Searching the Internet:
Recommended Sites and Search Techniques

Yahoo Directory
http://dir.yahoo.com/

Use the Yahoo Directory when...

you are using the Web for relaxation or personal use
you want to browse through subject categories to see what is available on your topic
you are willing to use a collection of generally unevaluated material

Note that the Yahoo site consists of several components. A Yahoo search defaults to a search of the general Web, using its own search technology. This page discusses the Yahoo Directory portion of the Yahoo site.

Special Features of the Yahoo Directory:

Is one of the largest subject directories on the Web
Has broad subject coverage
Has a hierarchical subject organization that is good for browsing

Drawbacks:

Accepts almost any site submitted for inclusion to its database and does not do much to evaluate for quality or accuracy
Makes no attempt to be balanced in any subject area; it is mostly the passive recipient of sites submitted to it
The Yahoo editors are so busy that they don't have time to include all submitted sites into the directory; therefore, significant and high quality sites may never make it onto Yahoo
There is generally sporadic coverage of academic subjects
Tends to index only the major landing page of a site; therefore, any significant subsidiary pages on a related or different topic may not show up on this site

Quick Tip!
The Yahoo Directory is NOT an appropriate research tool. Most sites listed in the Yahoo directory are submitted by users, not by editors who are searching the Web for valuable content. Most annotations are written by the site creators and may therefore not be objective. Yahoo explicitly makes no guarantee that its editors check for quality or accuracy. If you wish to use a wide-ranging directory portal, try the Open Directory Project. This directory is maintained by thousands of volunteer editors and links to nearly 2 million resources on the Web. The quality of its content is generally more reliable than the content on Yahoo. An excellent example of the Open Directory is the version maintained by the Google search engine, called the Google Web Directory. This version utilizes Google's Page Rank technology and ranks results by link popularity. More information about Google is available in the tutorial Second Generation Searching on the Web.

Quick Tip!

The Yahoo Directory is NOT an appropriate research tool.

Most sites listed in the Yahoo directory are submitted by users, not by editors who are searching the Web for valuable content. Most annotations are written by the site creators and may therefore not be objective. Yahoo explicitly makes no guarantee that its editors check for quality or accuracy.

If you wish to use a wide-ranging directory portal, try the Open Directory Project. This directory is maintained by thousands of volunteer editors and links to nearly 2 million resources on the Web. The quality of its content is generally more reliable than the content on Yahoo.

An excellent example of the Open Directory is the version maintained by the Google search engine, called the Google Web Directory. This version utilizes Google's Page Rank technology and ranks results by link popularity. More information about Google is available in the tutorial Second Generation Searching on the Web.

A much better bet for serious research would be any reliable academic or professional directory. Let's consider the case of BUBL LINK. >>

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Searching the Internet: Recommended Sites and Search Techniques

Yahoo Directory http://dir.yahoo.com/

The Yahoo Directory is NOT an appropriate research tool.

Searching the Internet:
Recommended Sites and Search Techniques

Yahoo Directory
http://dir.yahoo.com/