WordPress Users Unite: Powered By WordPress Directory

February 8, 2007 | By Lorelle VanFossen | Filed Under Bloggers, Blogging, WordPress

WordPress users like to work with WordPress users, so this might be a fun way of connecting the dots with others fans of WordPress.

Vamsi Gangavalli has put this together as part of a “Human Edited Blog Directory” project.

The Powered by WordPress Directory currently features more than 500 categories and sub-categories for cataloging WordPress bloggers and blogs.

Submissions are limited to full versions of WordPress or WordPress.com blogs. Submission is free, though linkbacks are requested. If you would like your WordPress blog featured on their site for better exposure, it will cost USD $19.95 a year until the end of April. After that, it goes up to $29.95/year.

The list includes your Alexa Rank and Traffic Chart, as well as links to cached pages and backlinks in major search engines.

The Submit Site Page features a long list of do’s and don’ts including:

Blog must have a link back to WordPress or WordPress.com.
No adult sites or adult-related content.
Only the main URL can be submitted, not specific pages or categories.
You are only allowed one blog per category, and no multiple categories per blog.
Sites with more ads than content may be excluded.
Banned are “Illegal sites containing copyright destruction, violence, fraud, child pornography, racism, vulgarity or warez.”
“Repeated & excessive use of exclamation marks!” may mean exclusion.

Similar to DMOZ Open Directory, the categories currently include Arts & Humanities, Business & Economy, Computers & Internet, Education, Entertainment, Health, News & Media, Recreation & Sports, Reference, Regional, Science and Technology, Shopping, and many others.

Where is WordPress in the Powered By WordPress Directory?

Intrigued with this all WordPress concept, I went looking for blogs about WordPress under a WordPress category. After all, that category would include my blog, right? I found nothing.

I did a search for WordPress and I found no categories for WordPress and no specific category for blogging, either. While I think this is a neat idea, shouldn’t a directory for WordPress users feature categories for Blogging and WordPress?

Submitting Lorelle on WordPress became a nightmare of pouring through the many categories and not finding anything appropriate for a blog that blogs about blogging and WordPress. I finally decided to put my blog under Internet and Web Services > Tools & Resources, which isn’t appropriate but it is the closest, I think.

If you are a WordPress blogger, did you find a category for your blog?

What do you think about a WordPress Directory?

Lorelle VanFossen blogs about blogging and WordPress on Lorelle on WordPress, and is a long time support volunteer for WordPress. Lorelle travels too much and reports about life on the road in Taking Your Camera on the Road and covers family history and genealogy on Lorelle’s Family History, teaches and presents workshops and programs, and writes for many blogs, ezines, and magazines.

About the author: The author of Lorelle on WordPress, as well as several other blogs, Lorelle VanFossen has been blogging in one fashion or another for over 14 years, covering travel, nature and travel photography, web design, web theory and development, blogging, and WordPress extensively as web technologies developed. Lorelle is also the author of the fast-selling book, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging, available in the new Blog Herald Bookstore.

Comments

12 Responses to “WordPress Users Unite: Powered By WordPress Directory”

engtech on February 8th, 2007 4:38 am

I liked it, but I agree that the drop-down categories NEED to go.

There are too many categories… which doesn’t solve anything because it only adds more confusion about WHICH categories to pick.
Vamsi on February 8th, 2007 9:51 am

Thanks for the writeup Lorelle.
There might be few things missing in the directory. Nothing can be be perfect. Unless there is a great effort and team work.

ya i know there is no wp category. I am sorry about your nightmare. I’ll help you out by placing your blog in the right category “wordpress” ;)
i’m also adding the category “blogging” in the same parent ‘computers and internet’ section. that will fill the requirement for blogs that talk exclusively about blogging.
and hey by the way, you can suggest new categories by clicking the suggest link in the top so i can review and see if its relevant.

Thanks for the support really.
Vamsi on February 8th, 2007 10:02 am

its here:
http://www.poweredbywp.com/Computers_and_Internet/Blogging/
and
http://www.poweredbywp.com/Computers_and_Internet/Blogging/WordPress/

let me know your thoughts.
gaman on February 8th, 2007 10:35 am

I would prefer them to have less adsense ads and larger font.
Vamsi on February 8th, 2007 12:38 pm

gaman, adsense will be reduced on the directory soon.
I am actually looking for a sponsor for the top banner and about the font, if i increase that, the look and feel will messup. but i’ll look into that though.
Lorelle VanFossen on February 8th, 2007 2:12 pm

Thanks, Vamsi, for the prompt response.

Directories such as this will grow and change with time. The limit on one category per blog is VERY restrictive, since a blog like Lorelle on WordPress (for example) fits equally under Blogging and WordPress. Allowing 2-3 categories would really help those like me who cover both topics, different but related, get the coverage they need. And those who pay, they can have 5 categories. ;-)

Other than money making goals, I’d love to know the real idea behind this bringing together of the WordPress Community on a list.

Thanks!
Aaron B. Hockley on February 8th, 2007 3:10 pm

Their list of rules for the directory takes up more screen space than the main screen of the directory itself…
Leon on February 8th, 2007 4:26 pm

I think the project is a good idea. I agree with Lorelle each blog should be allowed more categories. You may also want to allow a few tags to act as wildcards for searching. Possibly based on the meta keywords.

The site looks professional but doesn’t look like anything from WordPress. Only the name and limitations on submissions seem to distinguish it from other big Php powered blog directories.
Baxter Tocher on February 10th, 2007 12:07 pm

Has anyone else had a problem adding their site? I tried it today, and it spat out a bunch of error messages.
Vamsi on February 12th, 2007 8:00 am

baxter, try again. i think you submitted when there was heavy usage of the site.
Baxter Tocher on February 12th, 2007 7:42 pm

Thanks, Vamsi - I will do.
WordPress Wednesday: Easter Eggs, Editor Extras, WordPress Plugins, and more WordPress 2.1 at The Blog Herald on February 14th, 2007 1:57 pm

[...] New Directory for WordPress Users: Powered by WordPress Directory has just opened up showcasing any WordPress blog that wants to register. It can be full versions of WordPress or WordPress.com blogs. For more details, see WordPress Users Unite: Powered By WordPress Directory. [...]

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