That well known tribute to older but still great blog posts, known as the Bestofme Symphony is now playing at my friend Trudy Schuett's WOLves blog.



The eclectic assortment of entries covers a very wide range of topic areas. To list the subjects would require a listing of all of the entry posts.



I have an entry included.



It's my post about my roller derby league proposal that had a fatal flaw. A bad partner.



Be sure to tune up your instruments and play some golden oldies at the Bestofme Symphony.

READ MORE - Bestofme Symphony is playing right now

Once again Carnival of the Capitalists makes its weekly appearance.



This week the travelling road show of business and economics pitches its tent at the thought provoking political blog Crazy Pundit.



Under the big top this week are a wide variety of posts on outsourcing, business abroad, govenment regulation and law, technology, and a host of others.



I even have a post included this week.



My long winded (I prefer to think detailed) discussion on getting your blog included in the noted Yahoo! Directory made the cut. I think it had that length thing going for it.



If you can't run away to the circus, make sure you run away to the Carnival of the Capitalists.



Next week's Carnival makes a stop at the noted political blog The Chicago Report.



If you want to have an entry included in an upcoming Carnival, here is some information on what type of posts to submit.



Send your entries to capitalists-at-elhide.com.

READ MORE - Carnival of the Capitalists Up and Running

Blogging is an important part of my daily life.



I maintain three blogs, which when I'm busy seems like a lot of posting. Mostly, it is fun and not a problem.



Today, I was busily writing freelance articles. Many of you know that I write search engine marketing and optimization articles for the search engine optimization site SEO Chat.



In fact I write one every week. I currently have four articles on the front page of SEO Chat.



Writing them takes time. The good news is I am a very efficient freelance writer. (He said as he blushed from his self congratulation). I agree to write articles. I deliver them completed and on time.



Today was one of those days. I was busy with the SEO Chat and with some others as well. That cut seriously into my blogging time. (Talk about misplaced priorities, he joked).



Since my blogging is important to me, and I hope to my regular readers, I have columns up on all of my blogs. Plus, I have my freelance articles completed and shipped.



I often suggest to other bloggers to take a day off blogging, if they have other pressing concerns.



I never take my own advice in that regard.

READ MORE - Earning a living or that's my excuse

I have written about a number of internet directories on this blog.



In fact, yesterday I recommended submitting your blog to the Yahoo! Directory.



The single most important internet directory is The Open Directory Project (ODP) , better known as DMOZ.



DMOZ has become even more blog friendly.



The ODP Weblog (via MediaTIC) reports that DMOZ is now accepting RSS feeds and Atom feeds as listings in the directory.



Quote:



"Alongside standard HTML web sites and PDF documents, we're now accepting RSS feeds as listings in the directory. There's no change in the submission process but in future categories will start showing 'XML' sections with links to related RSS feeds."



I have written about how to submit your blog to DMOZ on Blog Business World in the past.



I also have a more indepth article on DMOZ submissions on SEO Chat.



The significance of the advice I provide is that it works.



Blog Business World is right where it should be under "Weblogs/Resources".



The description used:



"Blogging about blogs in business, marketing, public relations, and search engine optimization for successful entrepreneurs"



...is almost identical to what I submitted. It is also very similar to the description of this blog:



"Blogs in business, marketing, public relations, and search engine optimization for successful entrepreneurs"



By writing an impartial, unbiased description, I had almost no changes made at all. You should write the description of your blog the same way for all directory submissions.



Impartial and unbiased.



It took about three months for Blog Business World to appear in DMOZ under "Weblogs/Resources". That is about an average wait, as every blog and static website submission is examined carefully by a volunteer editor.



During my wait, I kept adding more daily posts, as you will during your wait.



I never contacted the editors at all. I realize they are very busy, and they are all dedicated volunteers. Giving them time to do their jobs is only common courtesy.



I also avoided committing the cardinal sin of resubmitting my blog, which only gets your blog moved to back of the line again.



Patience is a virtue with DMOZ. It also pays off for you.



If you follow my advice and suggestions, which are mainly about following the DMOZ submission guidelines to the letter, your blog will be included too.



Get your blog submitted to DMOZ today.

READ MORE - DMOZ Directory: Is your blog included?

Because of its possible importance for Google PageRank, as another incoming link, and for potential visitor traffic referrals, you may want to consider the Yahoo! Directory.



While the directory may not be suitable for all websites, blog owners may find a real benefit to being included in it.



Why is directory inclusion important?



