A few months ago I submitted this blog and my personal blog for listing in the Blogarama Blog Directory.  I used the free listing option, then the whole pandemic hit and I forgot all about it.

Sure enough, a few months after submission I was notified that both blogs had been listed!  That was kind of neat since “free submit” many times translates to “no luck”, but an editor did look at my blogs and did accept both into the Blogarama directory.

The other news is that I actually get real referral traffic from Blogarama.  People are using that directory and are visiting blogs from it.  The traffic is not huge but it is there.

You should check out Blogarama as a place to find blogs and/or if you have a blog, a place to get it listed.

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I’ve been slacking on these weekly updates so this might incorporate more than a weeks worth of Indieseek goodness.

New Links List – I’ve been adding a steady stream of links just about every week.  There is some interesting stuff here.

Selected Recent Posts:

• Indieweb.org Wiki as a Search Engine Seed Site
• EU, Android and Search Engines
• Bookmark: A Webring Kit | Max Bock
• Review: The Feed Directory by Pine.blog
• Local Directory for Lake Orion Michigan
• Like: Escape from Google: 12 privacy-promoting search engines reviewed

Till next weekish have a good time. 🙂

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It’s been a busy Late Autumn but we managed to make a few changes and improvements to the directory in late 2019.

1. 800 listings.  Yeah we hit 800 with all sorts of new listings added.  More to come.  I’ve been removing dead listings (dead wood) as I find them, and there has been some.  800 links isn’t a lot in the big scheme of things but then we are not trying to be big or pretty: just useful, real and sometimes entertaining.
2. Added climate change category.  This has not generated a lot of interest yet, but heck it’s an important topic and a handy place to find over 30 useful sites on the topic – all in a bunch.
3. Changed the way search works on the directory.  I think this works much better because it makes it easier to find a category that matches you subject faster.
4. Added highlighting to search results. So now your search keyword(s) are highlighted in yellow.
5. Started a new discussion forum about directories and discovery.
6. Instructions on Adding Indieseek to Vivaldi (should work for Opera and maybe Chrome).
7. Reminder: We Have Fresh RSS Feeds. for your feed reader.  You can keep track of new listings this way.
8. Oh and added a couple of new quotes to the Quote Collection.

Thank you to all who have used the Indieseek.xyz directory over our first year.  And additional thanks to all who have added their websites.  Feel free to tell your friends.

Have a Happy New Year!

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The main directory page and every category in Indieweb.xyz creates a unique RSS feed.  So if you want to know when new Listings are added to Indieweb.xyz go to the directory main page and scroll to the bottom footer to find a link to the RSS feed.

Likewise, every category and sub-category in creates a RSS feed so if you only want to know when new listings are added to your favorite topic just go to that category footer to find a link to the category RSS feed.  (ie.  If you want to monitor new listings in the “Role Playing Games” category simply go to that cat and find the feed at the bottom. Repeat for other categories. Simple.)  Makes a nice discovery tool.

Blog Only: Of course the blog has it’s own RSS feed just for blog articles and should not be confused with the directory.

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I changed how the default search function works here on the Indieseek.xyz directory.  Previously, when you searched, you got a list of listings only.  I’ve changed the default to “Search All”  which gives you a tabbed search result: Listings, Categories, Comments.  The tabs are at the top of the search results page.

Listings is the default tab you see right away, but the Categories tab is the important one because if you find a category that matches your search query you are more likely to to find all the sites listed for that subject.  (Example: try searching for “directory software”, “webrings” or “indieweb” and click on the Categories tab and you will see what I mean.)

Hopefully this will give you a better experience when searching the directory.  Please let me know in the comments below.

The best way to use a directory is to find the category that matches your subject.  Using the Category tab offers a shortcut to digging deeper into the directory.

Just like before, if you don’t find what you want you always have the option of continuing your search on one of six other privacy or Indieweb search engines or directories at the bottom of the search results.

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Summer is really over here at the directory.  My break from Indieseek.xyz, both the directory and the blog was intentional.

• I wanted to gauge traffic and usage of the directory during a period when I wasn’t actively posting blog posts or syndicating to social networks.
• I wanted to see if I got any submissions to the directory.  Would it grow organically, without me adding URL’s?
• It was summer and I needed a break from the computer.  Also, I’m the lawn boy so I had chores.

What I Learned:

1. No search engine traffic to the directory itself, some search engine traffic to the blog.  It appears (and I was warned by SEO’s) that Google does not like web directories and that appears to be true.  Although, it is ironic that Googlebot hammered the hell out of the directory here at Indieseek.xyz when I first started.  Google wants the info, but they don’t give back.  I may follow through with my threat to ban Googlebot from the directory.
2. Some search engine traffic to the blog.  Not a lot, because it’s not a popular site.  Also the subject of “web directories” is pretty well dead in 2019.  Just not a popular topic anymore, which is okay, I’m not complaining, I knew that when I started.  Anyway, the blog is indexed and gets some small trafffic from search engines.
3. Not many spam URL submissions to the directory. This is good news.
4. More spam comments to the blog.
5. Some visitors actually use the directory to find websites!  Yea!  That is what we are here for.

Most of the above might sound discouraging but it’s about what I expected.  Indieseek.xyz is a long term project and it takes time to grow traffic from scratch.  The directory will never be huge, but it hopefully will be useful in finding non-commercial sites and pages on a subject.

What I did

• I found some sites that have deleted their content – dead wood – and deleted them.  I need to start spot checking and clearing dead wood.
• I added some sites that were submitted. (Those are only the last 30 days.)

Forward

I’ve got a lot of good sites gathered over the summer, in my bookmarks, so I’ll be adding those.  Also I’ll try to fit in more blog posts.  The problem is, other than announcements, I’m running out of directory and search engine stuff to talk about.

I’ve also been wondering if we need a mailing list or a forum or something for parties interested in linking/directories who can’t seem to get on the Indieweb.

from Kicks Condor on: Wikipedia Discusses Curlie Links

Yeah I think that is a good idea for a forum. Even if it’s only 3 or 4 people, it’s a place to knock ideas around.

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