Hosted by Linton Weeks
Washington Post Staff Writer

Thank you for visiting "The Navigator – Live." Today's chat ended at 3 p.m. EDT.

Our guest today was Andy Gems, who works in the surfing division at Yahoo! We talked with Andy about how the directory works, the history of Yahoo!, how it's organized and where Yahoo! is headed.

"The Navigator – Live" appears each Thursday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern time. It's a live, moderated discussion offering washingtonpost.com users the chance to talk directly to intriguing and sometimes unusual guests who are shaping the digital world. "The Navigator" appears in The Washington Post print edition every Thursday. You can read past columns by following this link.

Linton Weeks: Andy: Welcome to the show. Thanks for being our guest. Let's get right to the questions, if you don't mind.

Linton Weeks: Simply put, how does Yahoo! work?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: hard to put it simply!

basically, we're a huge searchable/browseable directory of web sites that have been reviewed and categorized by a team of editors into an organically evolved subject based hierarchy.

Linton Weeks: What is the history of Yahoo!?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: it all starts with our co-founders jerry and dave - they basically blew off their graduate studies to surf the web.

Linton Weeks: What separates Yahoo! from Alta Vista, Excite, Webcrawler, Lycos, Magellan and the rest?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: tough question!

let's leave magellan off that list for the time being - the rest are all search engines and it's easier to compare the differences - a search engine is basically a huge database of urls that have been collected by a computer - generally called a robot or spider - and indexed based on some specified criteria - which differs from engine to engine - and accessed by a search box into which a user can enter keywords and have those keywords checked against the entire contents of the database.

yahoo is a subject based directory from the ground up and can be search or browsed. when you search yahoo you search our directory of sites only and not the web at large, but of course we seamlessly integrate web wide search engine results using the inktomi search engine - same as hotbot. no matches from the yahoo directory and we bring you inktomi matches. in addition, we'll pipe your search out to a handful of our competitors - all to make sure you find what you want.

Linton Weeks: How do I get a site listed on Yahoo!?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: you need to find the most appropriate category and you'll find a link to suggest a site from that page.

California, MD: I've heard that some web hosting companies "stuff" seach engines so that their links show up first. Is this really possible?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: not only possible, but it happens all the time.

because we're not a search engine, it *doesn't* happen to us!

Bethesda, MD: How does Yahoo! keep house? How do you decide what pages to drop?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: we've got some automated technology we use to check up on the links we list. the only time we drop pages is when they go down for good.

Linton Weeks: Can you talk a little bit about the personalities of those services? What about newcomers Northern Light and the Mining Company?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i like the mining company - it's sometimes weird to see all the ads they have that take a poke at us, but that's a different story! i think it's interesting to compare the mining company to newhoo - the recent phenomena bought up by netscape not to long ago. what i like about mining company is that it leverages the knowledge of a human being that is genuinely interested and passionate about a given topic - and those folks are paid so they have that incentive as well. newhoo seemed a bit fishy - leveraging the work of interested parties with no return under the guise of being an open project (see linux) and then they sold that work? seems odd, but anyway, i like the mining company and in the places where they have strong personalities running an area, they've got some of the best stuff out there.

Washington, DC: I know that companies can buy key search terms on Yahoo like "flowers" or "sex." How many key words have been purchased on Yahoo? Which are the most popular?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: no idea!!! that's all ad stuff and i work in the editorial area...very much like a newspaper we have a church and state like separation.

Santa Clara, CA: What does a Yahoo! surfer do in a typical day?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: surf the web! hehehe...that's the short answer.

Washington, DC: Could Yahoo! develop some sort of filtering technique for public libraries?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: not really our core competency eh?

they could probably use our lists of links to find sites they want to block?

Linton Weeks: What if you don't categorize my site the way I think you should?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: well, we're always open to suggestions, but the final decision is going to be ours. we always try to take into account any and all factors, but the truth is, we've been working on this directory for a long time and we've seen quite a few sites in our time and we often end up knowing what's best for our users.

Linton Weeks: Do people pay for special treatment or preferential placement on the Yahoo! portal? Do other services charge?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: listings are totally free and the directory is of course free to use. we do our best to keep a high level of editorial integrity.

as far as the listings go, no one pays and there is no special treatment.

