NONE: Re: ONLINE-ADS>> We CAN live without Yahoo!
Re: ONLINE-ADS>> We CAN live without Yahoo!
Kim Brooks (kbrooks_at_cortland.com)
Fri, 06 Mar 1998 15:51:53 -0800
This Yahoo! discussion is quite interesting. People seems to be arguing
that it is over-rated and incomplete, versus important and popular. Both
are true.
Yahoo! is the MOST POPULAR -- that does not imply it is the most complete
or the most objective. It's never been either of those things: it was
simply first.
I have not had trouble getting my clients listed. I have had problems
getting listings edited or categorized correctly. One description had a
typo in it (not original to my submission, apparently inserted by a Yahoo!
editor). They didn't care. Another client, Swiss Army Brands, received an
irrelevant description, nothing like my original submission. They also
deleted the reference to "Victorinox," which is SAB's brand name for the
Original Swiss Army Knife. Yahoo! does not care -- so you still can't find
SAB by searching on Victorinox, after 7 months of arguing.
Greivances aside, Yahoo! is still the most popular. You have no choice but
to play by their rules. Period. If you ask me, their directors went to
some Bill Gates School of Marketing & Management: you don't have to be
best, you just have to be a) first; b) biggest; c) well-partnered. Scary
that this approach is so successful, and has brainwashed the whole geek
world to accept less-than-perfect products and services. Error message?
Oh well. Server crash? C'est la vie. Can't find a site on Yahoo!?
Whatever. Can't get listed? Must be your fault.
I have been waiting for a new index to appear - one that is edited, like
Yahoo!, but more complete, like a spider. One that will weed out 404s
automatically. One that knows how to deal with frames. One that will
treat webmasters more graciously (since it couldn't exist without our sites
to link). One that will bring world peace! (OK, that's a bit much). I've
been waiting for years now... but it seems that everyone thinks Yahoo!
dominates, therefore, they can't be challenged. (This also follows the
Microsoft analogy.)
All that complaining and wishing aside, do whatever it takes to get listed
in Yahoo! until something better comes along. Submit repeatedly: their
editors rotate, so you might just get a more sympathetic human the next
time around.
Best of luck...
Kim Brooks
B A R D O
marketing
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