A while back I got a email from a guy claiming to be a DMOZ editor saying that I had to pay him $5,000.00 or he would have my site: shoemoney.com removed from the dmoz.
I thought nothing of it…. then today I got a email from him saying it was removed and I might want to rethink not paying him. I thought I would check just for grins.
It was removed… WOW
dmoz… corrupt… no…..
I never thought I would say this but I don’t even care anymore. I am stunned Google still uses this as there business directory as its the most corrupt “editorial” system EVER and especially since now they are trying to talk about paid links and crap…
Seriously I would love to see how they defend this one… How does shoemoney.com NOT belong in DMOZ??
Google seriously its time for you to aquire a business directory that has paid inclusion. There is so much porn and spam in the dmoz its a huge black eye for you. Business.com just got scooped up but there is another one that might be able to get got for a nice price *cough* best of the web *cough*
DUMP DMOZ
EDIT: A lot of people have been asking the category shoemoney.com was in. It was :
http://www.dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/Web_Design_and_Development/Authoring/
Webmaster_Resources/Affiliate_Programs/Weblogs/
Also you can see from this web archive page that it was in (last link)
So for those dmoz lovers who said I was never in… there you go
- Comment Likes 
- Comment Dislikes
January 15, 2010 at 10:05 am
Is DMOZ even a good resource anymore? It’s probably easier and quicker to get natural listings in the top three search engines.
January 15, 2010 at 2:17 am
That is absolutely insane! I have tried and failed many times to get listed in DMOZ, but it sounds corrupt anyway, so Google doesnt have a leg to stand on by supporting it…
December 10, 2009 at 4:43 am
Might as well go to the W3C supporters page where you can get a permanent PR9 link for only 1K.
December 11, 2009 at 12:01 pm
That’s a good point, although it’s been $2500^ for more than a year now. I guess a few companies got wise and a grand was cheap. It’s also a PR8 now
November 30, 2009 at 12:31 am
Thanks for sharing~
October 28, 2009 at 1:18 pm
Thank you, can I copy this post to my blog?
September 12, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Hard to believe a DMOZ editor extort websites for cash. He should be arrested if not banned from the Internet. Ok, just banned from DMOZ.
September 4, 2009 at 6:42 pm
For me this is a pure example of US trash culture. U yanks love trash food, trash tv trash websites. As a (in-my-spare-time) Google UK directory editor I would not accept this site into my catagory.
August 11, 2009 at 7:39 am
Well this isn’t too surprising. Dissapointing, but not surprising. I always assumed corruption and/or nepotism was the reason none of my submissions have been accepted.
I’m just not part of the clique, so will likely never learn the secret handshake and wink combination.
August 8, 2009 at 11:29 pm
DMOZ has been irrelevant for years. Still, a juicy backlink is a juicy backlink. Still, sucks though.
August 8, 2009 at 7:37 pm
Man, that’s terrible! I didn’t know dmoz was corrupt like that.
August 8, 2009 at 2:07 pm
I believe it’s wrong to generalize about DMOZ editors. Some maybe dishonest, as in this case – but that doesn’t mean they all are. I’m an editor myself, and try to be impartial and timely. I try to update my subject areas monthly.
As with all big organizations, you’ll meet people who you consider rude, unhelpful, and maybe even fraudulent. Doesn’t mean everybody is, though.
October 26, 2009 at 2:05 pm
I’m sorry, but such reasoning doesn’t work. I agree that its always the few who ruin it for the many. If DMOZ really wanted to “FIX” things they would have started long ago. The entire premise of a free directory has long been lost and the building list of these types of shortcomings can’t be written off as so much hating the editors anymore. DMOZ is broken and in a massive way.
It appears to most that it has become more of a Good ole boys network under the guise of editorship. Fortunately, it has also become increasingly hard to cover up the abuses and it will bite DMOZ in the proverbial ass if nothing changes. Google is the main reason DMOZ has managed to stay where it is and at some point Google will want to separate itself from such corruption.
July 29, 2009 at 6:59 pm
That’s false. Nobody will ask for 5, 000$ to ADD a website like this one. Your site is not that IMPORTANT BUSSINESS SITE guy, stop to dream.
And next: your site have lots of ADS! it is horrible to surf on your site, AND OF COURSE If I have my own directory I don’t will add your site neither!
June 2, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Insane!
March 30, 2009 at 11:10 am
DMOZ Still has not listed our Free Online Advertising site even after following all the guidelines.
March 29, 2009 at 1:28 pm
that I builds a clone of DMOZ pls. its really irritate.
March 27, 2009 at 7:04 am
One I would say is Ridiculous… I always had reputation for DMOZ. That is an old story now. Shame on Google to use such craps as an authenticity.
March 21, 2009 at 12:22 pm
The ODP is important for SEO purposes but it is pure luck whether or not there is an editor available in the category you need your site listed in. For the most competitive categories I can see people being prepared to pay some big money for a listing.
March 16, 2009 at 4:05 am
Создание музыки
March 5, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Editors are so paranoid and afraid that you are going to remove their spammy listings that will reject anyone that applies to become an editor.
March 5, 2009 at 10:39 am
dmoz is a joke, I applied for a section Im vastly experienced in, but not good enough!
Maybe its because I don’t extort people!
October 26, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Have you ever considered that maybe they don’t want anyone to dilute their chances of getting such extortion paid to them by approving new editors? Why else would editors, who always exclaim that it’s just a spare time gig, work so hard to discredit anyone who posts openly about this subject?
February 15, 2009 at 7:51 am
Dmoz is rubbish. A lot of the listings are expired, out dated and just junk. If it wasn’t for the serp boost who would even bother?
February 8, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Кстати, я сейчас посмотрел, ваш блог в Google хорошие места занимает ,если имя блога туда вбить.
January 30, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Dmoz is not useful without Google. The main goal to submit a site into Dmoz is to appear into the Google Directory. If your are desapointed with Dmoz and their (corrupted ?) editors, contact Google, NOT anonymously.