Linton Weeks: It seems like every day Yahoo! adds something else to its pages-auctions, used car sales, gambling, telephone service, instant messaging. Does it want to be a Web-based AOL or a community hub like GeoCities or a refined and civilized Alta Vista? Your founders, Yang and Filo, are considered very competitive.
But who are they competing against?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: we started with news and we've just gone from there - we realized that folks wanted more than just a navigation element - it's a natural evolution - people come to our site looking for weather info - we give them links to sites where they can get that info - then we take the next step and start bringing a shallow level of that info onto our site in our environment.

we want to be the one place where anyone can come to find anyone or anything!

dave and jerry probably compete most against themselves! trying to continue to improve the service and grow the business keeping our users as our number one focus. dave and jerry are both incredibly sharp - it's really amazing - they both have a lot of vision and an uncanny knowledge of the medium.

Linton Weeks: What does the purchase of Netscape by AOL mean to Yahoo!?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: what do you think? i don't know! there's a lot of factors.

Linton Weeks: Does Yahoo! have a stake in the outcome of the Microsoft trial?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i don't think we have a stake above and beyond anyone esle in the industry.

Linton Weeks: Does Yahoo! ever refuse to list sites because of content-violence, explicit sex or anything else?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: well, we try to err on the side of inclusivity, but we do avoid the obvious - child pornography, bomb making.

Rosslyn, Va: Linton,
Isn't there something inherently wrong with a web site hosting someone from a competitor on a live chat? Are you any sort of a journalist or just a patsy for free advertising?

Linton Weeks: I don't really understand this question. The point of Navigator--Live is to explore the Internet and the companies and people who make it tick. Yahoo! is certainly one of those companies. If you think my questions are too soft, stop carping and send in some tough questions of your own. That's the glory of this medium, isn't it? This is as much your show as it is mine.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: ?

Linton Weeks: How does Yahoo! make money?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: selling ads. but we're always looking at other revenue streams and moving into other spaces - commerce for instance. we've also developed a merchant program that is a step above the banner ad - those are the buttons you see on our site.

New York, NY: What are some of Yahoo!'s newest features? Is it true that you can look up how much your neighbor paid for their house using Y! Real Estate?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: it's hard to keep up!!! i know we just added a restaurant guide and yes, the home value look up is very very cool!

i'm also a big fan of the currency conversion tool on the finance site!

Washington D.C.: What do you think about the quality of some of our federal government websites?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: ripe for a good answer! i don't know exactly what you mean by quality? it seems to me that a good govt site would offer a repository of information in a manner that is highly conducive to me getting my hands on it as easily as possible!

Great Neck, WI: I noticed that yahoo has done some stuff with the backstreet boys. I like the backstreet boys. have you met them? did you think they were kool? what one was your favorite?
from nicole age 10
ps I would like to work at Yahoo! some day

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: nicole! i'm not a big bsb fan, but yes, we have done some stuff with them - and with other folks like hanson. i've never met them!

and i'll keep an eye out for your resume!

Santa Clara, CA: Andy, do you take bribes to add sites to yahoo's directory?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: no way!

Washington, DC: Regarding the purchase of key words, don't you think that forcing certain sites to pop up higher on the list is an editorial function? How can you say there is a division between church and state when you sell editorial placement to the highest bidder?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: key words have nothing to do with listings! they are associated with what banner ad pops up, not with what listings come up!

Linton Weeks: What will Yahoo! look like this time next year?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: who knows! chances are much the same as we've looked for some time now!

Linton Weeks: How many people work at Yahoo!?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: lots of yahoos here...i lost count!

Linton Weeks: Does Yahoo! use focus groups? If so, how?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i belive we do some usability studies and such.

we want to make sure our users know how to use the site and we want to make sure we aren't doing something that's preventing them from having a positive experience - like too many graphics or slow download times.

Baltimore, MD: Tell us about the culture? Is Yahoo! a fun place to work?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: culture...lots of it here! all different kinds of bacteria growing in all the empty coke cans! that probably wasn't very funny eh?

the culture here is great and yes, it's a fun place to work!

Santa Clara, CA: I understand you have a pet tarantula in the office. Can you talk about that?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: it's the official yahoo spider...

sort of an inside search engine joke...

it's creepy and hairy, but it makes for a good conversation piece.

