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BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL

ByJeremy Schoemaker

Sep 13, 2008

At SES San Jose a couple weeks ago there were rumors floating around about Best Of The Web purchasing DMOZ from AOL. I am very good friends with the owners of BOTW and when I asked them during that time they told me “officially” they had no comment.

Well I have been pressing them a bit more about an official word regarding the purchase. AOL has been dumping a ton of dead weight and being BOTW has already hired away most of the premier DMOZ editors it just seemed like a good fit for them.

Well I now have official confirmation that BOTW and AOL are in discussions about selling the directory and a deal could be reached fairly soon.

So being that Google’s business directory is just a syndication from the DMOZ I wonder how Google will look on this deal.

I can already see the headlines of “Now You Have To Buy Your Way Into Google’s Business Directory” but seriously…. atleast it will have some editorial standards.

Anyway as I said above I am good friends with the owners of BOTW so obviously I am biased. I am curious to hear your thoughts on the deal if in fact BOTW is the new owners of the DMOZ directory.

By Jeremy Schoemaker

Jeremy "ShoeMoney" Schoemaker is the founder & CEO of ShoeMoney Media Group, and to date has sold 6 companies and done over 10 million in affiliate revenue. In 2013 Jeremy released his #1 International Best selling Autobiography titled "Nothing's Changed But My Change" - The ShoeMoney Story. You can read more about Jeremy on his wikipedia page here.

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189 thoughts on “BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL”

  1. As long as the editorial standards are strong, I have no problem with this. The guys at BOTW always seemed like an ok bunch.

      2. we’ll see. Right now, it’s almost impossible to get in because most of the categories are already filled with lots of sites. If you submit your site in less popular categories you still have a chance to be approved.

        1. Its because, the editors send bribes to get you into the listings and/or to threaten to remove you from them.

      3. Yeah it’s for this reason i don’t like DMOZ. If it’s hard for ourselves to get our sites listed. Then it’s the same for others. Which means we’re missing out on alot of sites that could be useful.

        Brilliant idea, hopefully a takeover will see it develop into something better than it is.

        1. You could always become an editor. That seems to be the easiest wa to get listed on DMOZ these days.

      4. Dude, it is really annoying when you are always replying to the first comment on all these different blogs. The problem with it is that your comment is never towards the other commenter, but the article instead. article instead. it just seems really spammy.

    4. I agree but more importantly I want to see more spam control from Google. Inevitably there will be some spam.

  2. Well if its a question of ethics I do not think its a comparison. As you said BOTW hired away all the good editors. All that is left is corrupt crap.

    That is also why Google has devalued it as such.

    1. u bet… so if botw takes over dmoz there could definitely be a problem with the ethics on the listings in dmoz…

  3. Like “People You’ll See in Hell” said, as long as they don’t every single crappy site on the internet in, and there is atleast 1 free way of getting in for people with good sites but not enough money, it’ll be great. Anything is better than AOL running the site.

  4. While back in the day DMOZ was just flat out Awesome, but it’s well do for a change. While this might not be the best way I could have thought of to play it all out, but it’s at least a change. I am tired of DMOZ and the lack of interest in changing and very corrupt insiders doing whatever they want.

    All, I can say is I sure hope BOTW can bring it back to what it was back in the good ole days of pure quality editing!

    Enough said and Keep It SEO Simple Stupid,

    Eric

    2. Agreed! Anyone know what actually happened wıth this then, did the deal go through?

  6. I think a bit of a change-up might do DMOZ some good. Retaining the ability to submit without payment would be nice, but then again I wouldn’t disagree if there was a *paid* option for guaranteed review within a certain timeframe.

      1. I was vaguely aware that they do (or did) have free submission, but only for non-commercial sites. Is that right, or do they have free commercial site submission somewhere as well? (I’m aware of the “free 60 day advertising/sponsored-listing trial, but could well be oblivious to any other optoins)

    2. i think a paid submission is cool as long as they dont let in everyone who pays, just promise to review within a certain amount of time.

  8. It’s about time there was a change. Hopefully it’s a good one. There are way too many shady people at DMOZ.

  9. I could really care less. I personally think link directories are getting less and less popular as google is favoring blog content for searches over link directories (I would think) but who knows maybe they will change it up.

    2. directories in general are not very valuable in google’s eyes. But I still think that links from directories like Yahoo Directory, DMOZ or BOTW are valuable these days.

    4. they favor it because of how old it is and how many backlinks it has… but if they go paid they could lose their clout a la yahoo directory.