I think that Google is able to abort his “Dmoz directory” after a while…
January 30, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I think u got a nice offer but soul wish so a nice offer one time in this real world!!!
January 20, 2009 at 3:03 am
OMG thats shocking! 5k for a listing? I have managed to get two sites listing in dmoz, I have tried to get probably 50 in there lol
January 17, 2009 at 1:49 pm
We are working on setting up a free DMOZ directory, that will work much the same and it will be web 2.0 wiki style….no corrupt editors and no waiting for 12 months to be listed… coming to a screen near you http://www.dmozopendirectory.com – brought to you by the creators of whynotad.com and worldsbestbrands.com
December 31, 2008 at 10:07 am
Пока прочитал только эту одну заметку, если и все остальное также хорошо, то автору респект
October 30, 2008 at 11:56 am
That is definitely shady on their part. I have been trying to get listed in the directory but it seems to be impossible. I guess it’s not that big of deail, especially if that is how they treat people.
October 14, 2008 at 12:31 pm
So far I thought they are just lazy
October 1, 2008 at 6:34 pm
I have a few sites in there and all was well until they moved one of my sites to the adult section due to the words “stripper shoes”. That was 2 years ago. I still have never been able to get it changed back or even my location changed as there has not been an editor in that section for over two years. If I ran my site like DMOZ runs theirs I would be shut down.
September 25, 2008 at 9:25 am
This ODP story is fake and useless. Move along, people.
September 23, 2008 at 10:27 pm
I want to get into dmoz because some of our competitors who are much smaller then us are in there. By the way those competitors are mom and pop shop’s. We have thousands of links to us and think we have seo’d the site to death. The only difference is they have a dmoz listing.
I agree with the group – you;; get no traffic from dmoz – it will just help your seo for other engines, etc.
I’d love to get in
September 8, 2008 at 9:22 am
I couldn’t believe it. DMOZ should be taking action on the person. When you provide the category, they should know who is the person.
September 2, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I am still trying 3 years now
September 2, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Iam still still 3 years now
April 13, 2008 at 2:55 pm
o.O wtf?
April 13, 2008 at 2:53 pm
DMOZ corrupted … what else?
April 13, 2008 at 10:47 am
Shoemoney’s story is pure, 100% fabrication. It has been investigated and proven false.
March 16, 2008 at 7:43 am
DMOZ is a source of worry for me – it always takes so long to register a site. However, before jumping to conclusions about sites being deleted, I’d recommend people check that it hasn’t just been resubmitted to a more appropriate category, or that their search engine is finding it. I had a scare with my site, http://www.styles.fr being delisted – but it turned out it was still listed, just not being picked up by DMOZ’s search engine. Searching for ’styles.fr’ rather than ‘www.styles.fr’ brought it up, and stopped me panicking!
March 9, 2008 at 3:04 am
I just came across this page while browsing the web. I am a volunteer editor and I can guarantee that bribes/extortion with editors is not the norm. Most editors contribute in a diligent and meaningful manner to the web directory. If anyone receives a threat by someone claiming to be an editor, I’d suggest you report this to the administrators of DMOZ. You can find admin people at the bottom of http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/admin/ . Any editor who is found to act in such a manner will be removed as an editor.
March 8, 2008 at 5:39 am
Cheap Music CDs, DVDs, Games and Books all with free delivery! zavvi.co.uk – the Official Site for zavvi in the UK
February 26, 2008 at 3:09 pm
This is bad I give up now
February 26, 2008 at 10:12 am
Sounds like a crook
February 18, 2008 at 3:31 pm
I wish people would not put up with this as I think DEMOZ will become a dead horse. who buys this bs from them any way?
February 12, 2008 at 9:13 am
I agree, horrible system.
February 9, 2008 at 9:21 am
Yes, this is bad news.
February 8, 2008 at 3:08 am
Yes, a liting in dmoz does not mean anything except for google which places a heavy emphasis on it.
February 8, 2008 at 2:55 am
Guys,
The best thing you can is to publish all the info you have and make it all public. This will to uncover the corrupt individuals.
February 7, 2008 at 1:54 pm
I tink DEMOZ is soo soo messed up I have the 2nd most popular car based web site on the net for my subject car. the problem is we do heavy modifications on custmize the cars. The editor owns the 1 one site but it’s all about stock stock stock cars pure from the factorey floor. He is old school and has said what we do to our cars destroys them and as no purpose to be listed on DMOZ.
October 26, 2009 at 2:25 pm
That is exactly why the entire self-managed concept simply won’t work. There has to be some form of management of the editors otherwise you get this type of independent logic of what listings should and shouldn’t be included. EXP: I hate Chevy and love Ford, so if I am the US Cars editor I’ll only approve Ford sites. Why? Because every other car sucks.
DMOZ is broken(.) They should hire (and pay) unbiased editors to do their jobs and charge a small fee to get a listing.
February 1, 2008 at 8:01 am
Hi…I just found out about this happening to you Shoe! This is terrible!
January 19, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Wow Extortion indeed!
This is a new low for Dmoz and the reputation of all who are involved in this fat and ugly project. The stories of abuse seem to be the most talked about when it comes to Dmoz nowaday. I believe that the directory as it stands right now, does not stand a chance. They need to either change how they conduct “business” of just fold the darn thing. Many new web directories are doing a better job without all the fuss that is Dmoz. One example if NoMoz.org, I hope it will replace this aging Dmoz monster.
November 12, 2007 at 1:44 pm
I’m sorry to have stirred such a row here, maybe 5k was too much … what about 4.5 Shoe? Ok, 4k is my last offer
October 21, 2007 at 5:37 am
Wow that begger’s belief. What ever happened to Don’t be Evil
October 17, 2007 at 3:24 pm
2nd that
September 27, 2007 at 7:01 am
мда… и кому верить теперь?
September 21, 2007 at 12:37 pm
you must report him/her to dmoz.
September 19, 2007 at 8:17 am
I agree and really enjoy this discussion. In my opinion DMOZ is garbage and needs to be totally redone. Many of the sites are out dated and many of the editors are corrupt, lazy, non-exsistent. I am also not convinced that being listed on DMOZ is “all that” as some people will argue. DMOZ SHIMOZ….