Linton Weeks: Andy: What's the long answer to the question, What does a Yahoo! surfer do all day? Walk us through your typical day.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: well, the short answer does capture much of it i.e., looking at sites all day. at the end of the day, one of the most important goals for the directory is to make sure that whatever is "out there" is in our directory.

but there's much much more. we're a highly interactive group and there's always a wide range of discussions going on. we're always planning strategy, determining priorities.

and of course, there's foosball to be played and stuff like that!

Washington: How many new websites are established daily?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: tons and tons i imagine!!! too many to count!

luckily, many of them aren't worth knowing about and won't be around long...

ever wonder how many people sign up for a free webpage and then never use it? i do...

Kensington, MD: Where are Yahoo's founders, Jerry Yang and Dave Filo, now? Are they still connected with their creation or are they now so rich they've retired to some tropical island?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: dave is probably over in his cube...i think he lives there!

dave and jerry are both a MAJOR part of the operations...

i joke around that i work on dave filo's home page, but it's more or less true (and that's not to lessen all the incredible contributions everyone else makes here on a daily basis).

i could go on about dave and jerry forever, but my co-workers would give me a hard time about being a brown-noser!

DC: What's your background? Technology or library science or editorial?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: philosophy - critical thinking and logic...

and bookselling!

but we have lots of library science folks, techie folks, editorial folks...i work with an incredibly diverse group of some of the most intelligent people you'll ever meet.

Linton Weeks: All right, everybody. We're about half-way through the hour. I'm going to take a sip of the old iced tea and I hope you keep those questions for Andy Gems coming and humming.

Linton Weeks: How does Yahoo! plan to incorporate ever-improving audio, video and voice technology?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: that kind of stuff has a long way to go before we're going to be interested. we've always kept the site as simple and easy to use as possible.

Fairfax, VA: Did you have any sort of "editorial review board" to help resolve issues that come up? Any examples of something recent?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: the whole team is the editorial review board!

can't think of any really juicy recent examples...sorry!

Annapolis, MD: Which industry leader do you most admire?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: dave and jerry...seriously.

i remember reading a washington post article ages ago about what they were doing (i used to live outside of dc). i barely understood, but i could tell it was something that was going to be big...now i'm here!

they just hit the nail on the head - right place, right time, right vision, right execution, right service!

Washington, DC: Andy, Do you have a counting deficiency? Just kidding, i am real curious though about on of Linton's earlier questons. How many people work there. Does it take hundreds of people to run yahoo or only a handful (10)? and alot of machines.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i have both a counting and spelling deficiency!

it takes quite a few of us to run the show and we've got great people everywhere - we've got a totally sharp finance/accounting dept, great marketing folks, great pr folks, everyone - we've got the best receptionists in the industry! even the folks in the mailroom rock...

i really don't know what the head count is...sorry!

Arlington, VA: Who came up with the idea of Yahoo Mail? I think it's brilliant! I get my email now--from both Yahoo Mail and my POP account--no matter where I am in the world.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: free web based email has been around for a while, i wish it was our idea! ours is from the great folks at 411 - rocketmail. we bought that company last year.

Washington, DC: What's the next big content area you're looking at? Is there one you wouldn't touch?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: if i told you we'd have to kill you! or kill me...or something like that!

who knows...everytime i look up we're doing something else!

not sure what we wouldn't touch?

obviously commerce is a big focus right now.

Menlo Park, CA: How are you guys going to withstand the onslaught from other "portal" sites? Sure, you have a headstart, but lately I have noticed that Yahoo provides consistently inferior results to some of your competitors.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: "consistently inferior results to some of your competitors."

OUCH! we need to work harder on that!

we're going to keep growing the business -expanding the products and services we offer. that kind of stuff.

Linton Weeks: Talk a little bit more about the separation of editorial and advertising. There is widespread belief in the online world that advertising IS information. Is Yahoo! really concerned about its editorial integrity?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: as far as the directory goes, yes, we are very concerned. i think there's a lot of suspicion about why you get what you get when you use a search site and i think there ought to be - too many sites jockeying for exposure. there's going to be some trickery.

i think the best advertising is often information - and the web is a great medium to deliver that info.

Linton Weeks: What are some of the coolest trends in Web sites? What are some of the dumbest?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: personalization is pretty cool.

dumbest trend is using technology that gets in the way of a user's experience.

Virginia Beach: What do you think is the coolest thing that Yahoo does right now? Or the coolest advancement it has made in the industry

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i really dig our community stuff - i love the clubs, great stuff. i like the idea of helping to connect people together.

i also think we do an amazing job at bringing in a huge amount of news for a wide range of topics. we serve it up lighting fast.

i also think the finance site is awesome. just about the most comprehensive collection of info i've seen in one place...it would take months to see it all.

