SEDS Link List (Galaxy Pages)

[SEDShead]

Back when the web was small, we started a list of links called the "Galaxy Page" (http://www.seds.org/galaxy). For a while we kept it current with all the neat and evolving pages out there related to space.

Then everyone and their mother in law got a web page, and it became too much.

We still periodically get requests to add links (we did today, which made me think of it), but the links don't typically get added. Guy has made some attempts in the past to automate and database-ize the process, but its currently broken.


Is this something where SEDS has something to offer? If we revive it, what do we have to offer that a site like http://www.spaceref.com/ doesn't already provide?

Another opportunity? Or best left to others?

[bradbeiter]

Something like DMOZ?

http://www.dmoz.org

[smiley]

I think DMOZ or Google Directory do it well enough that there is little we could add. In fact I've often considered just redirecting galaxy page traffic to dmoz or taking it down. But it so infrequently visited that I don't think many people notice how much it sucks.

[SEDShead]

Infrequent is a relative term -- its currently at #7 in our directory list of traffic, with about 1.7% of the total seds.org traffic. The main galaxy page itself got 800 hits yesterday, which really isn't that bad...

[Daniel]

there is an option to talk to spaceref or any other site and get a unique version of it for the SEDS site (i.e. same content just the page design SEDS).

[msbentley]

We (UKSEDS) also keep a similar listing - find it in the "Info and Links" section of the UKSEDS web site (http://www.uk.seds.org) or go directly to http://www.uk.seds.org/links/links.html

Although this is not automated it is still manually updated fairly regularly and the nice thing compared to a search engine is the fact that the listings are catagorised by country etc.

[smiley]

Originally posted by Daniel
there is an option to talk to spaceref or any other site and get a unique version of it for the SEDS site (i.e. same content just the page design SEDS).

I think the dmoz content may be under some sort of open license, so it's probably possible. But it'd be nice of course to get it in some format like XML than can be easily transmuted & templated into html.

[Daniel]

First i didn't see your links but i guess they are not powered by any links engine ?

if so you can just do a links engine and easily get the look and feel of a "pro" link directory. the scripts can be found at
cgi.resourceindex.com
php.resourceindex.com

[SEDShead]

Hi Daniel,
Interesting suggestion. It certainly would make a rather easy job of it, yet still keep us current with a links page. Anyway, for someone who is interested here are the relevant URLs to the scripts:

http://cgi.resourceindex.com/Programs_and_Scripts/Perl/Link_Indexing_Scripts/

http://php.resourceindex.com/Complete_Scripts/Link_Management/

[SEDShead]

Thinking a little more on this -- the "most responsible" thing to do would be to actually link into a few branches of the tree of the Mozilla open directory project. We get the advantage of their big list, and people who want to add links would be adding them to a widely available service.

There are scripts in the previous post which would allow us to incorporate this data on our own site.

For example, here's a few of the branches that would be appropriate:

http://dmoz.org/Science/Technology/Space/

http://dmoz.org/Science/Astronomy/

http://dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/School_Time/Science/Astronomy_and_Space/

http://dmoz.org/Society/History/By_Topic/Exploration/Space/

http://dmoz.org/Kids_and_Teens/Sports_and_Hobbies/Summer_Camps/Space/

[bradbeiter]

That links directory is in dire need of a re-design as well. (frame-less too)

Brad

[SEDShead]

Originally posted by bradbeiter
That links directory is in dire need of a re-design as well. (frame-less too)

Which links directory, DMOZ, or SEDS? Wasn't that the whole point of this thread? :confused: The SEDS content certainly needs a refresher/re-design. If we go with DMOZ content, I guess the design will be somewhat mandated by that.