September 13, 2007 at 5:24 am
You should publish that email id on this page itself.. He will be kicked out of DMOZ at least.. We need to kick out so many of such..
September 7, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Either we’re in the middle of an inflation, or the value of a DMOZ listing has gone way up. I remember the good ole days when $250.00 paypal did it. And that was before the days when senior editors started taking those off and re-editing categories,
How much and whom do I have to pay to become an editor? Sounds like a good investment I might be willing to make.
September 7, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Who the hell cares about DMOZ anyway? They’ve been irrelevant for a long time.
September 7, 2007 at 9:28 am
Hey douchebag…you shouldn’t speak on things you have no idea about. And change that freaky Freddie Mercury picture you’re using on Digital Point.
September 6, 2007 at 11:00 pm
I’m not surprised at the extortion part but at the amount – well maybe not, considering it’s shoemoney.com. DMOZ’s cronyistic incestuous editorial system is crap and should be junked. And this is coming from a guy whose site is listed.
September 6, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Why are people so concerned about dmoz listings? I have never received a lot of traffic to begin with, so why would someone extort people?
V
September 6, 2007 at 1:54 pm
Heh, Chris Guthrie, get with the program!
There was no listing to be removed, as the site was banned from ever being listing in 2005.
So, there is no editor to look for; there is nothing listed that could have been removed.
September 6, 2007 at 11:00 am
It’s funny that the Dmoz editor forum is full of arsehole Dmoz editors all complaining about this thread, saying they should call Shoe’s bluff and that AOL legal should get involved and ‘bare it’s teeth for once’.
Tossers. AOL couldn’t give a toss about Dmoz. Just because they own Dmoz doesn’t mean the moronic Dmoz editors are actually part of AOL, valued by AOL or even acknowledged as existing by AOL.
Face it chumps, you’re all working for them for free, and they don’t even know you exist. The editor forums are a great read though, hilarious!
September 5, 2007 at 2:14 pm
That’s so crazy. I wonder what his username on DMOZ is? There are probably only a handful of editors that can be in charge of that category so I bet their search won’t be too hard.
September 5, 2007 at 7:21 am
Shocking news!! You should have forwarded the email to Google.
September 3, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Shoemoney STILL hasn’t validated this linkbait story by providing Dmoz staff with the email he supposedly received. One might think he’d want the extortionist removed. Oh *surely* he wasn’t just lying?! LOL.
.
Anyone that believes anything he says after this needs a reality check. He hoodwinked a LOT of people with this extortion scam. There’s a fraud story here alright, but the culprit is named Schoemaker.
September 3, 2007 at 5:29 am
oh my god
September 2, 2007 at 1:29 pm
What the hell is this? Now I see why I was tryng to get there my sites without any success. I was trying to get there last 4 years with 5 different domains and never had any response.
September 2, 2007 at 11:06 am
I truly hope the libel spouting jerk does get prosecuted. That so called “disclaimer” would be useless in any court of law.
Where is this mythical “large group” of corrupt editors that everyone seems so sure exist? Take a closer look at any of these corruption claims and you will generally find:
My site hasn’t been listed – so all editors are corrupt.
I was removed as an editor, but I am innocent. So all editors are corrupt.
I can’t get accepted as an editor so I can list my own site. So all editors are corrupt.
And this one? HaHa. My name is Jeremy Schoemaker and don’t beleive anything you read on my Blog, but on August 26, 2007 I received a blah..blah..blah
September 2, 2007 at 11:03 am
>>the disclaimer is an awesome idea because if anyone came out and said that shoemoney gave bad advice (or tried to sue or something stupid like that) he has an immediate out
September 1, 2007 at 8:29 pm
If a fairly large group of police officers tried to extort money in exchange for favorable treatment, most people would say that the department as a whole needs an overhaul. I fail to see how this is different.
I have seen dozens of payment exchanges for DMOZ listings on digital point and several freelance sites, and everyone seems satisfied at the end of the transaction so I have to assume that ALL of these dozens of links are getting into DMOZ. And these are not cheap — I have seen successful bids from $200 to $1500.
Getting listed on DMOZ is an easy way to get out of the google “sandbox” and you tend to develop PR faster. I’ve never purchased links on DMOZ (and never had a page listed either), but after talking to quite a few people about their sandboxing experiences it seems that it does work.
I understand completely why Shoemoney doesn’t post the email address. For one, he could face a fine under the CAN SPAM act (stupid but true). Also, he’s accusing someone of something that is unethical, so if he isn’t able to prove it in court he could face a major civil suit from the douchebag in question. And lastly it would push Shoemoney into pressing charges, which he may not want to do at this point. Let’s face it, court is a major headache for anyone.
Honestly, I think that the disclaimer is an awesome idea because if anyone came out and said that shoemoney gave bad advice (or tried to sue or something stupid like that) he has an immediate out.
Just my two cents.
–Griffin
September 1, 2007 at 3:51 pm
forums.digitalpoint.com/showpost.php?p=150377&postcount=41 ……
September 1, 2007 at 12:01 am
The weirdest thing is that a DMOZ editor really thinks that a DMOZ listing is worth anything nowadays….That’s is hilarious
!
August 30, 2007 at 10:12 pm
I was never a fan of dmoz and never will…
August 30, 2007 at 6:14 pm
ohh no !! i don’t like dmoz
August 29, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Some guys are asswholes…
August 29, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Well regardless if it’s true or not the story is being carried on in case .. http://dmoz.org.suckered.us
I personally had a run in with a few gang mentality dmoz editors today and not very impressed by their lack of tact.
August 29, 2007 at 8:49 pm
Its Really Bad .. someone told me this earlier BUT today through axandra i come to know about this…. Really Bad for Webmasters
August 29, 2007 at 5:35 pm
I know just how poor shoe feels. When the dmoz people first started to ask for money I paid them. The the amounts kept getting progressively higher for each submission.