Manassas, VA: Where is Yahoo! headquarters or office building located?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: we're here in sunny santa clara california. actually, it's not so sunny today...

Linton Weeks: What international plans does Yahoo! have? What are the opportunities? The obstacles?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: we've always had a focus on localization/regionalization. we operate yahoos in many countries and have pursued international opps for a long time now. we've moved pretty aggressively into those markets. there's all kinds of opps! obstacles are much the same as any type of business overseas...getting the domains when there aren't copyright laws! stuff like that...

Linton Weeks: You guys sound a little more discriminating than I had imagined. Is your mission to provide users with a wide range of Web sites, regardless of quality or apparent usefulness, or to deliver only those sites which you deem worthy and worthwhile?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: we do act as a filter and we do focus on those sites which we deem worthy and worthwhile, but like i said, we err on the side of inclusivity.

Fairfax, VA: Is the government really the obstacle standing in the way of speeding up "download" time?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: who said that???

i'm under the impression that bandwidth issues have more to do with the capacity of the pipes, but maybe there is some shadow conspiracy??? mulder???

Waltham MA: I've submitted my site twice in last few months. Its an academic research institute that we've beefed up to include a lot of good info. I've submitted it to the exact right category. But Yahoo hasn't listed it yet. Why not? What am I doing wrong?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: there's a good possibility no one got a chance to look at it. and to be honest, and i'm not saying this is your case, we often find no record of a submission, so it's hard to tell what went wrong in those cases.

Washington: What's up with the company's name?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: you don't like our name!!!???

come on! it's a great name!

Manassas, VA: What is your opinion of DOGPILE, the search engine that combines several search engines??

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: i don't have a specific opinion about dogpile, but i like the multiple search engine sites that bring back results from many sources.

we sort of do that by having the inktomi engine on the back end (same folks that do hotbot). we also have links to handful of other engines and we pipe out your query to those sites - go check the bottom of the search results page.

Washington: What in the #$%& does every big internet content company try to be so many things. Why can't ya'll just be an engine and the post.com be a news provider. Nobody wants to be just a store they want to be the whole freakin' mall.

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: well, we were never just an engine. right from the start we had news and other services, but i understand your point. i have a lot of respect for inktomi and their committment to their search product. it now looks like infoseek is going back to being primary a search engine. i was a bit bummed to see alta vista trying to become a portal (i hate that word) as i've always loved their search engine and i'd rather see them keep up the technology and not try to be an email provider.

offering a suite of products and services helps to distinguish you from other sites...

if a site is pulling off being a major hub for many things (and i think we do a good job), i'm all for it.

Fairfax, VA: What are your suggestions for getting rid of some of the very, very OLD stuff on the Web that's obviously outdated?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: the best we can do is to stop linking to it.

i do wish that the folks that provide free web space would be more proactive about cleaning up after themselves, but it's not really my place to say!

Columbia, MD: As someone who has submited my site and is still waiting, why does it take so long (I've heard as long as six months or more) to get listed on Yahoo?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: a search engine is an automated process so it's pretty simple to send in an url and have their computer check it (or it should be anyway).

we've got people looking at sites and making decisions about whether or not to list those sites - where to put them, how to format the listing. plus, we all need to sleep a little here and there!

patience is a virtue with us and pays off in the end.

if all goes well and we see your site and like it and choose to list it, the whole process can take a week. other times it can take longer!

Linton Weeks: If I have a problem with Yahoo!, how do I let the company know?

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: there's email links and a whole section for getting in touch...

just keep in mind that we serve millions of people and many of those folks have a question! so needless to say we get tons and tons of email.

FBI: I didn't send the earlier bandwidth question about the goverment conspiracy, but i should have.

It is indeed a conspiracy. The goverment does not open the bandwidth because they are concerned it would be used to transport aliens digitally.

very truly yours
Mulder

Andy Gems, Yahoo!: thanks fox!

once we move into digital transfer of aliens, things are going to get pretty interesting!

Linton Weeks: That's all we have time for today. Thanks to my guest, Andy Gems of Yahoo!, to everybody at washingtonpost.com and to all the folks who sent in great questions. Tune in next week for another episode. Until then...

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