hutcheson - 6:15 am on Oct 17, 2006 (gmt 0)

>Why should sites with broad categories be punished?

We really don't have the means to punish sites. And if we did, "having broad categories" wouldn't be on the list of high-profile crimes.

All we have is a way to reward sites. And the obvious question is "why should sites with SHALLOW content be REWARDED?" And the only reasonable answer is "they shouldn't." The fact is, of course, that each person has a finite amount of available effort, and it can be used to dig deep, or to spread wide.

But the former is often useful to surfers looking for information, the latter generally isn't. On the web today, organizational sites combining breadth with depth, can easily and completely dominate the broad, shallow single-contributor sites. But there are many topics on which a single dedicated person with significant relevant personal experience can still create an unmatched resource, using only his own knowledge and effort.