Originally Posted by http://www.google.com/webmasters/seo.html

Avoid SEOs that talk about the power of "free-for-all" links, link popularity schemes, or submitting your site to thousands of search engines. These are typically useless exercises that don't affect your ranking in the results of the major search engines -- at least, not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

So Basically, using the free SEO tools you see out the, that submit you to thousands of Search Engines, if Google finds you on other search engines, you will see no positive ranking results.
They don't say it has no effect, they end by saying, its a negative thing.

BE CAREFUL? GOOGLE PENALISES YOU FOR BEING ON COMPETITIOR SEARCH ENGINES

They don't exactly say that.

They simply say avoid SEO's who talk about submitting your site to 1,000's of search engines.

Sounds like good advice to me.

just because your indexed in a search engine doesnt mean you will rank for your keywords

They are just giving you some good advice. They will not penelize you for being listed in other search engines. If they did then they would be the one of the worst companies on the Internet as alot of search engines list your site without you even submitting it to them.

They mainly mean about using software and tools to get your site listed on free for all pages, which are basically link farms.

Are you guys reading something that i am not:
submitting your site to thousands of search engines is a useless exercises not in a way you would likely consider to be positive.

SUBMITING YOUR SITE TO MORE WEBSITES IS A POSSITIVE THING, meaning that their are more links to your site, increases your pr, and increases your visitors as they may use that search engine. They then say it is not possitive, aka negative.

This is what makes me think they penalise for being on other SE.
--
MSN provides most of my traffic, so not fussed about google.

Also, no one can say this is not a possibility, as google systems are kept deeep in secret.

I think what they mean is submitting your site to search engines is pointless, Full stop. Not damaging, Just pointless.
Being listed on a search engine that only does 3 searches a day is obviously not going to have a possitive effect on your google rank, Why would it?
And it's certainly not going to be sending you any traffic.

Being listed on a search engine that only does 3 searches a day is obviously not going to have a possitive effect on your google rank, Why would it?
And it's certainly not going to be sending you any traffic.

Ye, obviosly.. Thast what i tought, make no difference at all, but if it makes no difference. "NOT IN A WAY YOU WHOULD LIKELY CONSIDER TO BE POSSITIVE".. meaning negative.

If their wasent a penalty, why they say. "submiting to lots of search engines has no effect, well not in a way you concider possitive" when they could of simply said "submitting to lots of search engines has no effect".

I beleave their is some secret their.

If their wasent a penalty, why they say. "submiting to lots of search engines has no effect, well not in a way you concider possitive" when they could of simply said "submitting to lots of search engines has no effect".

I think you are reading to much into it.

You could equaly say, if they mean it has a negative effect, why not say so?

why not say so?

As google ovide talking about their systems, the reason we know how google works (pr) is as the information is held by the University that the owners of google went to. (uni owns the patent)

I don't really bother submitting my site to lots of search engines, but they could also say this as they maybe worried about other search engines compeating against theirs.