  10. […] AKA Jeremy Schoemaker, is reporting from strong inside sources that BOTW is in the final stages of completing a deal to purcha…. The BOTW directory has been online since 1994 and is arguably the oldest website directory on the […]

  11. […] In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL By Jeremy Schoemaker At SES San Jose a couple weeks ago there were rumors floating around about Best Of The Web […]

  12. Personally, while I have huge props for BOTW in their pioneering ways, I think the days of directory sites being a major force are beyond us… at least not in the current state that they (DMOZ, BOTW, others) are in.

    Just my $0.02… but if this news is true, Shoe scoops us all again!

  13. Hello Shoe,
    I am new to IM and a big follower of you (guess i should have said just another :p)
    reg the post.. i wonder what would be the big Gs counter act..
    (i never had a clue that Gs dir is a syndication of DMOZ)

  16. Interesting. I posted the check photo with a link back to your site, on an eBay Meetup group. If you like it let me know. If you want something changed let me know. If you want it down, let me know.

  17. Google owns 5% of AOL, depending on the terms that were made with that, Google may have some say in terms of approving a sale or not.

    1. Good observation there Dave. But do you think Google’s 5% will really make a difference? AOL and Time Warner are both under very intense pressure from shareholders to sell off their low revenue assets.

    1. One calendar year after this “expert” suckered everyone with his “DMOZ is corrupt” story…he has followed up with Link Bait exercise #2 and you are all falling for it again.

      DMOZ is not for sale. You should never believe anything on this site about DMOZ. Ever.

  20. We’ve been waiting for this , I really hope they will go on with that since DMOZ is in need of some serious help right now ..

  21. The question I have is what they will be doing with sites already in the directory (I have a couple and they can’t really be classified as non-commercial as there are ads running). Will they be asking for a fee to stay in the directory?

    1. that’s what I’m wondering. Hopefully DMOZ will stay free. If not at least those that are already in it won’t be force to pay a fee or something

  22. That will be great to have Greg in charge of DMOZ. I bowed out as an editor after it seemed a bit unfair on some counts. I am sure the BOTW guys will make it a very important resource for all of us! I wish them great luck!
    dk

  24. Hi Shoemoney,

    I tried to buy a shoe money t-shirt from your store, but could not. Its only available for united states customers.

    I’m in Canada. Please add Canada.

    thanks,
    Shafi

  25. I think the move will probably benefit everybody, except the workers who will no doubt be made redundant in the near future.

    I still feel it’s shame that companies that have brought themselves up from nothing finally give in and sell. At least it’s not another google purchase although no doubt they’ll have a say somewhere along the line.

    1. Yea, I was going to post the same.

      I think it’ll be around $xxx million. probably low xxx or high xx.

  27. […] einem Blogpost von Shoemoney sind die Besitzer von Best of the Web (BOTW) in Verhandlungen mit AOL über einen möglichen […]

  28. It would be nice to see something come of DMOZ other than nothing (which is what is happening now). The Open Directory has been running on auto-pilot for some time, this might bring some relevance back to the aging directory.

  30. […] иска да купи DMOZ ? будалата винаги печели BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL – ShoeMoney® Web Adds DMOZ EditorsThe new Best of the Web team is a hand-picked squad, with many names well […]

  31. If BOTW has their eyes on DMOZ, it is because they have a plan and want to do something with the directory. What they do with the directory once they own it I guess could be debatable and whether it would be perceived to have the public’s best interest in mind would be soon seen.

    I guess things couldn’t get much worse. Right now, my opinion of DMOZ is that it is a very corrupt place. If it was properly run and maintained, I think it could actually be a very decent place to troll around and find things.

    All in all, if BOTW were to purchase DMOZ from AOL, I couldn’t foresee things getting any worse for the directory than they currently are. Only time will tell.

  32. […] kauft AOL das DMOZ ab? Beispielsweise beim SEOnauten und Loptsa. Die Quelle des Gerüchtes: Shoemoney. Genau, der Typ, der schon vergeblich versucht hat, ODP-Editoren zu bestechen und eine Menge […]

  33. I think it wouldnt hurt for them to take over. Its hard to get your blog listed on DMOZ anyway. It might be a better option anyway.

  36. I have been trying to get listing in DMOZ for a long time and found that they do not have enough editors. To have such a big influence on the internet and not be empowered with responsibility for that influence just doesn’t seem right. I hope this will improve that situation. Thanks for sharing – interesting!

