Yahoo
http://www.yahoo.com

Yahoo is the web's oldest "directory," a place where human editors organize web sites into categories. However, in October 2002, Yahoo made a giant shift to crawler-based listings for its main results. These came from Google until February 2004. Now, Yahoo uses its own search technology.

In addition to excellent search results, you can use tabs above the search box on the Yahoo home page to seek images, Yellow Page listings or use Yahoo's excellent shopping search engine. Or visit the Yahoo Search home page, where even more specialized search options are offered.

The Yahoo Directory still survives. You'll notice "category" links below some of the sites lists in response to a keyword search. When offered, these will take you to a list of web sites that have been reviewed and approved by a human editor.

It's also possible to do a pure search of just the human-compiled Yahoo Directory, which is how the old or "classic" Yahoo used to work. To do this, search from the Yahoo Directory home page, as opposed to the regular Yahoo.com home page. Then you'll get both directory category links ("Related Directory Categories") and "Directory Results," which are the top web site matches drawn from all categories of the Yahoo Directory.

Sites pay a fee to be included in the Yahoo Directory's commercial listings, though they must meet editor approval before being accepted. Non-commercial content is accepted for free. Yahoo's content acquisition program also offers paid inclusion, where sites can also pay to be included in Yahoo's crawler-based results. This doesn't guarantee ranking, Yahoo promises. The CAP program also bring in content from non-profit organizations for free.

Like Google, Yahoo sells paid placement advertising links that appear on its own site and which are distributed to others. These are sold through Overture. Yahoo purchased Overture in a company Yahoo purchased in October 2003.

Overture was formerly called GoTo until late 2001. More about it can be found on the Paid Listings Search Engines page. Overture purchased AllTheWeb in March 2003 and acquired AltaVista in April 2003. Now Yahoo owns these, gained as from its purchase of Overture.

Technology AltaVista and AllTheWeb was combined with that of Inktomi, a crawler-based search engine that grew out UC Berkeley and then launched as its own company in 1996, to make the current Yahoo crawler. Yahoo purchased Inktomi in March 2003.

LookSmart
http://www.looksmart.com

LookSmart is primarily a human-compiled directory of web sites. It gathers its listings in two ways. Commercial sites pay to be listed in its commercial categories, making the service very much like an electronic "Yellow Pages." However, volunteer editors at the LookSmart-owned Zeal directory also catalog sites into non-commercial categories for free. Though Zeal is a separate web site, its listings are integrated into LookSmart's results.

LookSmart launched independently in October 1996, was backed by Reader's Digest for about a year, and then company executives bought back control of the service.

LookSmart also bought the WiseNut crawler-based search engine in April 2002. WiseNut's are offered through the LookSmart via its Web tab above the search box. Unlike its competitors, the WiseNut crawler has often been out of date, sometimes for months at a time.

Finally, the real gem at LookSmart can be found via its Articles tab. That provides access to content from thousands of periodicals.

Open Directory
http://dmoz.org/

The Open Directory uses volunteer editors to catalog the web. Formerly known as NewHoo, it was launched in June 1998. It was acquired by AOL Time Warner-owned Netscape in November 1998, and the company pledged that anyone would be able to use information from the directory through an open license arrangement.

While you can search at the Open Directory site itself, this is not recommended. The site has no "backup" results that kick in should there not be a match in the human-compiled database. In addition, the ranking of sites during keyword searching is poor, while alphabetical ordering is used when you choose to "browse" categories by topic.

Instead, to scan the valuable information compiled by the Open Directory, consider using the version offered by Google, the Google Directory. Here, keyword searching uses Google's refined relevancy algorithms and makes use of link analysis to better propel good pages from the human database to the top. In addition, when viewing sites by category, they will be listed in PageRank order, which means the most popular sites based on analyzing links from across the web will be listed first.

Zeal Directory
http://www.zeal.org/

Zeal is a platform that allows people to share their favorite sites and improve search results for their fellow Internet users worldwide. Combining state-of-the-art tools, collaboration with a professional editorial team, and compelling community features, Zeal allows everyone to make a difference on the Web. Additions to Zeal reach Internet users worldwide through the LookSmart network of top portals, ISPs, and search services including Lycos, InfoSpace, RoadRunner, CNET, Inktomi, and LookSmart.com.

