priorities in sitemap xml files

I have assigned priorities to the different URL's in my sitemap.xml file
according to their relative importance to each other. Some say it doesn't
really make a difference, but I had fun doing it.
The reason I'm posting is because I am a little confused about the priority
for the home page. It is listed twice, once as a domain and once as the
index page in the root domain.
Will it screw things up if I assign a priority of 1.0 for both listings for
the homepage, that is for
www.TheBicyclingGuitarist.net/ and for
www.TheBicyclingGuitarist.net/index.htm ?

I assigned 0.9 to the index pages of the most important sections of my web
site, 0.8 and less to other pages that have content I favor in order of
importance. I try to "balance" the priorities by having equal numbers of 0.1
pages as 0.9, equal numbers of 0.2 pages as 0.8, etc.

So I'm asking if there is some type of algorithm the spiders use that will
have the math screwed up if I list the homepage priority as 1.0 ... Does
anyone KNOW or have any ideas on this subject? thanks

Assigning the priorities to the sitemap.xml inspired me to create a
"favorites" page of what *I* like best about my web site. It is at
http://www.TheBicyclingGuitarist.net.../favorites.htm

have fun

On Sat, 26 May 2007 15:48:38 -0700, "The Bicycling Guitarist"
<Chris (AT) TheBicyclingGuitarist (DOT) net> wrote:

I have assigned priorities to the different URL's in my sitemap.xml file
according to their relative importance to each other. Some say it doesn't
really make a difference, but I had fun doing it.
The reason I'm posting is because I am a little confused about the priority
for the home page. It is listed twice, once as a domain and once as the
index page in the root domain.
Will it screw things up if I assign a priority of 1.0 for both listings for
the homepage, that is for
www.TheBicyclingGuitarist.net/ and for
www.TheBicyclingGuitarist.net/index.htm ?

As far as the search engine is concerned, those are two completely
different, unrelated resources on you're server. It just happens that
most web servers select 'index.htm' to serve to the browser.

You can assign whatever you like to those two pages independantly.

Better than having to sort out all the sitemaps rubbish, just point
any links that would normally go to 'index.htm' to '/' - the search
engine need not ever know the 'index.htm' page is there.
--
Brendan Gillatt
www.brendangillatt.co.uk
GPG: 0x6E265E61