Dolemite - 10:38 pm on Mar 27, 2004 (gmt 0)

The fact that DMOZ mirrors (especially Google's own) end up multiplying the weight of that initial link is one of the more compelling points among the list of reasons why Google should not continue its special relationship with the ODP/DMOZ.

Here's a search on a random phrase picked from an ODP listing:

[google.com...]

151 results. What was that about a filter?

Folks around here have been squawking about DMOZ listings being the big secret to ranking well lately, and while I don't quite buy into that, the mere appearance of impropriety or favoritism is a convincing enough reason to sever ties with the organization in question.

The big question I have is, "what does Google get out of their relationship with the ODP?" It seems entirely one-sided to me. Its such a poor resource that whatever influence it has will only degrade the quality of the Google index. Meanwhile the concept that it will help your ranking (which Google can't fully deny) has promoted it to an extent that's probably kept it from the quiet death it deserves.

The whole idea of a good search engine is that it makes directories obsolete. Despite what you think about the quality of today's search engines, its clear that the ODP became obsolete long ago.