Dmoz staff launch blog.

The Open Directory Project (more affectionately known as dmoz) launched a staff blog today.

The Open Directory Project Blog states that its intentions are to:

- Provide authentic messages about DMOZ and the efforts of our volunteer community.

- Highlight enhancements, both current and future.

- Allow editors to showcase their categories and describe, in their own words, why DMOZ is so important.

- Recruit new editors.

It also seeks feedback from the user community.

Feeding time for the trolls?

It is not a huge surprise to anyone who has ever browsed an SEO/webmaster forum section on the ODP that a chunk of the initial feedback appears to be from disgruntled webmasters, upset that their sites aren't listed yet. Some of whom will cry foul and suggest corruption - rather than consider more mundane possibilities such as their site not having been reviewed yet.

Dmoz is an interesting place to volunteer - I've been an editor on and off since 1999 and I've learned a lot about hierarchical categorization, the difficulties of decisionmaking in a consensus based environment, linkrot, linkspam and the shortcomings of search engines in some areas.

I'd urge webmasters frustrated with review delays to consider applying to be an editor themselves, rather than expect volunteers to be interested in the same areas of the directory they are. Just be willing to act with integrity and demonstrate this when you apply, tell the truth about the sites you are affiliated with on the application form and when you do get accepted don't just list your own site, review and list competing sites too. You may even get hooked.

Tags: dmoz, ODP