DMOZ is dead

[Koz]

DMOZ founder Rich Skrenta has announced that DMOZ is dead: http://www.skrenta.com/2006/12/dmoz_had_9_lives_used_up_yet.html
Apparently the machine holding dmoz in AOL ops crashed. Standard backups had been discontinued for some reason; during unsuccessful attempts to restore some of the lost data, ops blew away the rest of the existing data on the system.

Can you imagine the impact?

[Paz]

Hi Koz,

I can't imagine that no one would move to snap up DMOZ if AOL ever wanted to get rid of it. I know AOL have had problems and that the ODP directory isn't top priority for them but they have fixed the Editor login.

If they did scrap the directory then the ramifications would be enormous. Google mirror the directory and I'm pretty sure use it to seed their Trust Rank algorithm. Also the home page is PR8 and the site has over 3 million pages. If it went AWOL, Google would have to do a Page Rank update pretty quickly.... LOL

Anyway, the domain expires on Jan 2nd 2007. It might be worth sticking in a bid..... 8-)

[Blazingpie]

Anyway, the domain expires on Jan 2nd 2007. It might be worth sticking in a bid..... 8-)

Lol, I wonder how many ppl are waiting to snap that domain name up XD

[Glen]

Lol, I wonder how many ppl are waiting to snap that domain name up XD
nobody IMO, even if it does expire they still get plenty of time to re-reg it before anyone else can :wink:

[Chatmaster]

For some reason I missed this post. Well editing is back up since the 18th of December. This RIP sounds to me like a wishfull thinking exercise. I am back editing and so are many others.

[Paz]

Hi Chatmaster,

I've been trying to submit a few sites since November but the submit url is broken. Obviously it'll take some time to clear the backliog - can you update us here when DMOZ are accepting submissions again?

Cheers,
Paz.

[Chatmaster]

Will do :)

[Glen]

Will do :)

Didn't know you were an editor, i would like to know aswell

Havnt got one site in dmoz

[daniel]

yes all, we have our very own DMOZ editor hanging out here in our forum.

You have kept that one very quiet chatmaster

it would be good if you could post ALL your DMOZ editor priveledged info here for us all to see, cmon, ill buy you a couple beers next time we meet up.

he he

Daniel

[lineops001]

Oh yes, please let us know when the submissions is working again.

I'm guessing the backlog is pretty big even so....

[Chatmaster]

Hi guys

I just submitted my SAMarketing site so it seems it is all back to normal. :D

[Dave A]

Hmm. I need a clue as to what category to list The Forum SA. I had a go ages ago, but it was when DMOZ was not taking submissions. Any suggestions?

[Chatmaster]

Dave I would think that this category would be best http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Africa/South_Africa/Business_and_Economy/
There is no specific cat for forums though, although your site is much more than just a forum.

[Dave A]

Thanks. That looks like the business :)

[Snoopy_inc]

Its not dead anymore i just submitted a url and it worked fine.

[Glen]

lol i think this was quite old

But it's rankings in Google have plummeted, it must have very little trust now ;)

[Chatmaster]

I see two issues here. DMOZ has not moved on with times, therefore its page structure and the way links are being judge by Google atm has effected its rankings dramatically. DMOZ also do not have the same amount of buz around it as maybe a few years ago so their backlink acquisitions have shrunk dramatically. That they are still valuable is without a doubt true, but then again the same goes for any directory with their age and amount of PR.

[Dave A]

lol i think this was quite old

But it's rankings in Google have plummeted, it must have very little trust now ;)
I remember a fair amount of speculation at the time that DMOZ might not come back to life. It wasn't taking submissions for quite a while.

But back it is, although there has been waaay less talk of it taking submissions again than when it wasn't. The way of the world, I guess.

[marketraise]

I have been trying to get my website submitted to the DMOZ directory for the last 6 months.The submission process is as follows.You read the rules and guidelines and submit your website to the directory manually.Once the submission is done a message is flashed across the screen that reads "Your submission has been approved .It will be reviewed by an administrator before it is added to our list."After this is done another message props up as a hint saying that for quicker reviewing of your website it is advisable that you sign up as an editor to dmoz as the review might take up to 4-6 weeks.Signing up as an editor will get the review done faster.Once you sign up as an editor the message is flashed again saying "your request will be reviewed by an already existing editor before being accepted."This might take upto 4-6 weeks.
As it is I am tired and have lost ideas as to how I could get my website listed on Dmoz. Kindly help me.

