Feb 27th 2009 2:00PM
Have Questions About DMOZ? Let us know!
Hi Everyone,
One of the things we want to accomplish with this blog is to improve transparency and open the lines of communications to all of the groups who care about and support DMOZ.
With that in mind, we asked editors to submit questions to us and then posted a selection of questions (with our responses) in our Ask AOL post last October. Now we'd like to provide similar opportunities to both the webmaster community and to the general public. What do you want from the ODP as a user? As a webmaster? What would make the directory easier to use? A resource that better suits your needs? Easier to navigate? What are we currently doing well that you'd like to see us do more of in the future?
While we can't address every question that we receive, your input gives us valuable insights on what our stakeholders view as interesting, frustrating, valuable, etc. We'll pick a sample of questions from each group and answer these on the blog in a couple of weeks.
Do you have something you'd like to ask? If you are a webmaster, you can email us here. If you are a member of the public, you can email us here. Please keep in mind that we can't respond to individual questions (for example, status requests for URL suggestions) and that we can only consider questions for the post that are submitted via the above email links.
We'll be accepting your questions through next Friday, March 6. We look forward to hearing from you!
***The submission period is now closed and we are no longer accepting new questions. Thanks to everyone who participated! Responses will be shared in a future post.***
Emily
One of the things we want to accomplish with this blog is to improve transparency and open the lines of communications to all of the groups who care about and support DMOZ.
With that in mind, we asked editors to submit questions to us and then posted a selection of questions (with our responses) in our Ask AOL post last October. Now we'd like to provide similar opportunities to both the webmaster community and to the general public. What do you want from the ODP as a user? As a webmaster? What would make the directory easier to use? A resource that better suits your needs? Easier to navigate? What are we currently doing well that you'd like to see us do more of in the future?
While we can't address every question that we receive, your input gives us valuable insights on what our stakeholders view as interesting, frustrating, valuable, etc. We'll pick a sample of questions from each group and answer these on the blog in a couple of weeks.
Do you have something you'd like to ask? If you are a webmaster, you can email us here. If you are a member of the public, you can email us here. Please keep in mind that we can't respond to individual questions (for example, status requests for URL suggestions) and that we can only consider questions for the post that are submitted via the above email links.
We'll be accepting your questions through next Friday, March 6. We look forward to hearing from you!
***The submission period is now closed and we are no longer accepting new questions. Thanks to everyone who participated! Responses will be shared in a future post.***
Emily
1. I have been trying to get my computer repair site into the dmoz directory for some time now. Any tips on how to make this happen?
Posted at 8:53PM on Feb 27th 2009 by Bruce
2. Sir,
I have suggested my site at
http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Consumer_Goods_and_Services/Sporting_Goods/Fitness_Equipment/ Category in first week of February and category was last update: 17:59 PT, Wednesday, February 25, 2009. but my site not added into the dmoz directory.
What should I do? Please help me.
Posted at 5:30AM on Feb 28th 2009 by Deepak Kevadia
3. In a category I'm interested in submitting a site to, there are, as of this writing, a little over 20 entries...two pages. Of the first FOUR entries, two of those are the exact same website....same url...same everything.
So tell me, how does this adhere to the DMOZ guidelines?
Posted at 8:13AM on Feb 28th 2009 by Zipper
4. @Deepak Kevadia -- I can't comment on individual sites, but what I can say is that the "last updated" date is just the date at which any change was last made to the category. It does not mean that every site suggested by the public before that date has been reviewed. It's quite possible that the change that occurred was an automated tool removing a site, rather than an editor adding anything. That being the case, if your site meets our site selection criteria ( http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/include.html ), it will still be waiting to be reviewed by a volunteer editor.
@Zipper -- It doesn't. But the situation you describe more likely to have occurred by accident (editors are only human after all) than a deliberate transgression. You can help us find and fix such issues, either by using the "Update Listing" at the top of the category page, or by posting at http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=12
Posted at 12:19PM on Feb 28th 2009 by chaos127
5. Hello,
I've suggested a site to DMOZ in a Health category-products. The content is original, no mirrors. Comparing my site to another sites in that category - I would say - this looks professional and I think it deserves to be listed in DMOZ.
And regarding DMOZ - grate project! I think it is good idea to list proved and checked sites in a catalog!
Thanks in advance!
Posted at 1:18AM on Mar 1st 2009 by Slava
6. Great to see the request for feedback, as I think Dmoz has lost some credibility with webmasters over the past couple of years.