Before long they wanted more than I was getting paid to make sites, and I failed to send a few checks. That’s when they delisted my sites across the board.
If that wasn’t enough, they had my address from the checks I’d sent. Well, two guys showed up at my house asking my wife where I was. REALLY.
Can you believe it? She was suspicious, but they persisted. Eventually they left, but they told her they were there to collect.
The next day I got back from a trip… and my dog and two of my kids had been killed. All I can say, if they keep this kind of stuff up, someone’s liable to report them!
LOL. God I love you guys. There isn’t a lie so big you wouldnt swallow if it pertains to dmoz. This bozo has duped people without so much as offering a shred of evidence, and though Dmoz staff offered to remove the editors, he STILL has no evidence.
If they had a Special Olympics for gullibility, anyone that believes Shoemaker ought to get a Gold Medal.
August 29, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Yea shoe – that link went down – is there another?! Or is this an even bigger conspiracy?!?! I love conspiracies.. keep it up!!
August 29, 2007 at 4:37 pm
It’s controlled by a type of organized crime if their members are participating in extortion… that’s a given!
August 29, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Wow wow wowwww link bait or actual problem!? I wonder what will end up giving you more RELEVANT links… this post.. or being included in the DMOZ?!
August 29, 2007 at 4:34 pm
I think bribery’s been aroudn since before we’ve had currency.. it’s just in our nature to try to one up another human
August 29, 2007 at 3:52 pm
Bob, give me a break. Unless you live under a rock, this cannot be the first time you have heard of this. Sorry for you that you are associated with such a corrup bunch of folks.
August 29, 2007 at 3:45 pm
I didn’t get to read all of the posts, but (as I am known for stating publicly), I am amazed that two corporate entities entrust this debacle of a web site and stake their reputations on it. AOL – well, whatever. But Google – come on folks, I know they have the bankroll to do it, and as you suggest, they could even charge for listings and make it profitable.
My advice, contact your journalist contacts and try to find one that will expose AOL’s dark side. Maybe that will get some action.
- OldSchool
August 29, 2007 at 10:36 am
So far, the details of this story do not match the records in the dmoz logs. There are a lot of conclusions being reached here with little evidence to support them. It is truly unfortunate that every time (in my experience at least) someone makes a big deal about dmoz corruption, the details of the story don’t check out. Dmoz corruption does exist, I know it and I’ve seen it. But I personally don’t believe it takes the form of “pay me $5000.00 or I’ll pull your site.”
That sounds more like a practical joke or fanciful invention than an actual attempt at a bribe. Particularly when the site in question had been delisted months before these events are said to have occurred.
xixtas
(I speak only for myself. My opinions should not be taken as any kind of official ODP statement.)
August 29, 2007 at 9:10 am
Excuse me for being skeptical but lets see the email with headers intact.
August 29, 2007 at 9:08 am
nice rant, but erhm …. could you possibly post the original email (with full headers) so we can actually verify what has been said and by who?
this is a heavy accusation and as posted here totally without evidence …
btw your link to archive.org doesn’t seem to work either …. that particular page is unavailable and whatever is earlier than that doesn’t seem to have your site in it …
simply the whole thing would be a lot more believable if you would post the full email correspondence
August 29, 2007 at 3:48 am
Does dmoz have an 800 number you can call to request being shook down? I’m ready to call.
Not only have I waited for more than the past year for them to review my submission, I’ve also noticed that time seems to have frozen on their index; they seem to be ignoring everyone that came up in the last two years that should be included in the category we’re trying to get into.
August 29, 2007 at 1:46 am
DMOZ is as corrupt as it can be. I have been submitting quality websites for years now, with no success, and I have a friend that has a joke of a website that got approved in a few months. That site has only stolen content and a crappy design. I had to ask him : “So … how much did you pay for that listing ?”. He replied honestly : “You can pay for listings ??”. I don’t know who is more clueless : him, or the editor who approved his site
August 28, 2007 at 10:02 pm
DMOZ is the largest human-edited directory on the Web and has always been free of charge. Our community strives for openness and transparency. We actively seek to maintain a volunteer editorial community with high integrity and promote open feedback processes to maintain these standards.
We take reports like this very seriously and would appreciate your help in bringing them to our attention. If at any time an editor remarks that you need to pay to be part of the DMOZ directory, let us know. This behavior will NOT be tolerated by ODP/DMOZ. Any information about any abusive incidents will be handled immediately.
DMOZ has several ways to report this type of abuse on the site, go to http://report-abuse.dmoz.org/ to fill out the form and I will contact you directly.
We hope you’ll come forward with the data to substantiate your claim and look forward to helping in any way possible.
Bob Keating – managing editor of DMOZ
August 28, 2007 at 9:54 pm
DMOZ is the largest human-edited directory on the Web and has always been free of charge. Our community strives for openness and transparency. We actively seek to maintain a volunteer editorial community with high integrity and promote open feedback processes to maintain these standards.
We take reports like this very seriously and would appreciate your help in bringing them to our attention. If at any time an editor remarks that you need to pay to be part of the DMOZ directory, let us know. This behavior will NOT be tolerated by ODP/DMOZ. Any information about any abusive incidents will be handled immediately.
We hope you’ll come forward with the data to substantiate your claim and look forward to helping in any way possible.
Bob Keating – Managing Editor of DMOZ
August 28, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Well, nobody seems interested in the truth here. Just another chance to slam DMOZ editors. Of course we will never see any proof of the email, since it does not exist. For the record, the site was never listed (it had already been banned for the attempted bribary attempt). Back in the spring a link to the sites feed was listed in error. This was removed about a month later through normal QA processes. Funny then that this “corrupt” editor did not get around to sending the alleged email until August? I’m sure shoemoney.com will make a few $$ from the libelous statements, however.
August 28, 2007 at 7:49 pm
Damn! this sucks
DMOZ Shld apologize for this
August 28, 2007 at 4:40 pm
I had no idea that DMOZ was so shady. I guess that is why I don’t pay it any mind. Anyway, is there a name associated with the extortioner? You could use the power of this blog to turn everything up a notch by exposing the crook.
