netmeg - 3:56 pm on May 15, 2012 (gmt 0)

I think that people do write in article directories to bring people to their websites, but I also feel that article directories can provide excellent information on different topics so they can be valuable.

Sure they can, but it's more and more difficult in 2012 to find one that does, given how many there are, and how often they're copied and spammed.

But regardless of that, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Google regards article directories as having little to no value. You might not be penalized for having articles there, but I bet your links are probably devalued.