jimnoble - 9:26 am on Sep 12, 2012 (gmt 0)

As with so many other similar threads, there's a complete disconnect between what the Open Directory Project actually is and what some website owners want/think it to be.

Many misunderstand our objectives and how we operate here. ODP is a volunteer organisation building a directory as a hobby. Editors edit where they wish, when they wish and as much as they wish within the constraints of their permissions. We have no schedules or systems to force people to do work that they don't volunteer to do. ODP is not primarily a free listing service for website owners and it does not attempt to process their listing suggestions within the time scales desired by them.

OTOH, many website owners look upon us as a source of free PR (to be followed by showers of money falling from the sky). That might have been true in the last century and maybe even in the first half of the last decade, but I don't believe it to be true today. Matt Cutts of Google has made it very clear that an ODP link is just a link.

I'm not impressed by claims of lazy editors. Certainly we have fewer than we had a decade ago but there are still several thousand of us and new ones join every day. Some will routinely process a hundred websites per day, others (who have other demands on their time) will process a few per month. As with most of life, Pareto rulez!

Neither am I impressed by claims of corrupt editors. Yes there have been some over the years but they are usually spotted pretty quickly and fired. We have a zero tolerance to that sort of activity here.

On the other hand, what do you think of the integrity of website owners offering bribes or advocating the purchase of listed but defunct websites and repurposing them? Not much I would hope.

I hesitated before responding because the general attitude here is remarkably hostile, despite the many explanations and clarifications over the years. Sadly, I confidently expect that it will continue to be so :(.