August 28, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Exactly what do you think Google is paying for? They use the directory data for free, just like you and I can. They aren’t paying anything for it.
August 28, 2007 at 2:15 pm
True story:
A competitor of my company actually controlled a major category in DMOZ for some years. I’m sure it shocks all to know that none of our clients who belonged in that category ever made it in, regardless of site quality or personal reputation.
DMOZ is snake-oil. Stale snake-oil.
August 28, 2007 at 1:01 pm
yup, I knew this post would get alot of attention.
August 28, 2007 at 11:04 am
We need to get this story to the masses! Digg it here: http://digg.com/tech_news/Dmoz_Extortion
August 28, 2007 at 10:53 am
DMOZ is corrupt. It is the exact opposite of transparency and openness.
My friend, a well-respected professional in his field, was an editor at DMOZ for over *8* years, nearly from the start. One day he went to login and found his account locked out. (He logged in weekly or every other week.) He had something like 4,000 adds, 3,000 deletes, and over 9,000 edits to his account. He’s as ethical an individual I’ve ever met.
Seems as though one of the disputes about a where a website should be included got someone higher-up upset. And they just decided unilaterally to remove him as an editor. No warning, no system in place to defend oneself, just a unilateral decision that his efforts were no longer needed.
When asked for information, details, anything that might help him understand what had happened, he was met with stony silence. He got one form reply saying his account was permanently locked out and he shouldn’t bother trying to re-apply.
There’s nobody to complain to. Nobody cares. This was over 2 years ago, he’s moved on, but I’ll never forget how upset he was that nobody treated him like a simple human being and talked to him about whatever the problem was before they decided to close his account.
So yeah, seeing this happen is not surprising. DMOZ must be run by the inmates these days.
August 28, 2007 at 10:51 am
Further proof of Dmoz corrupt nature, and to think Dmoz editors are still today trying to defend the thing. Only a matter of time before it’s wound up.
August 28, 2007 at 10:42 am
Please report this person and see if their system works.
August 28, 2007 at 10:40 am
If this is really true, please report it.
I don’t think much of their directory or system either (I was in it last time I checked – http://www.iShopSouthwest.com), but you should give it a chance to work.
August 28, 2007 at 10:08 am
Well, according to that, the site’s only listing was deleted in April. If Jeremy says he only got the email telling him it was removed on August 26, that should tell you something. If it was an editor who was trying to scam you, then why not turn them in by posting their details here or reporting them?
August 28, 2007 at 9:50 am
I have to agree with some previous comments. Not that I am glad this happened to Shoe Money, but I am glad that you have the clout to broadcast out about the corruption that now seems to define the DMOZ.
August 28, 2007 at 9:35 am
As an actual DMOZ editor, this is bull crap. I became an editor a couple years ago and I’ve seen first hand that it’s corrupt and most editors don’t seem to care too much about it . Except to help out friends/themselves and abuse their power considering it is so significant in google.
The whole process of becoming an editor is so difficult and time consuming and considering the horrible maintenance and state of DMOZ you’d think they’d be a little more open for help. Even once becoming an editor, trying to get approved for another category is really retarded.
August 28, 2007 at 9:11 am
People have been talking about this kind of thing for the last 5 years. I am glad someone with your popularity, wrote about it. Maybe now, someone will do something about it.
August 28, 2007 at 6:33 am
So you’ve bribed dmoz editor before? No wonder you got that email (even if it’s unrelated to shoemoney)
August 27, 2007 at 10:47 pm
Now theres an IDEA!
–Melanie
August 27, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Go report this incident with the following link!
http://report-abuse.dmoz.org/?cat=Computers/Internet/Web_Design_and_Development/Authoring
August 27, 2007 at 7:29 pm
Nothing you can do when there are rogue elements… just kind of strange that they’d come back after the fact and say “ha ha!” Makes you wonder how important it must be if you ddin’t notice in the first place.
August 27, 2007 at 6:40 pm
*LOL* and you can really get a Free 50″ plasma TV for free…….
August 27, 2007 at 6:39 pm
I agree it wouldn’t be a bad move at all.
August 27, 2007 at 5:57 pm
I hear the ODP bans any site that ever offers *them* a bribe to list a site. There are records in forums that suggest you tried to pay to get the site listed. If that is the case, then it would never be listed.
August 27, 2007 at 5:55 pm
wow….
August 27, 2007 at 5:00 pm
I heard someone say to someone at SES San Jose that they could “make a Wikipedia page say anything for $60,000″
Sounds kinda like this except in reverse…
August 27, 2007 at 4:28 pm
From the Dmoz Social Contract:
1. The Open Directory Will Remain 100% Free
Liars.
August 27, 2007 at 4:26 pm
From the Dmoz Social Contract
August 27, 2007 at 4:15 pm
Is it time for a better Dmoz like directory? Would webmasters pay to be included in a more relevant directory? I know I would.
August 27, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I just did a couple months ago, but it took forever. I forgot about it by the time I got accepted
August 27, 2007 at 3:10 pm
Wow, this stinks. I guess it’s something I’ve never worried about with DMOZ.
August 27, 2007 at 2:51 pm
Jeremy, you might be interested in this explanation:
http://blogoscoped.com/forum/106601.html#id106669
August 27, 2007 at 2:38 pm
I couldn’t agree more. BOTW has all the values and ethics that DMOZ proclaims to have.
August 27, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Has anyone actually had any sites accepted into Dmoz in like the last year? I thought it had died.
August 27, 2007 at 1:52 pm
You just got served!
August 27, 2007 at 1:51 pm
See the edit… pwned!
August 27, 2007 at 1:02 pm
thats crazy! I cant believe they would try to do something like that!
August 27, 2007 at 12:53 pm
That’s why one of my authority sites never got into DMOZ. I also received a similar email from a DMOZ editor who’s asked for cash to include my authority site into DMOZ.
I said go scre** yourself, and he sent me an email saying: “Forget DMOZ Forever”.
