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
Ricky Peterson (24) 
ZK @ Web Marketing Blog (23) 
R Kumar (12) 
Holly Mann (11) 
gurtey (9) 
Shanker Bakshi (9) 
Jacques Snyman | 3 Quotes (8) 
Yisraeli Foods (8) 
Find Affiliate Offers (5) 
Michael Zhao (77) 
almir (76) 
fas (75) 
R Kumar (74) 
Rick Kats (70) 
Jay @ work from home (62) 
Dino (61) 
Dick (628) 
Goran Website (495) 
Melvin (330) 
Ben Pei (329) 
Taris Janitens (274) 
meethere (269) 
Tushar Dhoot (265) 
Tushar (260) 
Moneybites (259) 
Insane!
DMOZ Still has not listed our Free Online Advertising site even after following all the guidelines.
that I builds a clone of DMOZ pls. its really irritate.
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.
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.
Создание музыки
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.
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!
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?
Кстати, я сейчас посмотрел, ваш блог в Google хорошие места занимает ,если имя блога туда вбить.
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…
I think u got a nice offer but soul wish so a nice offer one time in this real world!!!
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
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
Пока прочитал только эту одну заметку, если и все остальное также хорошо, то автору респект
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.
So far I thought they are just lazy
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.
This ODP story is fake and useless. Move along, people.
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
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.
I am still trying 3 years now
Iam still still 3 years now
o.O wtf?
DMOZ corrupted … what else?
Shoemoney’s story is pure, 100% fabrication. It has been investigated and proven false.
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!
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.
Cheap Music CDs, DVDs, Games and Books all with free delivery! zavvi.co.uk – the Official Site for zavvi in the UK
This is bad I give up now
Sounds like a crook
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?
I agree, horrible system.
Yes, this is bad news.
Yes, a liting in dmoz does not mean anything except for google which places a heavy emphasis on it.
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.
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.
Hi…I just found out about this happening to you Shoe! This is terrible!
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.
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
Wow that begger’s belief. What ever happened to Don’t be Evil
2nd that
мда… и кому верить теперь?
you must report him/her to dmoz.
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….
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..
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.
Who the hell cares about DMOZ anyway? They’ve been irrelevant for a long time.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
Shocking news!! You should have forwarded the email to Google.
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.
oh my god
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.
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
>>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
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
forums.digitalpoint.com/showpost.php?p=150377&postcount=41 ……
The weirdest thing is that a DMOZ editor really thinks that a DMOZ listing is worth anything nowadays….That’s is hilarious
!
I was never a fan of dmoz and never will…
ohh no !! i don’t like dmoz
Some guys are asswholes…
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.
Its Really Bad .. someone told me this earlier BUT today through axandra i come to know about this…. Really Bad for Webmasters
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.
Yea shoe – that link went down – is there another?! Or is this an even bigger conspiracy?!?! I love conspiracies.. keep it up!!
It’s controlled by a type of organized crime if their members are participating in extortion… that’s a given!
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?!
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
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.
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
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.)
Excuse me for being skeptical but lets see the email with headers intact.
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
Damn! this sucks
DMOZ Shld apologize for this
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.
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.
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.
yup, I knew this post would get alot of attention.
We need to get this story to the masses! Digg it here: http://digg.com/tech_news/Dmoz_Extortion
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.
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.
Please report this person and see if their system works.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
So you’ve bribed dmoz editor before? No wonder you got that email (even if it’s unrelated to shoemoney)
Now theres an IDEA!
–Melanie
Go report this incident with the following link!
http://report-abuse.dmoz.org/?cat=Computers/Internet/Web_Design_and_Development/Authoring
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.
*LOL* and you can really get a Free 50″ plasma TV for free…….
I agree it wouldn’t be a bad move at all.
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.
wow….
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…
From the Dmoz Social Contract:
1. The Open Directory Will Remain 100% Free
Liars.
From the Dmoz Social Contract
Is it time for a better Dmoz like directory? Would webmasters pay to be included in a more relevant directory? I know I would.
I just did a couple months ago, but it took forever. I forgot about it by the time I got accepted
Wow, this stinks. I guess it’s something I’ve never worried about with DMOZ.
Jeremy, you might be interested in this explanation:
http://blogoscoped.com/forum/106601.html#id106669
I couldn’t agree more. BOTW has all the values and ethics that DMOZ proclaims to have.
Has anyone actually had any sites accepted into Dmoz in like the last year? I thought it had died.
You just got served!
See the edit… pwned!
thats crazy! I cant believe they would try to do something like that!
