Blog Directories and Free Hosts

[reyna]

I was wondering if Blog Directories accept blogs from free hosted blog places such as xlogz or thumblogger?

most of them = YES

[walrus]

Initially when I had my blog directory I accepted them. After a couple of months and a back link check I changed my rules and wouldn't accept them.

The reason being is that if thumblogger finds a site it doesn't feels meets its T&C it disables them. Fair enough but they then put up a sales page, do not carry the links over from the site they disabled and make no attempt to notify the trade partners of what had happened.

I think the only ones that still accept them are either owned by the owner of thumblogger or those that are poorly maintained.

[BadWolf]

Originally Posted by walrus

Initially when I had my blog directory I accepted them. After a couple of months and a back link check I changed my rules and wouldn't accept them.

The reason being is that if thumblogger finds a site it doesn't feels meets its T&C it disables them. Fair enough but they then put up a sales page, do not carry the links over from the site they disabled and make no attempt to notify the trade partners of what had happened.

I think the only ones that still accept them are either owned by the owner of thumblogger or those that are poorly maintained.

I'd have to agree. I recently stopped accepting such submissions. I had wanted to be fair to newer webmasters but what I ended up with is a lot of splogs instead of quality blogs. Don't get me wrong, splogs have their place (in my book as feeder blogs) but at some point you have to draw a line in the sand.

[MadCat]

Originally Posted by walrus

Initially when I had my blog directory I accepted them. After a couple of months and a back link check I changed my rules and wouldn't accept them.

The reason being is that if thumblogger finds a site it doesn't feels meets its T&C it disables them. Fair enough but they then put up a sales page, do not carry the links over from the site they disabled and make no attempt to notify the trade partners of what had happened.

I think the only ones that still accept them are either owned by the owner of thumblogger or those that are poorly maintained.

So, in the case where a bloghost would disable a site that doesn't meet the rules, whatever, but it carries over the existing link trades to the page where it says the blog is disabled, would that be a better deal for blog directory owners?

[walrus]

Originally Posted by MadCat

So, in the case where a bloghost would disable a site that doesn't meet the rules, whatever, but it carries over the existing link trades to the page where it says the blog is disabled, would that be a better deal for blog directory owners?

If your putting up a sales page then the answer is yes. If its done, lets say like blogger where they just put up a page that says the blog has been disabled and a little ad for the free host, then no

[MadCat]

Originally Posted by walrus

If your putting up a sales page then the answer is yes. If its done, lets say like blogger where they just put up a page that says the blog has been disabled and a little ad for the free host, then no

Well, I'm in the process of building a free blog host, and I want some input from the other side of the fence as well In your opinion, if I disable a blog for not following the rules, or spamming, whatever reason, what would you (as blog directory owner) suggest as being the proper behaviour so I still get a disabled blog, but you don't lose the links, or get notified, or somesuch?

One thing I was thinking about is having an API available that directory owners could query to get the status of the blogs that were submitted to them, but that might be a pain in the ass to implement for any directory owner. Not too sure yet on what would be the proper behaviour. Maybe just zap all the posts off the blog, put one blog post back in that states the blog is disabled, but keep all links intact.

Dunno how that'd work out as far as trades go but I imagine the trade would suddenly stop being productive so it'd get tossed out on the directory end anyway, right?

Anyway, any and all suggestions are welcome