DMOZ editors are supposed to be professionals in the category that they choose to edit and review. They are also supposed to have high standards when it comes to giving the general public quality websites with content that pertains to the category in which they are editing. But, is this really the case or does the absolute power given by DMOZ corrupt these editors into making decisions based on just what they like or as favors to the owners of the websites they are reviewing
When you submit your website to the DMOZ directory it is then handed off to an editor to review your website, all of your website pages and to intelligently write the description of your site. Whether your website is included is in their hands, they have the power to include, delete, and even ignore your submission. How the power that DMOZ gives influences their overall behavior is another subject. You will find that the thought of having absolute power does affect each editor and reviewer in various ways.
If the editor is honest and upholds the standards that are set by DMOZ then power has not gone to their head and they understand that working as a team member to create the largest directory with quality websites is the main goal then your website will reviewed on its own merit. This is the type of editor you hope will review your website. Your website will have a much better chance of being included and at a much faster rate.
But, remember, the editors and reviewers at DMOZ are also human. No matter where you go you will find people that are not honest in their dealings. DMOZ gives them power and many do not know how to handle this responsibility in a business like manner and have unscrupulous behavior, as with any group. When one of these editors, reviews a website, it may not be gone over with the DMOZ standards in mind. The God Syndrome as I like to call it takes over, and they will make their decision from their own standards and ignore quality websites.
This is kind of like putting a child in a room full of chocolate and asking him to only choose the best ones out of the bunch and leave the others alone. In his mind, all chocolate is good, no matter the size, the manufacturer, or the ingredients. He will of course not pay much attention to what he is really choosing and will probably choose the flashy and colorful packaging. As a DMOZ editor looks over a website, do they really look for quality content that is useful or do they just say This one looks fine and goes no farther than the front page. I believe this does happen quite often as many of the websites in DMOZ only have one page and no other content. As an example, you can check out under Home, Cooking, under Chili and you will see what I mean. Many of these only have one webpage, only one to three recipes and several advertisements. Is this really considered a quality website with original, unique and valuable informational content that contributes something unique to the categorys subject
I am not saying that every editor at DMOZ lets this absolute power cloud their judgment, but we are talking about human nature and it takes all kinds of people to create a large directory such as DMOZ, good and bad. The quality editors will do their best to include websites with high standards and will only be out to benefit the directory as a whole. But, you will also find editors that are out to make a name for themselves, get something in return for including websites or just dont really care who or what they include.
So, does absolute power corrupt absolutely I would have to say, yes, in certain individuals that do not have the integrity it takes to be a team player, only consider themselves or their own group of acquaintances, clients, or affiliates, and love the feel of absolute power over others. If world leaders can be corrupt when given power then you must agree that an editor of DMOZ can also be corrupted, absolutely.
If you want to take the guesswork out of directory submission try the list of free directories at the authors site at
Viral marketing can work wonders for any business,web site or product. It can be a great sourceof sales leads, one-way links and targeted traffic. Yet, many marketers are not taking full advantage of this viral factor in their marketing efforts.
How about you Are you using any viral marketing methods with your web site Or does the word viralmake you cringe
Many people believe viral marketing is a myth, one of those Internet follies that only happens on rare occasions when some fantastic product orsite comes along.
In reality, viral marketing techniques can be usedby any web site -- big or small. They can be used byany marketer who takes the time to put some simple steps into place. Viral marketing done right can havemany benefits. It will:
* increase your link popularity (often one way links)
* increase targeted traffic to your site
* build your brand recognition
* create targeted leads for your products
* automate your marketing efforts
Here are some simple viral marketing techniquesyou can try with your web site, product or business:
1. Word of Mouth We have all seen this phenomenon displayed with many products . People spread the word about some great movie or gadget and suddenly everyone knows about it. Human nature dictates we tell our friends about some great product we have bought or found. Nature of the beast, its just the way we are; so why not take full advantage of it
If you have a web site -- put up a simple tell a friend formso your visitors can easily tell others about your great site.Easy and very simple to do but many webmasters dont do it. Similarly, if you have a newsletter, service, product or with any aspect of your site... just include a few sentences at theend of your copy, asking very politely, if you found thisservice, product or web site helpful -- why not tell your friends,family and colleagues about it.
2. Branding Make sure you have a logo on your site or product.Branding your site is very important if you want your site or productto be noticed and talked about. For that matter, a catchy brand namecan be a viral technique in itself; so try and come up with onethat springs from the lips with a distinctive ring to it!
People recognize brands, it gives them a clear image of yoursite or product. Include your brand or logo on every page of yoursite and on every product, service, material coming from yoursite or business.
3. eBooks Savvy marketers jumped on this new invention very quickly, they knew the viral power of these little ebooks. Ebooks are electronic files that can be downloaded from any web site and distributed easily around the web. You can also have other webmasters or marketers, re-brand these ebooks with their own links. High quality ebooks get passed along very quickly and are great viral tools.
Anyone can write a simple ebook on the topic of their site. If you cant write, just get permission to use a collection of articles from the numerous article directories on the web such as www.ezinearticles.com or www.goarticles.com . Ebook compiling software (in both .exe or pdf format) is relativelycheap or can be found for free on the net. Just Google to find it!
4. Viral Software Some simple software products or applications can be very viral, often passed around or downloaded from the web by thousands each day. These have to be useful or handy products that the users will desire: ecalendars, organizers, personal planners, link checking software, and so on. Many are desktop products that sit on the computer users desktop; prime location in the marketing arena.
And the best examples of this kind of viral software have the company logo, sales message and contact email -- with LIVE LINKS to all of the above -- conveniently displayed within the product. These simple software programs can be great viral promotional devices that spread like wildfire across the web. (get an example of this below in the authors resource box)
5. RSS Newest player in the viral game! RSS which stands for Really Simple Syndication and just by the nature of what it does; RSS is an awesome viral tool. Originally used by news organizations to syndicate their news stories, it is usually associated with Blogs because blogs use an RSS feed to distribute their content. Good quality RSS feeds are picked up and displayed by different web sites all across the web.
Since Microsoft has announced the next version of Windows will have RSS integrated into its operating system, new RSS applications will take viral marketing to heights that have not been witnessed before.Alert marketers are already gearing up for this viral explosion.
You should also be gearing up for RSS if you havent already. Using a simple site like blogger.com (owned by Google) will give you a basicblog and RSS feed to spread your message or product to all interestedparties.
These are just some viral techniques that will help increase yourweb presence. They will also boost your traffic and increase your links.Used properly, these viral techniques will also spread your web site, product or service around the globe.
What more can you ask for
Get a Free DATEwise eCalendar & Personal Planner for your Desktop. Its
a perfect example of viral marketing in action! Click here for Free Desktop Calendar
Copyright 2005 Titus Hoskins of Free Marketing Tools
This article may be freely distributed if this resource box stays attached.