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?
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!
Lol, nice idea.
Agreed, share with us. This is bull.
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!
I saw it listed in the affiliate category. No doubt shoemoney was in the DMOZ.
…oh yea…good job on not paying either!
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?
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?
Yahoo doesn’t pay for those editors. So they’d have to find a way to feed themselves.
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.
I don’t think it is a matter of needing it. It is just proof of DMOZ’s corrupt nature.
Let’s see that email yo
50k!
I knew about seo corruption but this is insane!
Sounds like to many episode of Sopranos!…whateva…just shows where it is headed.
Google, and thats about it.
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.
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
I definently agree with making their past edits public.
that is unbelievable!
I wouldn’t doubt it after reading this post.
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 ..
You’re crazy for paying that. DMOZ has never sent me $50 worth of traffic. Let alone the $5000 shoe was asked to pay
I think it would definatly be a good idea for shoemoney to expose this loser.
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.
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…
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.
Google does, which is the only reason why dmoz is even still mentioned anywhere.
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?
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.
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
Dmoz is the king of the crap.
Ahh I was looking for someone who could get me in.. Can you pass on the email
they should be banned…
5k for a listing at dmoz…man that is expensive
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
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.
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.
Wow thats Bad!
DMoz Sucks! Shame on the editors…
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
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).
Well you are the company you keep. Here that google?
What a load of crap! Can they really do this? Talk about losing credibility. Piss on ‘em.
I agree with Neil. Best of the Web would be a good Google buy.
that is one crazy email.. as if anyone uses DMOZ anymore..
$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.
Google should acquire BOTW. That would be a perfect directory for them.
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.
Probably used a throwaway emails… can’t be THAT stupid right?
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.
Even if this is not true it is funny:
Directories are over-hyped, imo. Screw DMOZ for being extortionists.
ya he should update more =(
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.
Who cares about DMOZ?
corrupt dmoz editor dot com is amusing if you’ve never read it
Since they use volunteer “section editors,” is it possible you hit a rouge?
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.
How utterly pathetic. I wonder just how many times this works, though?
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.
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?
Ya, unfortunately that W3C link isn’t permanent, it’s for one year. Plus, its nofollow…
for real Nail him to the wall.
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…
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.
DMOZ is including paid links…
Google Penalty!
WoW, what a nerd. Let’s go e-thuggin’ on his a$$
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.
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.
nice idea! hehe
Last I checked, extortion was still illegal. This is the kind of thing that could take down DMOZ … and THAT’s linkbait!
typing dmoz.org takes less keystrokes than “ummmm, get with it”
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
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.
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.
Report the bizoch…
http://www.quickonlinetips.com/archives/2007/08/how-to-report-corrupt-dmoz-editors-and-odp-abuse/
Ya, you need to nail this guy.
Can you tell us what caused the header defacement?
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..
Shoe,
Which category are you talking about?
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.
Here are some ways to report Dmoz abuse.
I smell a blogging backlash!
Same thing happened to me for one of my sites… it got toasted from DMOZ too.
Shoe is secretly Bill Gates in disguise.
This is why human edited things should be edited by the masses, not by 10 people.
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…
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?
Well Shoe is a gazillionaire so why not shoot for the stars if your going to make demands
ummmm, get with it
Share the info he gave you, paypal or whatever it was so he can be tracked down.
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!
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
What would make him think anyone would pay 5000 for a dmoz listing?
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/.
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…
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.
Haha, that’s a good one!
And this is really shocking!
I’m shocked, can’t you just make his email public to DMOZ staff or present this, I’d really like that ****** nailed!
Haha yeah good idea.
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.
I read somewhere that the gambling and porn sections in DMOZ are controlled by organized crime.
DMOZ? what the heck is that?
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.
Why don’t you reveal who this person was and get him dumped from the editorial team
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!
DMOZ is corrupt and the data which google uses also not accurate. It is high time google must have its own directoy.
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 ?
Hahaha! Good idea.
Seriously though, I agree. Google needs to dump DMOZ and lets move on. And whats the deal with the pagerank?
Send him a mail asking for $5000 or else you’ll publish his email
I like it flip it back on him… Nice!
DMOZ is overrated these days in my opinion. I’ve always done well without it and so have many others. Fuck the corrupt swine if they want to extort you.
man dmoz pulled the SAME THING on me but the price was only 50$ I paid it.
Damn that’s shady. They really do have about the worst editorial system in the world.
You are absolutely right.
I personally tried dozens of my sites to get approved and all were not accepted.
Shame:(