Each of the major directories provide additional traffic to you your blog. They also provide valuable incoming links, that enhance your Google PageRank, and perhaps your rankings on the search engine results pages (SERPs) as well.



If your site isn’t listed in the various search engines, becoming listed in directories is a great way to get your website crawled by the Google spider. Other search engine spiders, including Yahoo! and MSN Search, crawl the major directories, on a regular basis as well.



The Yahoo! Directory is crawled on a regular basis by the search engine spiders, including the Google spider. The directory may offer a quick entry into the Google listings for many blogs.



How to get your blog into the Yahoo! Directory



Here are some basic hints to help your blog to qualify for the Yahoo! Directory. As with all directory submissions, you must follow their submission guidelines very carefully. They are not merely a suggestion. They are the rules for entry. If you want directory inclusion, follow them exactly.



Find the correct category for your blog submission. The Yahoo! Directory is organized by subject matter. When you have found, what you think is the suitable category for your website submission, click on the Suggest A Site button. You will be taken to an online form for completion.



Yahoo will require your website name, its URL, and a brief objective description. It is best to write the site description from an impartial third party approach. Your description should simply tell what the site is about in an objective factual manner. It’s no time for flowery sales language. Yahoo reserves the right to change your choice of description.



It’s far better to write your own blog description than to rely on the Yahoo staff person’s wording. Take your time. It’s easier to provide a good honest description than to get one changed. Changing your listing or your description requires another submission and another potentially very long wait as well.



Make sure your blog works properly



Make certain that your blog will load properly in a variety of browsers. Test your blog by trying it out in more than one browser. A site, written entirely in java, is unlikely to be accepted either.



Your website must provide its content in English. If the language of your blog is something other than English, you are strongly advised to have a translator available. While the translation service might not be enough to ensure inclusion, it certainly would help your cause.



Because your blog might be examined by Yahoo staff members very quickly, it is advisable to check all of your site’s links. Make certain they are all working properly.



Yahoo may decide not to include your blog, in the directory, if it’s packed full of dead links. Yahoo also expects your blog to be up and running around the clock, so make certain your site is using a reliable server. Most of the major blog hosting present no problems for Yahoo! Directory inclusion.



Be sure to have no pages “under construction”. The Yahoo! Directory doesn’t include sites that are still in the construction mode. If your site is still in the building process, it might be advisable to delay your application, until such time as your site is ready.



Another option for partially completed blogs, if speed of entry is important, is to remove all unfinished pages. They can always be added at a later date. That way, when the Yahoo staff drops by for a visit, no incomplete pages will greet their arrival.



Examples of unfinished pages are usually found on sites that add business blogs as subpages.



Free submission to the Yahoo! Directory



Free inclusion is similar in many ways to the Express (paid) entry to the Yahoo! Directory. It is much slower, however. Yahoo doesn’t guarantee a review of all free submission sites either. In fact, Yahoo may never get around to evaluating your non-commercial site for inclusion in the directory.



It is still very much worth your effort to submit your non- business site to the Yahoo! Directory, through the free submission process. It’s just that there are absolutely no assurances of success.



How to submit a blog for free



To begin your free submission, be sure to check if your website is already listed or not. Often, you will find your site is already included within the directory, by entering your URL or website title into the search box. If your site is already there, you can sit back and relax. You are already included.



Should your blog not be part of the directory, you will have to submit it by hand. Search through the available categories, digging deeper into the subcategories, for the right match for your website. Eventually, you will find the right spot for your website to be located.



The basic information page for free site submissions can be found here:



Suggest A Site



Be sure to write down the name of the category you have chosen, and the date of your submission. That information may be required later, should there be a problem with your inclusion.



As with all directory submissions, it is a good practice to maintain good records of when and where your site has been submitted. Yahoo is no exception.



When the appropriate category has been found, it’s time to submit your website. Click on the Suggest a Site button, located at the top right hand corner of the page.



You will be asked to provide the website title, its complete URL, as well as a brief description. As with any directory submission, your description should be as honest and objective as possible.



Blatantly keyword loaded descriptions are likely to be changed, or your blog rejected entirely. A reasonable and objective site description will almost certainly be approved.



Inclusion in the Yahoo! Directory is great for visitor traffic, and for your search engine results.



Your blog should be included in its listings.



Thanks to Todd at A Penny For.... He reminded me to write a post about the Yahoo! Directory.



We have both received fresh visitor traffic, and an important backlink, from inclusion in the Yahoo! Directory.

READ MORE - Get Your Blog Into The Yahoo! Directory