Who cares about DMOZ other than Google?
August 27, 2007 at 12:48 pm
WOW! This is the first time I have heard of DMOZ editors being corrupt and extorting someone. Are we reaching the Internet’s Doomsday? Or are we already there!
August 27, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Lol, nice idea.
August 27, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Agreed, share with us. This is bull.
August 27, 2007 at 12:43 pm
WOW, I thought it was a joke at first too. But DMOZ extorting money? I can’t believe it, it is about time to screw off with them, drop them!
August 27, 2007 at 12:42 pm
I saw it listed in the affiliate category. No doubt shoemoney was in the DMOZ.
August 27, 2007 at 12:36 pm
…oh yea…good job on not paying either!
August 27, 2007 at 12:35 pm
That is nuts. I cant believe it?? You are right though. Instead of Google paying all this money for services they never get to, why not look into a better option as far as a directory is concerned?
August 27, 2007 at 12:31 pm
Hi everybody, the site owner of shoemoney.com will never publish the proof that a dmoz editor tried to bribe him. It has never happened. Jus read the disclaimer before posting:
By the way, do you trust this website has ever been listed at dmoz.org?
August 27, 2007 at 12:19 pm
Yahoo doesn’t pay for those editors. So they’d have to find a way to feed themselves.
August 27, 2007 at 12:01 pm
DMOZ is useless. Has been for some time. It was destroyed by the editors. Google doesnt even update its directory anymore, the results there are a year old.
August 27, 2007 at 11:59 am
I don’t think it is a matter of needing it. It is just proof of DMOZ’s corrupt nature.
August 27, 2007 at 11:58 am
Let’s see that email yo
August 27, 2007 at 11:05 am
50k!
I knew about seo corruption but this is insane!
August 27, 2007 at 10:49 am
Sounds like to many episode of Sopranos!…whateva…just shows where it is headed.
August 27, 2007 at 10:44 am
Google, and thats about it.
August 27, 2007 at 10:36 am
That person may have just been waiting for yours to be removed, and then claim it was him/her who did it. However, I don’t see any reason to remove your site. I am yet to get listed out of several sites I own over the last several years. I couldn’t care less about DMOZ now.
August 27, 2007 at 10:34 am
That sucks, but I can’t say it’s really all that surprising – DMOZ corruption is rampant, the directory itself is in shambles lacking proper management (Porn sites in local church directories for example – repeatedly reported)
Anyways – sorry ot hear Shoemoney.com was removed – definately ridiculous
August 27, 2007 at 10:09 am
I definently agree with making their past edits public.
August 27, 2007 at 9:58 am
that is unbelievable!
August 27, 2007 at 9:44 am
I wouldn’t doubt it after reading this post.
August 27, 2007 at 9:23 am
That’s true they should be able to check logs and see who made the mod, hopefully the keep history of what their staff does… unless this is normal for DMOZ and they just don’t care ..
August 27, 2007 at 9:20 am
You’re crazy for paying that. DMOZ has never sent me $50 worth of traffic. Let alone the $5000 shoe was asked to pay
August 27, 2007 at 9:18 am
I think it would definatly be a good idea for shoemoney to expose this loser.
August 27, 2007 at 9:17 am
I have been in dmoz for like 2 months now, and i get not traffic from this site. I have had about 5 visitors in the last 2 months. It’s definatly not worth it to pay for this.
August 27, 2007 at 8:06 am
It depens on the editor. If you find a category with an active editor you have a better chance of getting in. If you not it can take months or never…
August 27, 2007 at 7:38 am
This is the first that I’ve heard of bribery as well. I can’t say that I’m surprised though, go figure with a “human edited” free inclusion directory.
August 27, 2007 at 7:08 am
Google does, which is the only reason why dmoz is even still mentioned anywhere.
August 27, 2007 at 6:37 am
I have often wondered about the validity of DMOZ. I have tried for several years to get three of my websites accepted into the DMOZ directory. I have followed their guidelines to the letter and have done everything they suggest and no response. No response to inquiries either.
Maybe the future of search isn’t going to be with the Big Three. Could it be we will see the evolution of search move toward smaller industry and topic related directories.
What do you think?
August 27, 2007 at 6:14 am
Directories such as DMOZ and ZEAL are editor based. Anyone can become an editor. This extortion attempt has nothing to do with DMOZ but is most likely someone who has passed the tests necessary to become an editor (I was an editor at 1 point on ZEAL but stopped doing it).
You should report the matter to DMOZ they should have logs on what editor deleted the link and they should be removed for abusing their position.
August 27, 2007 at 5:58 am
Shit show thats a bit rough.
I also can’t believe that google still uses Dmoz! As you say, time to get a pay for inclusion directory
August 27, 2007 at 5:39 am
Dmoz is the king of the crap.
August 27, 2007 at 5:11 am
Ahh I was looking for someone who could get me in.. Can you pass on the email
August 27, 2007 at 5:04 am
they should be banned…
5k for a listing at dmoz…man that is expensive
August 27, 2007 at 4:49 am
I have submitted a huge number of real content sites, good stuff, and none of the got into the DMOZ directory, while in the same categories there were geocities page loaded with crap banners etc
the thing that “anybody” could become an editor was too big of an occasion for site owners to refuse their competitors submissions
I don’t give a sh*t about DMOZ listings
August 27, 2007 at 4:07 am
Wow! I heard a lot about that but never thought it is so real. Google makes mistake by keeping DMOZ as autheritative source. However we all know that things won’t be changed so fast…sad truth.
August 27, 2007 at 3:52 am
I’ve always known that DMOZ was corrupt. How many people become a DMOZ editor just so they can turn down the sites of their competitors?
But asking you for 5k just so you can keep your listing is despicable. I wish Google would throw DMOZ in the sandbox and lock the lid.
August 27, 2007 at 3:34 am
Wow thats Bad!
DMoz Sucks! Shame on the editors…
August 27, 2007 at 1:04 am
Wow! I can’t believe they are so shady like that! So it really was someone connected to the sight attempting to extort you! That is pretty messed up…
Does anybody really even use that site??