    1. They don’t have enough editors because they don’t accept new ones into the system. It’s almost as if they don’t want anyone new joining. I am sure that isn’t accurate, but needless to say, that is my perception.

  37. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL – Das könnte wirklich interessant sein. Hoffen wir das es klappt, egal was BOTW mit dem DMOZ machen würde. Es kann nur besser werden! […]

  39. I wonder what’s the price range and what changes should we expect. I think the idea is great since DMOZ is the most known, but takes forever to get approved. 🙂

  40. I go along with anything …as long as I can navigate it on the internet…carol stanley author of For Kids 59.99 & Over

  42. […] Shoemoney says that BOTW and AOL are in talks to buy DMOZ! Holy cow! […]

  43. I stopped even submitting sites to dmoz a few years ago. Maybe the guys at BOTW can turn in back into a decent directory. The questions will be:
    1. will the sites listed stay?
    2. will it be free to get listed?
    3. will google still give it value like it used to?

  44. I am surpised that AOL is letting go of DMOZ, they recently dropped netscape. I wonder what’s next.

  45. I’d be curious to see how they will manage the listings once they take the site over. One of the biggest problems with DMOZ for the past 5 years has been the corruption of it’s moderators.

    Even you posted sometime last year that you got a blackmail email from one of the mods, demanding a big chunk of cash or they would drop your listing, and from what I recall they did drop you since you refused.

    So if BOTW does take over the site, will this be ending? Or will it just maintain it’s current unethical practices? How will moderators be moderated? Will Google’s own directory remain powered by DMOZ once the exchange happens? What about the thousands of other sites that use the DMOZ feed to populate their own directories?

  46. Back in the day, I worked on a website that was really needing something to get it going. One of the things I did was submit to DMOZ. The wait was long, but well worth it. The popularity of the site skyrocketed once approved.

    Today, I’ve submitted other sites, and I just don’t see the quality that I once saw or the reward that a good website got from being listed in DMOZ. I’m hoping that BOTW can change that. I do think that there should be free listings. It’s hard enough getting started on the web, but to have 8 billion places you have to pay to get listed…it’s nice to know some of the best remain free, yet true to those of us who aren’t spammers, hackers, or otherwise harmful folks.

  48. I hope it works out for them… In all honesty DMOZ has become the joke of the internet. Maybe someone new can bring it back.

  50. It’s simply a link bait for BOTW to gain publicity. I don’t think they have a budget to buy Dmoz. 🙂

    1. Good point… but how can we know about the true financial prowess of BOTW ; are they not a privately held company ?

      1. A privately held company whose main revenue source is from directory submission?

        Doubt Dmoz would be sold to such small fish.

  51. […] Recently, Jeremy Schoemaker let the cat out of the bag explaining that there is a possibility that Best of The Web (BOTW) might purchase DMOZ from AOL. “I now have official confirmation that BOTW and AOL are in discussions about selling the […]

    1. Don’t under estimate BOTW they are not that small .. but yes it would be really interesting to see how much is the offer they have made to AOL

  54. […] would love to see this happen. Not only have I met the owners of Best of the Web, I also know that they will do a good job […]

  59. […] to friend 14Sep submit_url = ‘http://www.seowned.com/?p=4373’;By Jeremy Schoemaker At SES San Jose a couple weeks ago there were rumors floating around about Best Of The Web […]

  62. DMOZ has been shady for a long long while, I think BOTW will do great with that legacy and I welcome the acquisition.

  63. Is DMOZ really important anymore? Don’t the other ways to get high PR backlinks outwigh the importance of the DMOZ dinosaur?
    That being said, if BOTW does a re-vamp of DMOZ, and makes it easier to get admitted, I will welcome it.

  65. […] Schoemaker recently blogged that DMOZ may be acquired by the great guys at BOTW. While BOTW has no comment regarding the possible acquisition, personally, I think the BOTW guys […]

  67. First –
    I really wish the deal goes through.
    Secondly,
    I wish BOTW overhauls the current editorial team of DMOZ and conduct interviews – so that only qualified editors with professional integrity (yes – i am indicating $$$) – stay on with the team.
    Third –
    It will be a herculean job to re-evaluate the whole database -what with so many listed sites/domains getting expired and a bunch of people buying those domains and changing the nature they originally looked.
    All the best to BOTW boys. 🙂

  69. i have one site in DMOZ. i think i get maybe 1 hit in every several thousand from that directory. i guess the only thing of value is a high PR site linking to my own thus increasing my own PR. but i wouldn’t hold your breath nor would i put too much weight in getting into that directory.

