question about rankings

I was under the impression that ranking were in part related to the number of link backs to a website? If this is true how does a website that has only 6 link backs rank the same as one that has 81? Does anyone monitor the ODP Editors for categories to ensure they are running their category in a reasonable way?

We really don't care (as ODP editors) about ranking.

Does anyone monitor the ODP Editors for categories to ensure they are running their category in a reasonable way?

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There are senior editors who oversee the entire directory and deal with any reports of editorial misconduct or abuse. However, your idea of "running their category in a reasonable way" and ours may not be the same. If you suspect abuse in the editing of any particular category, feel free to submit a report about it using our abuse reporting system.

motsa said:

We really don't care (as ODP editors) about ranking.

There are senior editors who oversee the entire directory and deal with any reports of editorial misconduct or abuse. However, your idea of "running their category in a reasonable way" and ours may not be the same. If you suspect abuse in the editing of any particular category, feel free to submit a report about it using our abuse reporting system.

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How, if not by an editor, does a website that has been ranked far below my own with fewer link backs suddenly move up above my own?

Suddenly as in the last 2 weeks when it was 7 below my own and has fewer link backs.

I assume you're talking about Google ranking -- but if so, you really misunderstand the whole idea of page rank, which is absolutely NOT based on the NUMBER of backlinks.

But it would be even more nonsensical to interpret your question as about the ODP, which has nothing resembling a concept of rank.

And to the editing community, it's like caring about the results of a horse race. You know one horse is going to be first, and another one is going to be last. So what does it matter which ones they are?

ODP doesn't rank websites.

We have no control over or knowledge of how our downstream data users use that data to rank search results and (trying not to seem rude) neither do we care.

You should ask ranking questions of the people doing the ranking, or perhaps in one of the many webmaster/SEO forums.

I think I understand a little better. You are saying I think the data from dmoz is only being used by google and they are doing the ranking. I thought they were one in the same organization. Sorry.

Google download and use our data to populate their directory, and are but one of many who do the same thing freely under the terms of our licence. Other than that there is no connection.

Sites using ODP data.