At first, the user has no special status in the Zeal community, and their submissions must be reviewed by established community members before they go live in the directory. Each approved successful submission earns points for the submitter. For example, a new site listing gets 5 points. The community development system is sophisticated. Zealots with accreditation in a category can approve, correct and publish submissions directly, as well as take part in the structuring of the directory.
Points mean status in the community.
In addition to Web site listings and descriptions, the directory features user reviews and ratings, which add depth to the directory in much the same way as the user comments at Amazon and eBay. Zeal presents its listings elegantly, with a system of simple icons and a layout that gives a clear impression of all this information at a glance. From the point of view of the visitor conducting a Web search, Zeal has some way to go. The category structure is fine, but Zeal hasn't yet reached the sheer volume of listings required to make it a first-rank search site. Still, with the intelligent design and implementation, the strong community flavor, and the alliance with LookSmart, I'm betting on Zeal to emerge as a contender.