Zeal is part of the LookSmart family.

Joeant
http://www.joeant.com

JoeAnt.com is about providing a directory of quality sites for Internet users. The goal is to list the best sites for a wide variety of topics giving our users the most relevant results for their searches.

Former Go.com volunteer guides who wanted to keep their community alive by creating a new directory founded JoeAnt.com. It is a community where every editor has the opportunity to make a difference by finding and adding the best sites in their chosen topics.

JoeAnt.com was originally launched in the spring of 2001. In August 2002 with changes which included a fully spiderable index, faster results in searches, and better tools for our editors.

If you want to be a part of Joeant, become a JoeAnt editor.

Gimpsy
http://www.gimpsy.com

Gimpsy is an Internet directory that categorizes sites in a new and unique way. Unlike other Internet directories, which categorize sites according to their subject , Gimpsy is concerned first and foremost with the service that a site provides.

WebSavvy Directory
http://www.websavvy.cc

WebSavvy Directory provides an index of high quality, family friendly, child safe resources, which are human edited and reviewed prior to inclusion into the Directory. WebSavvy is a PICS labeled Directory and Search Engine which accepts websites that follow either the ICRA or SafeSurf standards.

WebSavvy Directory is owned and operated by WebSavvy Incorporated, a privately held Corporation located in Springfield, IL. USA.

GoGuides Directory
http://www.goguides.org

directory continues to grow each and every day as more and more sites are reviewed and rated by our human GoGuides. No robot searches here!

Skaffe
http://www.skaffe.com

Skaffe.com is a volunteer edited directory of the best family safe websites on the World Wide Web. Skaffe, is a Nordic word for find, procure and obtain. Skaffe do not list low quality sites, spam or content not suitable for children. As a reliable resource for high quality websites suitable for family viewing. Skaffe apply professional and uniform standards for reviewing and listing sites. Skaffe marketS services worldwide, and include multingual versions for the benefit of users.

IllumiRate
http://www.illumirate.com

IllumiRate is an internet directory and search engine created by a group of volunteer editors from around the world.

IllumiRate editors personally review and rate sites based on a number of criteria, including presentation, ease of use, and reliability of information offered.

Illumirate is headquartered at the Head of the Chesapeake Bay in the sleepy little community of Elkton, Maryland (previous claim to fame being the marriage capital of the Mid-Atlantic region).

Qango
http://www.qango.com

One mission
http://www.onemission.com

Siteranking
http://www.siteranking.com

Directory-search
http://www.directory-search.org

Mavicanet
http://www.mavicanet.com

Click4choice
http://www.click4choice.com

Web-cmn
http://www.web-cmn.com

Moshix2
http://www.moshix2.net

Thisisouryear
http://www.thisisouryear.com

Stpt
http://www.stpt.com

Webworldindex
http://www.webworldindex.com

Somuch
http://www.somuch.com

Surfsafely
http://www.surfsafely.com

Yam
http://www.yam.com

ElecDir
http://www.elecdir.com

Electronics and Electrical Web Directory

The Resource Discovery Network (RDN).

There are eight of these subject gateways in total:(http://www.xxx.ac.uk)

* Altis (Hospitality, Sports, Leisure and Tourism)
* Artifact (Arts and Creative Industries)
* BIOME (Health and Life Sciences)
* EEVL (Engineering, Mathematics and Computing)
* GEsource (Geography and the Environment)
* Humbul (Humanities)
* PSIgate (Physical sciences)
* SOSIG (Social sciences)

As a result of a detailed planning and consultation process, the RDN service is currently undergoing extensive re-structuring and re-branding. The purpose of this exercise is to create a new more consolidated service with closer integration of subject areas, and to provide a single interface for users.

The current eight subject gateways will be re-organised to create 4 major subject groups:

* Arts and Humanities (bringing together Artifact and Humbul)
* Science, Engineering, Technology (bringing together EEVL, GEsource and PSIgate)
* Health and Life Sciences (BIOME)
* Social Sciences (Bringing together Altis and SOSIG)

The new RDN service will be called Intute. More information on the new service name and the new subject group names can be found here: Intute

The Internet Resource Catalogues currently available via the separate subject gateways will still be fully and freely accessible as before.