Blogs are a great tool. They allow you to add new, fresh content to your site. They are also a great way to build readership. Think about all the blogs you read. I'm sure that if you're reading this, you're also likely subscribed to a few or at least check them on a daily to weekly basis. Why? Is it because it is entertaining, informative or both? Blogs have been given a bad name because of splogs. Darren Rowse has a terrffic blog (http://www.problogger.net.) where he posts daily with tips for bloggers. Darren has discussed the "Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers", which consist of tips from highly successful bloggers who tell you what they do and make suggesstions as to what you should do.

So, how does all this help you get one way backlinks. Preferrably, you want people to link to you naturally. The best way to do that is to give them something worth linking to. Let's say I was an MS Office guru. My blog might be about relatively unknown tips and tricks on how to use MS office or for creating calenders and spreadsheets. Many people who work with MS office would be interested in that. They may like the tips so much that they list it on their blog or site.

The open directory project, or dmoz as it is better known, is the directory many webmasters want to be in. There are many myths and so-called benefits to being in dmoz. Unfortunately, this article will not be about them. This article is to help people better understand how dmoz works and will hopefully give you a better idea of how to submit properly. None of this article is speculation. This has all come from my conversations with the editors themselves, either from their message board or via email.

Here are the basics:

Keep in mind it can take anywhere from 2 weeks to a year or more to get listed. In order to be accepted, you need to meet their qualifications. Some of the qualifications are...

You can't submit a site that is consists of mostly affiliate links.

You can't submit an individual URL from the same site. For example if you submit

www.abc.comn you can't submit www.abc.com/next-page

You can't submit mirror sites. These are sites that are identical to another. (Same content, just different URL)

Do not submit a site that is "under construction" or only partially finished.

Your site can't have any illegal content, child pornography, or advocate illegal activity.

How soon can you expect your site to be accepted into the directory?

It can take anywhere form a a few weeks to a year or more.

Why so long?

Content, content, content. That's all I hear...probably because that's what I am always saying. Content! I think people don't fully understand me when I tell them let their content do the work work for them. Usually, it's the other way around. People write content to post on their blog, for creating a page to put adsense on and to write articles. These are all very good ways for you to use your content. What you need to do is create not just content but Content That Works (CTW). This is something I created to help me keep my writing goals in mind.