Imagine the World Wide Web as a huge virtual library, with millions of 'books' (web sites). As in every library, a user needs some assistance in finding a particular book. Enter the book catalogue. In it, each book is assigned to a 'category' according to its subject (Philosophy, Poetry, Chemistry etc.) Usually, each subject is further divided to more specific areas (In Philosophy, for instance, you will find 'Ancient', 'Greek', 'Religion' and such like). In a 'brick and mortar' library, the book is located on a particular shelf. To find it, you search for it in the catalogue, which then directs you to the right shelf.
Similarly, an Internet directory is a virtual 'site catalogue' which defines virtual 'shelves'. In it, sites are placed in a given category according to their subject. For example, www.selftrade.co.uk, a share dealing site, will be found in the Open Directory under the following category: Regional: Europe: United Kingdom: Business and Economy: Financial Services: Stockbrokers: Online Trading. Here a different analogy will serve us better. Imagine the World Wide Web as a huge virtual city and you as a visitor touring it. As in a real city, there are shops and malls, estate agents, advertisers, broadcasters, banks, insurers, galleries, cinemas, schools, etc. If you are unlucky or naive you may also encounter thieves or con men. Gimpsy works in a similar way. The site www.selftrade.co.uk will be found under the category: trade > shares. In Gimpsy the sites are examined and categorized only with respect to the service that they provide. The Gimpsy Mission Statement sums it up: Gimpsy will be the definitive guide to the World Wide Web virtual city.