I recently saw multiple posts on different social networks complaining about Google search results and how so many SEO-leveraging pages float to the top. You may have to sift through lots results because so many ranked sites duplicate each other and are low-information generally. Both posts mentioned using Reddit search parameters, which is something I do as well. I cannot tell you how often I’ve appended site:reddit.com to any given search engine query to find subjective information (book recommendations, etc.) that isn’t just regurgitated SEO copy. Reddit’s forum-style layout makes it easy to read through discussions, whereas trying to find something on Twitter or Tumblr is a nightmare for me personally.
How do we solve this problem? I don’t know. But it reminds me of the value of maintaining curated link directories. As with many things on the internet, it seems these directories have the most value when they are highly specific and easy to navigate with a logical category progression.
The directory was updated, based on These Thoughts:
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Link duplication makes sense. A recommended link should go in all relevant categories.Category specificity eliminates the need for link duplication. -
I started a section called Books/Reading/Writing/Words and I ended up dividing it into Words:Reading and Words:Writing. Better? Yes, more specific. Overlap?
Sure.No. Is link duplication needed?MaybeNo, see above. -
Occasionally useful link lists are circulating on social media sites like Tumblr. But sometimes these lists get rotted or are hard to find later. Capture these wild beasts, isolate the relevant parts, and provide a static resting place.
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Perhaps the most useful web directories are niche. My links to popular and known sites, like the Atom editor, are maybe not as useful as my link directory for print-and-play games. But don’t take for granted a site that is obvious to you, as someone with niche knowledge, would be obvious to someone outside the niche. Example: archiveofourown.org. Obvious to many people in fandom, but not necessarily to readers who have not sought out fanfic before.
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How do we circumvent search result chicanery? site:this.com. What about things like Million Short, a search engine that allows you to remove the top x search results? What about Board Reader, a search engine which only sources forums?
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Small niche directories and lists are more useful to us than large broad-topic directories. “Software” as a category is meaningless, because no one simply uses “software.” No one says, “Oh, let’s find new software to use today.” Software is sought after for it’s function, not because it exists. Every single item in the Software section is related to a subcategory and can be moved there, where it is most useful. When in doubt, use the most specific category.
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A blog post or article is, functionally, a tiny directory if we link well and often with meaningful attribution and provide link lists in the body and at the footer. Harness the power of Hyperlink, the true web currency. That means articulating where a link leads and giving credit to the creator, when possible.
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What % of the internet presents information that is useful to actual human beings?
More of today’s wanderings:
- Curlie, the largest human-edited directory on the Internet
- Parimal Satyal’s Rediscovering the Small Web
- Wiby classic search engine, which is popular here on NeoCities
- sadgrl’s Internet Manifesto, which links many articles with the small/indie/weird web philosophy.