    1. And with this purchase the amount of authority the directory has in G might decrease as well…
      Lets wait and watch what happens.

  70. Are you all stupid? This is the biggest pile of misinformation I have seen in the last year. Perhaps next week Shoemoney will post that Bank of America is going to puchase Google for $1, would you all be suckered into that? This is pure link bate.

  71. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  72. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  73. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  74. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  75. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  78. […]  |   |   |   |   |   |  Jeremy Schoemaker is reporting the Best of the Web directory is in discussions with AOL to purchase the Open […]

  82. It’s very interesting to see that BOTW will purchase Dmoz. We can just pay to be listed at Dmoz and don’t wait for too long.

  83. […] Schoemaker, руководителя медиа-группы ShoeMaker Media Group, сообщает, что между владельцами каталога Best of the Web и компанией […]

  84. […] Schoemaker recently blogged that DMOZ may be acquired by the great guys at BOTW. While BOTW has no comment regarding the possible acquisition, personally, I think the BOTW guys […]

  85. I honestly cannot understand all the enmity towards DMOZ, I had no issues getting in. T’was a Breeze. Quality of the Site Helps, Heaps.

    What I love about the net is the dynamism of the terrain. Nothing ever stands still.

  88. […] shoemoney, BOTW.org está en conversaciones con DMOZ para adquirir el famoso directorio gratuito soportado […]

  90. Every body knows that Dmoz “service” is free but also corrupted in someway and with many deficiencies because the free service. it would a nice move the acquisition because Best of the web is a serious and good service.

  91. its good to hear those rumors. we might see that some editors on dmoz will be pushed away cause of the way they behave within it. ex charging money to include some sites.

    i dont meen that all do that but for sure they have the privilage nd ways to do it (ex friends, business partners, etc)

    lets hope the guys at BOTW will develope some better standards 😉

  92. This is a good thing. Hopefully it will clear up some of the corruption of dmoz. I think a lot of people are getting sick of it.

  93. When I read this in a webpronews e-mail article I thought it was a joke… Something tells me that this isn’t going to happen, but if it does, I will be the first to admit that I was wrong… I have met some of the BOTW guys as well, and of cource am a customer of their great service, but I just don’t see it…. hats off if they come even close.

  94. […] the open directory on the open market? Jeremy Shoemaker of Shoemoney fame says that the rumor of this monster directory deal was the hot topic at a convention he […]

  97. Ha! This would be cool. At least they will send you an email to tell you your submission has been received!. It’s would be cool to get the waiting list down below 12 months too.

    James.

  98. […] has it "Best of the Web" is trying to buy DMOZ. BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL – ShoeMoney® Geoserv __________________ Latest Web Launches: Get In On! – Brand NEW! Submit your website to: […]

  99. […] at BOTW so they could get people to learn who they are for all I know. The story originated at the ShoeMoney blog, so you can read the story there and judge for yourself. If DMOZ were for sale, though, I would bet […]

  100. […] Schoemaker recently blogged that DMOZ may be acquired by the great guys at BOTW. While BOTW has no comment regarding the possible acquisition, personally, I think the BOTW guys […]

  101. I have not heard much more about it (apart from here), has anyone got any other source for this rumour? I would hope that an acquiistion might shake the dmoz management up. The whole directory imo is way out of date and run very inefficiently on a number of fronts.

  102. Perhaps DMOZ might get a nice facelift and a better back-end. However, I’m feeling that Google may drop their emphasis on DMOZ.

  103. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  104. […] Shoemaker, of the popular Shoemoney blog, posted that the owners of Best of the Web Directory are in talks to buy Dmoz from AOL and that a […]

  105. […] Schoemaker from Shoemoney posted that the owners of Best of the Web Directory are in talks to buy Dmoz from AOL , saying a […]

  106. And maybe it will actually be possible to get into DMOZ now. There’s just no accountability there….

  107. […] that AOL are in talks with Best of the Web are about to purchase the DMOZ directory according to Jeremy Schoemaker. DMOZ is currently free, whilst BOTW charges for a review prior to inclusion. DMOZ editors have […]

  108. […] that AOL are in talks with Best of the Web are about to purchase the DMOZ directory according to Jeremy Schoemaker. DMOZ is currently free, whilst BOTW charges for a review prior to inclusion. DMOZ editors have […]

  109. I think this is great. I have submitted many sites to DMOZ and a handful of them are listed…I would much rather pay the listing fee from our sites and our clients’ sites to be listed in BOTW / DMOZ and then listed on Google and other authority sites.

