| The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive
human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by
a vast, global community of volunteer editors. |
The Republic of the Web
| The web continues to grow at staggering rates. Automated search engines
are increasingly unable to turn up useful results to search queries. The
small paid editorial staffs at commercial directory sites can't keep up
with submissions, and the quality and comprehensiveness of their directories
has suffered. Link rot is setting in and they can't keep pace with the
growth of the Internet.
Instead of fighting the explosive growth of the Internet, the Open Directory
provides the means for the Internet to organize itself. As the Internet
grows, so do the number of net-citizens. These citizens can each organize
a small portion of the web and present it back to the rest of the population,
culling out the bad and useless and keeping only the best content. |
The Definitive Catalog of the Web
| The Open Directory follows in the footsteps of some of the most important
editor/contributor projects of the 20th century. Just as the Oxford English
Dictionary became the definitive word on words through the efforts of a
volunteers, the Open Directory follows in its footsteps to become the definitive
catalog of the Web.
The Open Directory was founded in the spirit of the Open Source movement,
and is the only major directory that is 100% free. There is not,
nor will there ever be, a cost to submit a site to the directory, and/or
to use the directory's data. The Open Directory data is made available
for free to anyone who agrees to comply with our free use license. |
The Internet Brain
| The Open Directory is the most widely distributed data base of Web
content classified by humans. Its editorial standards body of net-citizens
provide the collective brain behind resource discovery on the Web.
The Open Directory powers the core directory services for the Web's largest
and most popular search engines and portals, including Netscape Search,
AOL Search, Google, Lycos, HotBot, DirectHit, and hundreds of others. |
You Can Make a Difference
| Like any community, you get what you give. The Open Directory provides
the opportunity for everyone to contribute.
Signing up is easy: choose a topic you know something about and
join. Editing categories is a snap. We have a comprehensive set of tools
for adding, deleting, and updating links in seconds. For just a few minutes
of your time you can help make the Web a better place, and be recognized
as an expert on your chosen topic. |
Join the Open Directory Project
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Find a category that you would like to maintain.
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Follow the Become an Editor link at the top of the category
page.
Note that some categories do not have a Become an Editor link; you
should find a more specific category which interests you, and apply there.
Once you have joined, and gained some experience, you can apply for more
general categories.
Further Information
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General FAQ - Want more
info? Check out some general FAQs about us in our Help area.
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Sites
Using ODP Data - Category listing of all sites, search engines, portals,
etc. using the ODP RDF dump.
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ODP
in the Press - News, articles and other reports about the ODP.
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Linking to the ODP - Show your
support of the ODP by linking to us from your site.
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Downloading ODP Data - Get the Definitive
Directory of the Web for your site. It's free and available to everyone.
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Free Use License - License governing
use of ODP data.
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Social Contract - Our
commitment and promise to all net-citizens to keep the ODP a free and open
resource.
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Awards - Our site has won a number of awards.
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