DMOZ: A Solid Directory Or The Great Pumpkin Of Search? by Debra Mastaler, Search Engine Land (OCt 27)
If becoming a Great Pumpkin means fading away after Halloween, then ODP/dMOZ is already there, in my opinion. Debra Mastlaer takes on finding out how the Open Directory Project (aka dMoz) actually works - and how it continues with so many category without editors. ODP was once a fine directory, and it seems that SEO people still want their website listed there. They don't always submit to the right category (and not doing so means immediate discard), but they do persist. Google uses its copy of ODP in its ranking - this is alluded to - we don't know to what degree but it probably the reason people go to some effort to be added. But this operation is on a broken shoestring (say I from what I can see). It's all volunteer editors (how many people can sustain interest on a voluntee basis), except for a handful of staff and some premises they might be getting at AOL. Read it anyway - interviewer Debra Mastaler gets some information from Editor in Chief, Bob Keating. At least we learn why there are two names: DMOZ vs ODP. We don't learn what the plans are for the future - other than more of the same.
Posted by Gwen at October 28, 2009 08:12 PM