The Open Directory has been around since 1999, and is a human-edited directory. Also known as DMOZ (Directory Mozilla), the Open Directory Project purports to be the “largest on the Web”, constructed and maintained by a “vast, global community of volunteer editors.”

Search the Open Directory Project

The Open Directory is about as simple as it can get when it comes to search. Just type in a keyword or phrase and away you go.

Your search results will come back with DMOZ directory matches top and DMOZ matching site results under that. You can also use the Open Directory Advanced Search to tweak your searches a bit more; there's not much to this, but it does help.

Open Directory Facts

The Open Directory Project is now affiliated with AOL Search, although this does not seem to be affecting how the Open Directory indexes its results.
In addition, if you'd like to help the Open Directory, you can become an Open Directory editor. These are all volunteer positions.

Tips for searching on the Open Directory:

• Be specific.
• Use phrases and keywords and don’t be afraid to rearrange them until you get relevant results.
• Expect surprises.
• The Open Directory has a ton of great resources that you aren't likely to find in other places, due to the fact that there are actual humans editing the results. Have fun with this directory, and explore what they have to offer.