On Why Human-edited Web Directories Are Still Important
Almost everyone is familiar with using search engines these days, since they allow us to discover websites so quickly. This is important, but search engine results aren’t filtered by humans, but by an algorithmic rule. So why would that be remarkable? Well, imagine you are looking for a hotel in Edinburgh for example. You would type this keyphrase into Yahoo! (for example), then a list of search results would be presented. How can one know if these results are trusted if they haven’t been been filtered by people? Here’s the solution: search engines use human-edited online directories as a basic filter.
Directories still play a part online, and the greatest directories are inevitably human edited. A person may realise that (for instance) : “that restaurant has been awarded a particular rating for cleanliness and having certain standards, that’s a rather encouraging sign”. A good online directory receives a number of submissions everyday. An administrator will look into these entries, and if the editor is happy that the level of the entry is of a particular standard, it is added to the website directory. This is why Google still loves internet directories. Both dmoz.org and the Yahoo! directory are looked up by search engines as filters to find out the trustworthiness of a website - whether it’s listed in dmoz.org / Yahoo! directory or not, since they’re human-edited and have demanding guidelines.
And So don’t downplay the implication of internet directories because most people use search engines to discover things. A directory with stringent guidelines can be an essential measuring device as to how trusted a website is. If you are a website owner, seek to get your website added in a niche directory, like a construction directory, a hotel directory, or a beauty directory.
While humanity is needing to act upon signals of trust, the web will forever need individuals to give their stamp of commendation, and thus directories will always play a part.