[Chatmaster]

Which category did you submit it to?

[Dave A]

If you're checking for active editors for categories, Chatmaster, could you check on the category you recommended for me above. I did the submission straight away and no sign of progress.

I also considered applying as an editor, but time constraints and a conflict of interest with a site under application was enough to make me think better of it.

[PaulNHS]

We have been try to get index by DOMZ for like 7 months now and still nothing. I hope DMOZ died a slow death. LoL

[Jocelyn]

Just got one in within 2 weeks... so there is some action...

[Dave A]

*Sniff* Still no The Forum SA listed :(

Obviously some categories are not getting looked after, or I've just got a cr*ppy site that doesn't make the grade.

[Chatmaster]

Sent you a PM

[Dave A]

Thanks for the note - much appreciated.

[Jocelyn]

Am I wrong when I think I saw someone post there was a way to see where your submission got lost or if it was rejected or still in the review line... not sure...

[marketraise]

I am sorry.Initially I ,too was frustrated at the time consumed by DMOZ to get me a listing.But then after months of frustration my website submission has finally been approved by the DMOZ editorial team and has been put in the respective category.It took 8 months to get the nod ,since it was a free subscription.I had already given up hope and when I asked members from various forums they came up with 2 options a)DMOZ is no longer important and 2)Bribe the editor.Well I didn't believe the first and neither did I try the second one.So people who still have their website waiting for approval in the cue don't get dis heartened just submit it to the most relevant category .Incase your website has 10 keywords and you optimize your website properly for all of them, then try submitting it to the category that has the minimum amount of approvals pending.That will surely help.I did that and was successful.

[Dave A]

TFSA is still not listed. Pretty sad, really. I never got a response from your advice in the PM either, Roelof.

With it being 9 months now or more, I've resubmitted.

Marketraise - How the heck do you see how many submissions are pending in a category?

[GeBo]

well did you try to contact the category editor?

[trinitybrown]

oh really but why? can you tell me when will it become alive again

[gavner]

wow i didnt know that but thanks for the info

[Dave A]

Two years later and still no listing. :cry:
well did you try to contact the category editor?
How do you do that? How do you even know who the category editor is?

To give some idea, I followed Chathead's advice which involved a little direct emailing and that didn't raise any kind of response.

If DMOZ isn't dead, at the very least it has black holes where things just disappear, never to be seen or heard of again.

Happily I still get lots of search engine traffic without it, but it is rather frustrating if this is supposed to be an authorative directory and you simply can't get a listing processed.

[walker007]

I think the Open Directory project will be superseded by the distributed directory model. Everyone gets to have their own slice of the directory, to edit, promote and run in their own way.

When Dmoz started, setting up a directory was a big deal. Not any more. This is why we have a billion smaller directories, many of which are not at all important. But as a group their importance is growing, so there's no need to stress over one directory being unavailable, no matter how big and behemoth-like it is.

[newbie2010]

Yes, I also notice that now DMOZ does not drive more traffic.

[mariyanhardy]

DMOZ has not acted in time, so that the structure of the site and how links are to judge by atm Google made its ranking dramatically. DMOZ is not the same amount of buz around maybe a few years ago by backlink acquisition declined dramatically. That are still valuable is probably true, but again the same for any folder on your age and the amount of public relations.

[usainternetmarketing]

oh no thats a bad news. Dmoz shouldn't be dead.

[euntt01]

DMOZ has not put forward with the times, so its structure and links to web pages the way is being used by Google ATMs has greatly affect their ranking judges.

[matthewleak]

DMOZ did not shift with time, therefore its search structure and the way atm links are made ​​by a judge HER Google ranking dramatically. DMOZ does not have the same number also buz around it, maybe a few years ago how so their purchase back shrunk dramatically.

[jhonhardy]

I remember a fair amount of speculation at the time that DMOZ might not come back to life. It wasn't taking submissions for quite a while.

[jhonhardy]

DMOZ also do not have the same amount of buz around it as maybe a few years ago so their backlink acquisitions have shrunk dramatically.

[usainternetmarketing]

Yah that is absolutely fine that links from DMOZ directory are not so worthy now as in the past years but still it is important to build back link of your website in Dmoz directory because there are less resources for link builders on internet to build back link same like that there are also less resources for search engines to calculate the relevancy of the search results and serve them against specific search queries, still it will consider DMOZ as one the relevancy checking and result serving factor for SERP's.