when is a directory a directory?

[temi]

Its quite annoying the number of so called web directory this days that usually turn out to be no more than a link/Spam directory. By the way, does anyone have an accurate description for any of the following:

web directory
search engine
meta search engine
link farm


Thanks
Temi

[OldWelshGuy]

web directory
A directory is a series of cetegorized links. Links in a directory will be organised in a hierachial system eg uk>wales>county in wales>business to bussines and so on. A directory can either have a quick blurb and a hypertext link, or a link to a page specifically about that site together with links to the site.


search engine
A search engine has no structure, all sites and information is held in a database and the sites are served up as a result of a search, with no other way of reaching the sites A directory with a search facility is still a directory and not a search engine).

meta search engine
A meta search engine (MSE) holds no data itself, it aggregates the SERP's on the fly from the other search engines Coppernic is a prime example of this technology. You make a search on a MSE which then gathers the data, and applies its own algorithm to the returned data to provide you with a hybrid SERP.


link farm
Link fams are traditionally pages where you add your site to the list, and host the page on your server. Newer versions of this do it by using a script that delivers the content to your page. This is why it is called a link farm, as you 'plant' your link, and it grows as the page populates the web. Ths the traditional links farm. Any directory that appears identically across a number of sites, which when someone adds their link to it, it appears everywhoere.

FFA (Free For All) pages

These are a set of links that you just add your site to, and backink to it. They are very similar to link farms. The problem you get with many 'flaky directories' are that they are hybrids of link farms, FFA's and directories. Keep in mind that you WILL eventually get penalized for linking to bad neighbourhoods. It might take some time for the clustering algo to tie you into the cluster, but when it does, you can look forward to having your site removed completely from the index.

Hope this explains what I consider each to be.

OWG

[temi]

search engine
OWG>A directory with a search facility is still a directory and not a search engine).

This is actually a very useful clarification, I have often wonder if this so called web directory & search engines can be called search engines. Just want thing you can clarify for me.

Is sending out spiders to collect urls and exclusively search engine thing or do we have web directory that populate their database with data collected by spiders.

My understanding is that website owners tend to visit web directories and add their website while with search engines, spiders are usually sent out to collect url

Thanks for your time.

[OldWelshGuy]

This is a grey area. I have a directory, and a search engine, both have a spider that will collect page details, and return them to me placing them in a holding pen. I then visit each site to make sure it is worthy of inclusion. It might be a quick 10-20 second visit just to make sure it is not redirecting, is well laid out, and has good information there.

A prime example is a new directory we will be launching some time soon, it is called 'in the UK' and will be at ituk.co.uk the directory will be populated initially with DMOZ data, but we will be re categorising the DMOZ messy cats and removing any dead links or unsuitable pages. We will then look at the cats that are weak, and run some spider searches, clean them up, and drop them into the category via a csv text file.

Most search engines just add the pages they spider without checking, as do many of the rubbish Google scraping directories. I also will scrap Google, but I will pull the top 30 pages, and manually reject the rubbish from the SERPs. I find doing it this way will get you a good resource site.

Like I say Temi, it is a grey area, unfortunately, and one with no definitive answer.

[Paul_KY]

Good info here, guys.

[temi]

Your explanation goes some way to shedding light on things. BTW is ituk your project or a collaboration? We sure can use a definitive UK web directory like that.
Please let UK webmaster world know when its ready to go live

-_- *Woa* how come u know all that, Old Welsh Guy???? Man, you must be Old really (and wise )
Wish I get half as much knowledge as we do....
Termi, when we getting them smilies baK??

OWG...Is that really you in the pic?

[OldWelshGuy]

Temi: Yes ituk is my pet project. I am not going to be charging to go into the directory, but will be checking out each site submitted.

WIN8282 - I have been involved in the web since before there was a web, and it was all sticky post it notes with IP addresess all around the computer area. I have grown up with directories and search engines, so it is almost second nature now. I am really old (44).

Pinyo: Yas that is me in the pic, it looks posed, but in fact was taken with me and my little girl (Lottie aged 5) sat on a bed I know I look like Dr Evil & Minni me (according to my mates at Highrankings).

You look more like my left nut, my right one has 20/20 vision.

jk.