– Raymond
August 26, 2007 at 11:00 pm
These reeks of bullshit.
1. Can you please show your original dmoz entry?
2. Why not post the email address so the great community can flush this out?
If you don’t do either of these then I’m afraid it appears that you are making this up to discredit dmoz (more so than it does itself).
August 26, 2007 at 9:35 pm
Well you are the company you keep. Here that google?
August 26, 2007 at 9:33 pm
What a load of crap! Can they really do this? Talk about losing credibility. Piss on ‘em.
August 26, 2007 at 9:21 pm
I agree with Neil. Best of the Web would be a good Google buy.
August 26, 2007 at 9:09 pm
that is one crazy email.. as if anyone uses DMOZ anymore..
August 26, 2007 at 9:03 pm
$5,000 could buy a ton of links worth more than dmoz. They don’t pass that much PR, and they sure don’t send any business (unless a site just targets SEOs/web marketers) Smart move telling them to take a walk.
August 26, 2007 at 8:09 pm
Google should acquire BOTW. That would be a perfect directory for them.
August 26, 2007 at 6:47 pm
That’s why he didn’t pay… I can’t seem to get my site in but I’ve been doing fine without it. It’s one of those legacy things that everyone put on a pedestal that has since lost its luster and now it’s credibility.
August 26, 2007 at 6:46 pm
Probably used a throwaway emails… can’t be THAT stupid right?
August 26, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I totaly Agree. They need to discredit DMOZ and not count their pr transfer. I mean serously its empossible in most cases to get listed unless you know someone and are probaly buying your way in. Atleast yahoo and BOTW upfront tell you to pay and they have paid editors to give you a fair review.
August 26, 2007 at 6:09 pm
Even if this is not true it is funny:
August 26, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Directories are over-hyped, imo. Screw DMOZ for being extortionists.
August 26, 2007 at 5:54 pm
ya he should update more =(
August 26, 2007 at 5:22 pm
Active communities — digg, blogs, wikipedia, newspapers, all surely play a larger role in the life of common internet users than directories. Yes, they can and are gamed. The difference is there is oversight and transparency.
Dmoz should have all of their editors personal information made public along with an edit history. Without that, there is no accountability.
August 26, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Who cares about DMOZ?
August 26, 2007 at 4:50 pm
corrupt dmoz editor dot com is amusing if you’ve never read it
August 26, 2007 at 4:06 pm
Since they use volunteer “section editors,” is it possible you hit a rouge?
August 26, 2007 at 4:00 pm
I’ve been a DMOZ editor in the past and, quite frankly, maybe had two or three actual submissions come my way. The vast majority of my edits came from tracking down political candidates on my own and getting them to give me their web address when they went live.
I’ve also had my site listed, though I can’t ever recall receiving a hit from it. So I always figured the value of a DMOZ listing was that it would get you in the search engines faster not actually bring you visitors.
I think in a lot of cases, the reasons people aren’t listed is the fact that there are so many categories without current editors that there is no one to look at it. Demanding any form of payment or editing with a vendetta, though, is definitely across the line.
August 26, 2007 at 3:59 pm
How utterly pathetic. I wonder just how many times this works, though?
August 26, 2007 at 3:58 pm
Shoe, I hate DMOZ editors for doing stuff like this… Could you drop me a line telling me who it was, perhaps I can help. Looking at your URL in my editors account, it has a red by Jim Noble, based on this thread.
which does make me think you asked for it
but seriously: this sucks. Drop me a line and I’ll do what I can to help out.
August 26, 2007 at 3:49 pm
I can’t find any evidence that you were ever listed anywhere in the ODP – - and I have looked back through the last two years at archive.org and several mirrors and data-users.
Which category was it supposedly listed in then?
August 26, 2007 at 3:45 pm
Ya, unfortunately that W3C link isn’t permanent, it’s for one year. Plus, its nofollow…
August 26, 2007 at 3:40 pm
for real Nail him to the wall.
August 26, 2007 at 3:38 pm
for real i have to agree. DMOZ sucks…. But u are not the first to report of bribery within DMOZ as i saw a post somehwere guy would get u listed in dmoz for 100 bucks…
August 26, 2007 at 2:51 pm
It’s time to crack down this organization. I’ve tried to submit some interesting no-profit organizations and even some customer sites but i’ve never received an answer. It’s funny that it’s full of cellphones tones 1-page sites and they won’t accept an art collective.
August 26, 2007 at 2:49 pm
DMOZ is including paid links…
Google Penalty!
August 26, 2007 at 2:39 pm
WoW, what a nerd. Let’s go e-thuggin’ on his a$$
August 26, 2007 at 2:31 pm
If your friends at Google aren’t ready to dump DMOZ, perhaps they *are* ready to pressure DMOZ to help get a prosecutor involved and make a high-profile case against the “editor” responsible for the problem. Go over DMOZ’s head to Google.
August 26, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Ever heard the saying two wrongs dont make a right. You cant condemn someone for doing something bad and then spam them, that would solve nothing.
August 26, 2007 at 2:14 pm
nice idea! hehe
August 26, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Last I checked, extortion was still illegal. This is the kind of thing that could take down DMOZ … and THAT’s linkbait!
August 26, 2007 at 2:08 pm
typing dmoz.org takes less keystrokes than “ummmm, get with it”
August 26, 2007 at 1:59 pm
That is so shady and should be blog about to get the word out how corrupt they are. I will add a post to my blog at
August 26, 2007 at 1:49 pm
it’s funny in my opinion… screw them. You have your loyal fan base. Like you need the dmoz??? You should post this clown’s email address and have us flood him with spam.
August 26, 2007 at 12:30 pm
Damn that guy’s got some ballz! Go get him Shoe – turn him in and expose DMOZ for the corrupt dinosaur it is! Keep us posted – please.
August 26, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Report the bizoch…
http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2007/08/how-to-report-corrupt-dmoz-editors-and-odp-abuse/
August 26, 2007 at 11:52 am
Ya, you need to nail this guy.
