Compare Yahoo's Thyroid Disease category to NewHoo's Thyroid Disorders category, for example. Of course, NewHoo's top level subject of Spelelogy is woefully under populated when compared to Yahoo. The directory has a long way to go until its bright spots become the norm. But by their sheer numbers, NewHoo's editors have the potential to divide and conquer the web in much greater depth than can rival directories. NewHoo's editors can also be its greatest weakness.
Some editors sign up with their own agendas.
Shortly after the directory launched, there were several public complaints about editors that listed their own sites as cool and then did little more to maintain their categories. Skrenta says this is mostly corrected now, with editors tending to police themselves and report any undesirable actions. Behind the scenes, NewHoo operates dramatically differently than directory leader Yahoo. Srinija Srinivasan, who runs Yahoo's listings, has told me in the past that she feels this central gathering is vital to assembling an effective guide. A central gathering doesn't mean central control.