  114. Одной строкой (Выпуск №11) | Блог CrazyLog.co.ua says:

    […] «Ð¿Ð¾Ð´Ñ‚верждение». По крайней мере, Джереми Schoemaker утверждает, что таковые имеются. Отмечу, что Google использует […]

  115. […] которую стоит обсудить. И сейчас такой случай: По словам Джереми Шумейкера (Jeremy Schoemaker), руководителя медиа-группы ShoeMaker Media Group, у […]

  119. i hope this is true and botw buys the dmoz from aol.

    dmoz is currently (Death MOZ or spamMOZ). botw can bring the quality to dmoz which it needs

  120. […] Schoemaker, of the popular Shoemoney blog, posted that the owners of Best of the Web Directory are in talks to buy Dmoz from AOL and that a […]

  121. […] 15th September – BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL (steaprok) Jeremy Schoemaker broke the news that popular web directory, Best of the Web, is in discussions with AOL to buy DMOZ (the Open Directory Project). AOL acquired DMOZ during its takeover of Netscape, and the directory’s data (now Open Source) has been used to varying extents by most of the major search engines and portals including Google. DMOZ inclusion has been like Mecca to SEOs since the late 90’s, with the links seen as extremely authoritative and great trust builders. The directory has been overshadowed by outages, poor maintenance and reports of editorial bribery over recent years; which the site’s new owners have done little to address. Best of The Web already boasts a successful and growing directory of its own, with paid and regulated editorial staff. The purchase of DMOZ would give BOTW a substantial traffic boost and another valuable asset to offer to its existing client base. Direct Link: Shoemoney […]

  122. As a business man I would like to know if any of believe that the USA will still be around in a year, or two because I’m not sure.

  124. […] Kauft BOTW das DMOZ? – das wird noch spannend […]

  125. Heh, here in Montreal the web design companies are paying top dollars to get listed in botw.org.

    Dmoz is a fairly decent directory but its management lacks to knowledge of handling an open-source project.

  126. This would be great for DMOZ, maybe now they would be able to review sites quicker, now it takes over 3 months and a lot of sites get rejected

  129. AOL is becoming FAILING BADLY.
    Previously in their blog network, then propeller and now DMOZ.

  131. […] Anyway as I said above I am good friends with the owners of BOTW so obviously I am biased. I am curious to hear your thoughts on the deal if in fact BOTW is the new owners of the DMOZ directory. (Source) […]

  132. […] det hænge sammen med rygtet om at BOTW forhandler om at købe DMOZ fra […]

  133. it would be cool if they did… hate to see the years of work go to waste as it has… they should charge for listings.. $99 is a good start… have your friend buzz me, one of the early DMOZ editors that also did Yahoo! Directory, there are ways that monetizing the directory will work.

  134. I don’t think BOTW owning DMOZ is a bad thing, but don’t forget DMOZ feeds hundreds of other directories. So it’s not just Google that will have to look at the situation. BOTW could end up with a lemon on their hands.

  136. I have several sites on BOTW and DMOZ, but lately my new project are ignored by DMOZ. I welcome a solution where BOTW buy DMOZ – maybe then the directory will become active again.
    Dmoz was a beast, now it’s a turtle

  138. […] BOTW In Talks To Purchase DMOZ Directory From AOL, ShoeMoney […]

  139. […] rumors raised by Jeremy Shoemaker, author and owner of the famous Shoemoney blog, are true – DMOZ is on the verge of being bought by […]

  140. […] rumors raised by Jeremy Shoemaker, author and owner of the famous Shoemoney blog,are true – DMOZ is on the verge of being bought by […]

  141. Скажите, а у вас есть RSS поток в этом блоге?

  142. Я тоже врямя от времени такое вижу, но как-то раньше не придавал этому значения.

    1. Im really not sure how great an idea of them buying the directory..maybe it will turn for the worst

  145. yes, it is better if BOTW buy dmoz directory.
    if owner not have time to care then always better to handover so site will not die. 🙂

  146. Best of the Web (BOTW) directory to acquire DMOZ from AOL – says Jeremy Schoemaker | Robin Majumdar 2.0 says:

    […] AKA Jeremy Schoemaker, is reporting from strong inside sources that BOTW is in the final stages of completing a deal to purcha…. The BOTW directory has been online since 1994 and is arguably the oldest website directory on the […]

  147. I already submitted to BOTW, not sure how long will it take to show my site online

  148. I also submitted site in dMoz many weeks ago till now I didnt get any response from their side.

Comments are closed.