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I also noticed that the editor's profile page has a Google Rage Rank of 1 below the category page. So the cynic in me wonders how categories are allocated - is that why the top categories have so many editors? One editor has PR 7 for his own site with <20 inbound links, one of which is a PR 8 link from the ODP.
Personally I don't think an editor profile from the ODP should be awarded PR like that - why should an editor from a lower category get a much lower PR, they all do similar work don't they? I guess it's just a quirk in the way Google allocates PR.
Have a heart, it's the odp already. If they are willing to do all that editing, they deserve a little bit of pr for their efforts.
A link from a PR 8 page is pretty good though - the average person can't get those sort of links for a site without quality content.
An interesting thought - what if an ODP editor didn't use their homepage link and a site paid the editor to use it? (I'd be surprised if someone wasn't doing it already :)).
the average person can't get those sort of links for a site
Bang on.
But the ODP editors aren't the average person they are editors.
The same as if brett wanted to link to all the admins sites from the homepage of WebmasterWorld he can because well he CAN.
DaveN
the average person can't get those sort of links for a site without quality content
...or providing something of value or interest to a high PR site. Blogs, newsworthy items, sites that have a specific interest in others in their own niche...
But the ODP editors aren't the average person they are editors.
Errr, OK.
I think that's a separate point. The bookmark pages are visible only if you sign-on. Mine has a pagerank (from the toolbar) of zero.
But my editor's public profile page has a much higher pagerank. Simply click on any editor's name (when you find a cat with an editor!) to see this page.
I could -- but don't -- have a personal home page listed there. If I did, it would get a small page-rank boost. That boost would be shared with all the other links on my profile page.
So if I edit few cats I may have a tiny bit of real-estate on offer: my "personal home page" link on my profile.
The problem is that it is labeled "personal home page" not "link for sale". If a site paid me for that space, aus_dave, chances are we'd both get banned for directory abuse.
If anyone wants to spend a considerable amount of time editing on the ODP it seems quite fair that they get some "reward" for it.
ODP are capable of, and I thought they did, grade to spidering of editors pages, the higher the editor the higher the page rank (only what I remember reading here, I have never checked this)
I am not an ODP editor, but if someone spends the time editing, their page is surely worthy of PageRank?
I understand that the editor's bookmarks *used* to be spidered, but they're not any more.
Editor profiles do get a boost in PR because many of the ODP hosts include links to them (or in some cases may simply copy them, which will have the same effect on Google.)
In view of the fact that bookmarks stopped getting spidered when ODP staff became aware of pagerank schemes involving them, an ODP editor would be an idiot to try to push the boundaries with profile pages -- they could easily be added to the EXCLUDE list in robots.txt at any time, without any notice to anyone.
And profile abuse is one of the recognized reasons for removing editors, although it's not certainly one of the more common. (Inactivity, or lack of almost any activity but self-promotion, is sufficient reason to remove most editors who would be inclined to misuse their profiles.)
Editor profiles do get a boost in PR because many of the ODP hosts include links to them (or in some cases may simply copy them, which will have the same effect on Google.)
Actually it's even simpler than that.. the editor name at the bottom of the screen inherits the PageRank in the same way as any other category, so a PR8 category would tend to pass PR7 or something to the editor page (yes I know it's more complex than this)
But a typical editor profile page only tends to be PR5 or PR6. To get a PR8 you'd typically be a meta editor, i.e. few and far between.. it's hardly a quick and easy way to get a high PR page.
From Google's own site:
PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value.
PR as a reward for voluntary work? Not what it is intended for - it's supposed to help with relevancy of search results, isn't it? I'm not canning the ODP or the editors, merely suggesting that the PR from a top category editor profile gives a site a higher PR than it would normally get based on its content alone and who is linking to that content.
PR is not the ODP's business. That's Google's choice, and I have no problem with a hard working editor getting a little extra exposure for his site.
True. If you feel that Google gives an invalid PR to editor profiles, Google has a way for you to provide Quality-of-Search-Results feedback.
Abuse of editor profiles IS an ODP issue, and if you think an editor has crossed the line of legitimate self-expression (it's possible, but not easy), you can report it to any meta-editor. (A very few editors have been warned or removed for egregious misuse of profiles.)
But if you expect either Google or the ODP to get exercised over the presence of an editor's own URLs in the editor's profile, you'll probably be disappointed. An editor who lists his own site in his profile is NOT going to be able to get away with multi-listing, keyword-stuffing, or cooling it in the directory! By our lights, this is "full and open disclosure." And it's a good thing. (From what I've seen in the public forums, it's also one of the things people keep asking for. So please smile and say "thank you" when you get it.)
it's also one of the things people keep asking for. So please smile and say "thank you" when you get it.
Hutcheson is someone I scarely ever agree with, let us say his views are so pro ODP that he never accepts that it could ever improve.
However, with this one I agree with his remarks above. ODP are a bit on a "damned if they do, and damned if they don't" hiding on URLs in editor profiles.
If they don't allow the URLs then it is more "secret society", if they do then they are criticised for allowing editors to get Google links.
Personally I would prefer to see editors own sites in their profile. Don't know if anyone has measured the stats, but very few in fact appear to do so.
As someone who has pursued editor corruption over the years, the first thing you have to do is establish the editors own sites. The easier that job is made the better.
From someone who avoids putting details in my profile, I believe ODP editors should in fact be encouraged to do so.
So, Hutcheson, from me anyway "Thank You" and 2 smiles ;) ;)
I was wondering about that. ;)
I used to be the opposite. All I saw was sites waiting forever. Self-serving editors. And all of it happening behind closed doors, in secret. (Intentional redundancy)
But I learned that those pro-ODP or anti-ODP attitudes don't improve anything. The right attitude is pro-improvement of the Internet.
(I learned that by watching apeuro.)
I learned that by watching apeuro.
We are starting to agree on too many things ;)
