Newsletter #133
March 20, 2017
As of March 14, 2017, DMOZ (also known as the Open Directory Project) is no more.
Before Google had its powerful algorithm and before we shared information with each other on social media, directories were the way that websites and online information were organized.
DMOZ was one of the biggest directories. Getting your website into DMOZ was crucial to internet marketing back in the day.
Danny Sullivan takes a trip down memory lane and recounts the history of DMOZ.
If you find stories like this interesting, and you like learning the changes and evolutions of internet marketing, you’re in the right place.
We think that understanding not just what today’s methods are, but also how and why came about in the first place, is the difference between an OK marketer and an excellent marketer.
Step 3 of our 10-step system is all about knowing the history and back story of internet marketing and how it formed into what it is today.
No More Annotations
YouTube is the world’s second biggest website and that’s why it’s a great way to distribute your marketing using video.
From May 2, you’ll no longer be able to add annotations to your YouTube videos. Instead, you’ll add “end screens” and “cards”, which work on mobile as well as desktop.
Annotations will still work on old videos. Amy Gesenhues has the details in this article.
Upsetting and Offensive Content
Google, another major distribution channel, has been working hard in the fight against fake news.
It has 10,000 independent contractors around the world who assess search results for quality, using a set of guidelines that’s 200 pages long.
The guidelines now include a whole new section about content that’s upsetting or offensive. Examples are information that claims the Holocaust never happened, black people are inferior or women are evil.
Danny Sullivan explains how the new guidelines will work.
Quotation of the Day
“DMOZ continued on, although for marketers and searchers, it had also long been mostly forgotten as a resource. About the only surprise in today’s news is that it took so long.”
– Danny Sullivan
That’s all for today. Keep an eye out for the next newsletter, and reach out if you need anything.
Thanks
Carlo