cat. I check and update all my sites twice a week. If you know anyone who is running a traffic exchange, tell them to submit the damn thing and give me a week to look at it...

Also...I've received some clarification about the relationship b/w Google and DMOZ. ODP isnt the "Google Directory"...rather, Google uses DMOZ results for its directory listings. Google and DMOZ aren't linked in any other way...unless you count hyperlinks...:lol: Man, I'm so funny...

Anyway I found out the reason a DMOZ listing gives you an instant PageRank boost.

Your PR is calculated based on the number of incoming links to your page. That sum is figured by giving each link a "PR ratio". If you are linked to by a site with PR 2 and there are 2 total outgoing links on that page, the link passes on a Google PR of 1 to your page. I call this "LinkRank". (Formula: Link's PR divided by total outgoing links=LR.) This division by number of outgoing links is how Google penalizes you for being a link farm. You might get PR of 8, but if you have 8,000 outgoing links, each one' LR is pretty worthless.

When you get into DMOZ...thats a big PR right there, plus all of the other directories and sites that use ODP data. Even though the individual LR is so low, they add up.

A Google tip that I maybe shouldn't tell you guys is available at one of my friend's websites. Go to http://www.sharedinvestor.com/info/ugly.php to read about it.

 

[FruitFish]

Very nice article teebob, Thanks!

 

[teebob21]

PS: There is other great (and free) information on that site. He's always looking for new stuff, so if you got something you wrote and want it published, send it in! If there isnt a catagory, (ie, you domain name gurus...) he'll make one!

In fact, consider this a solicitation for material to publish!

 

[FruitFish]

BTW...

Happy Birthday teebob!