Dmoz part 2
Hi guys
I have decided to follow up my shame on Dmoz post with an update, I didn’t realise what kind of a response I would get from such a post.
I really didn’t expect the kind of negative views and abuse that I have received, although Alucard on Digital point was helpful so I would like to thank him for his time.
Why Single Out Dmoz
The object of my exercise wasn’t to single out Dmoz, Dmoz are the biggest directory on the net, that is why i targeted them for chat room safety and i wanted to make a point that some of the sites they have listed are not safe. They have a lot of influance on the net, much more than I could ever hope to have.
If Dmoz were to remove these sites I had hoped it might set some kind of precedence to webmasters who don’t care about chat room safety.
This is certainly a problem for lots of directories and not just Dmoz, so my intention wasnt to take pot shots at Dmoz, but since I had targetted them first, I had to approach it from a strong position.
Did It Work
NOPE, seems Dmoz just list sites, they dont actually care about the content of the sites at all, never mind safety, so my safety campaign didnt work at all, if your site meets their criteria you might well get listed or not lol !
I also got a lot of negative comments which I was quite shocked about, after all chat room safety is a good thing is it not ?
Seemingly not, the problem with somthing like this, is its only important when it happens to someone you are close to or who you know. This is a problem that will begin to grow slowly as more people get online.
As Admin at World of Chat, we have often talked about this issue, the conclusion we reached is that nothing will be done about this, until somthing bad actually happens, in the same way that if somone gets knocked down on a certain street, then they put a speed camera there to try to make sure it doesnt happen again.
So the sites i suggested that shouldnt be listed are still there and will continue to be listed and World of Chat will not be listed simple as that !
Woc
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
You expected DMOZ to care? That’s your first mistake.
There are a scant few editors that care and a bunch of vested-interest current and so-called “former” editors out there spreading the generic propaganda “DMOZ is not a listing service for webmasters” line as if it somehow has any relevance to the deeper issues of spam and protection of the innocent (i.e. children).
The only way to deal with DMOZ and avoid ripping your hair out is to treat it for what it is: a glorified link farm. Find one of the six categories left with only a few sites listed, submit it, hope the editor isn’t a corrupt, shifty bastard, and leave it at that. 10 minutes of your life.
This isn’t bitching from someone who doesn’t have things listed in DMOZ, either…I have clients who have pages and sites listed there, and so do I. They just don’t send any real traffic, that’s all.
February 2nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Hi there Adam
To be honest I didnt know if they would care at all, but I thought I would give it a try anyway just to see what kind of a reaction I would get.
I have seen lots of Dmoz editors constantly saying that they care or are misunderstood, I thought I would appeal to their common sense, unfortunatly they are like online politicians, quoting rules and regulations or my fave phrase we are not the `internet police` lol.
I think the size of the directory and the number of people involved make it difficult to enforce any kind of change, no matter what your intentions.
I probably sound like a bitter webmaster now lol, but i am not, I have tryed my best to get a bit of change and it didnt work and thats the end of my safety campaign, so I think your advice is good Adam, submit your site and leave it at that.
Woc