August 26, 2007 at 11:42 am
Can you tell us what caused the header defacement?
August 26, 2007 at 10:56 am
I dont even bother submitting my sites there.. Anyways it is not going to get listed
and I am not rich enough to pay 5K lol..
August 26, 2007 at 10:44 am
Shoe,
Which category are you talking about?
August 26, 2007 at 10:05 am
That’s riduculous! All this hub-bub about paid links and Google is still using DMOZ! Makes me think the same guys doing the extortion are Google employees. Might as well go to the W3C supporters page where you can get a permanent PR9 link for only 1K.
August 26, 2007 at 9:55 am
Here are some ways to report Dmoz abuse.
August 26, 2007 at 9:42 am
I smell a blogging backlash!
August 26, 2007 at 9:30 am
Same thing happened to me for one of my sites… it got toasted from DMOZ too.
August 26, 2007 at 9:28 am
Shoe is secretly Bill Gates in disguise.
August 26, 2007 at 9:26 am
This is why human edited things should be edited by the masses, not by 10 people.
August 26, 2007 at 9:00 am
DMOZ has been a pain to deal with for so long that it isn’t worth it any more. You’re right – Google does need to drop it. DMOZ is dead…
August 26, 2007 at 8:44 am
Do you think Google will read this and put you back in? How many editors work on your specific section? Dont only a few people have access to each section of the DMOZ, making it easy to narrow down who it could have been?
August 26, 2007 at 8:43 am
Well Shoe is a gazillionaire so why not shoot for the stars if your going to make demands
August 26, 2007 at 8:42 am
ummmm, get with it
August 26, 2007 at 8:41 am
Share the info he gave you, paypal or whatever it was so he can be tracked down.
August 26, 2007 at 8:32 am
That’s insane man! $5K for a feakin listing that would bring you like 10 visitors a month?! I’m glad I never went through the process of even putting my website listing in there.
Punks!
August 26, 2007 at 7:43 am
You get enough offers to add sites for $$$ to DMOZ (I’ve been offered money plenty of times) you realize that there are surely going to be lots of editors who will take it. SOme of those corrupt editors would realize that given the amount of monetary offers they get, surely some websites could be pushed into paying.
PS probably a hacked account anyway
August 26, 2007 at 7:33 am
What would make him think anyone would pay 5000 for a dmoz listing?
August 26, 2007 at 7:30 am
The first item in the social contract of DMOZ:
[...] The Open Directory Will Remain 100% Free [...]
Why don’t you contact one of the administrators? For more information check out http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/admin/.
August 26, 2007 at 7:28 am
Well this is bad news. I tried to get into Dmoz just yesterday.If they come up for some monies, I’ll just get-out of it. Thanks for the report…
August 26, 2007 at 6:34 am
Yeah, I have cared less and less for the Dmoz. Shoe, post his email and get him kicked out, that is absolutely shocking to say the least.
August 26, 2007 at 5:54 am
Haha, that’s a good one!
And this is really shocking!
August 26, 2007 at 5:14 am
I’m shocked, can’t you just make his email public to DMOZ staff or present this, I’d really like that ****** nailed!
August 26, 2007 at 5:07 am
Haha yeah good idea.
August 26, 2007 at 5:03 am
If you were in the DMOZ, what category would you be under? Certainly not anything related to making money online, since all you seem to post about these days is off-topic junk.
August 26, 2007 at 5:00 am
I read somewhere that the gambling and porn sections in DMOZ are controlled by organized crime.
August 26, 2007 at 4:55 am
DMOZ? what the heck is that?
August 26, 2007 at 4:46 am
Although the stock of DMOZ has probably dropped like 90% over the last 5 years, paid inclusion directories don’t seem like the answer to me because so many webmasters will not sign up.
I think a possible answer would be a Directory with a Social Component involved where people can either click a ’spam’ button or do a Digg-style thumbs up/down thing.
You can see the effect of this by looking at Craigslist. Five years ago they were very lenient on spam but are now cracking down. If they hadn’t done this CL would have been 75% affiliate links and webmaster spam.
August 26, 2007 at 4:43 am
Why don’t you reveal who this person was and get him dumped from the editorial team
August 26, 2007 at 4:36 am
People always claim it’s near impossible to get accepted now but my site got in there and my friend has like 10 in there.
I think with people like that DMOZ will become more n more corrupt n lose it’s cult status, therefore making acceptance in there lose importance.
To be honest I never saw why it was a big deal anyway, there is no need for DMOZ.
N Shoemoney I don’t see why you need it man, traffic, value? what value does a listing have for shoemoney.com, you already have 10,000 subscribers + and people always visit. You have a great design and good posts, forget DMOZ. $5,000 HA!
August 26, 2007 at 4:30 am
DMOZ is corrupt and the data which google uses also not accurate. It is high time google must have its own directoy.
August 26, 2007 at 3:57 am
I didn’t realise that your blog was in there – wasnt there issue with one particular editor not wanting it in there a while ago ?
August 26, 2007 at 3:54 am
Hahaha! Good idea.
Seriously though, I agree. Google needs to dump DMOZ and lets move on. And whats the deal with the pagerank?
August 26, 2007 at 3:47 am
Send him a mail asking for $5000 or else you’ll publish his email
February 11, 2009 at 1:48 am
I like it flip it back on him… Nice!
August 26, 2007 at 3:42 am
DMOZ is overrated these days in my opinion. I’ve always done well without it and so have many others. Fuck the corrupt swine if they want to extort you.
August 26, 2007 at 3:40 am
man dmoz pulled the SAME THING on me but the price was only 50$ I paid it.
November 30, 2009 at 3:22 pm
And because you and others are willing to pay it, they’ll remain shady. As soon as the extorsion goes dry they’ll change the way they do business… but until then?
August 26, 2007 at 3:33 am
Damn that’s shady. They really do have about the worst editorial system in the world.
June 10, 2009 at 10:34 am
You are absolutely right.
I personally tried dozens of my sites to get approved and all were not accepted.
Shame:(