From my perspective, the biggest problem is that I make an effort to submit a site to the perfect category, with a factual, non-promotional description - and then it just enters a black hole.
Sometimes a site gets listed a few weeks or months later - other times, you never hear anything. That's incredibly frustrating in the case of sites which ARE good quality, and are submitted to the correct category.
In some cases the cause may be a lack of editorial resources - but it seems that some categories are being manipulated to keep competing sites out.
Is that just me being biased about the value of my own sites? I don't think so - I can think of examples where my major competitors aren't listed either, when they clearly ought to be.
So if that's the problem - what's the solution:
Well it would be great to be able to get feedback on the progress of your submission. If it's held in a queue, say so:
"Your submission is 76th in the queue". Then we could get an idea of progress - even if it took months to be approved or rejected - it would be nice to know that it wasn't deleted straight away.
Then, when a site reaches the front of the queue - if the editor rejects it - they should give a 1 line reason:
Wrong category - suggest XYZ instead
No original content
Poor quality
etc
That would server 2 purposes - 1. Webmasters of rejected sites would know what they need to work on, to get accepted next time.
2. It would serve as a check on editor's impartiality - they would have to come up with a valid reason for rejecting a site - the fact that it competes with theirs wouldn't do!
Finally, since there is obviously a shortage of editors - DMOZ shouldn't be so quick to reject editors simply because they have a professional interest in the category. After all, they're the ones who know lots about the category!
There are a LOT of categories without editors - yet it still seems incredibly difficult to be accepted as an editor. Not everyone with a website is signing up simply to promote their own stuff.
With some more checks and balances on editors conduct (like making them give reasons for rejecting or deleting sites as suggested above) - perhaps more editors could be "given a chance to prove themselves" on a category that currently lacks an editor.
(Sorry that turned out so long - hope it's useful).
Posted at 2:28PM on Mar 1st 2009 by Julian
7. Another "fantastic" article from DMOZ. It's like an audio dialogue with a deaf person.
-- Do you have questions?
-- Yes! The question is ....
-- Do you have questions?
-- Yes! You haven't answered the previos one. The question is ....
-- Do you have questions?
...
The questions left unanswered...
Posted at 7:29PM on Mar 1st 2009 by acanom
8. Patient: "Doctor, everyone is ignoring me!"
Doctor: "Next patient, please!"
Posted at 10:40PM on Mar 1st 2009 by acanom
9. Frequently Asked Questions About the DMOZ Abuse Report System .you've encountered abusive editing we would be very grateful if you'd let us know.are no longer relevant to the category/ description they have been provided with.
Posted at 12:53AM on Mar 2nd 2009 by dJmadier
10. One of the dmoz originators speaking out about the uncertain future ... They have the resources to do enterprise-level backups/disaster recovery.AOL wouldn't let it die, lets remember they were the ones that took on netscape.I know hutcheson didn't see the need to jump to his own defense
Posted at 12:54AM on Mar 2nd 2009 by dJmadier
11. i have trouble in submitting this url
regards
system admin
Posted at 8:02AM on Mar 2nd 2009 by james
12. My webguy changed my URLs a few years ago. I submitted numerous updates between June 2007 and February 2009, to no avail.
You ignore my updates, and this has moved me from 19 on the list for Vastu to 41 on your third page of sites for Vastu, plus the URL is still the old one. Due to this, I have lost 75% of my web traffic to an authentic, legitimate, knowledgeable, beautiful site. Google and others no longer list my webpage on the top of their first page for a Vastu search; instead, it has disappeared from view. If you review what's listed on dmoz for Vastu, you will see that there is a lack of consistency and quality in the Directory.
Please please do the update:
1. Change the URL to what it has been for two years.
2. Delete your typo/foreign font word in the middle of the description, which is the only change OD has made to my listing in the past two years.
3. Institute the following updates that clarify and help searchers: Please change description to
Vastu sacred space for homes, gardens, & businesses. Sherri Silverman, author, Vastu: Transcendental Home Design in Harmony with Nature. Vastu yantras.
AND change the title to Transcendence Design: Vastu.
Thank you for being responsible. I know this is a volunteer, service organization, but ignoring multiple updates for two years is beyond inappropriate. I appreciate your prompt action on this.
Posted at 2:39PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by Sherri Silverman
13. There is a misspell for ABC Conferencing.
Currently listed as: "AMC Conferencing - Telephonic / teleconferencing equipment and services."
Where do I go to have this corrected to "ABC Conferencing - TeleConferencing, Video and Web Conferencing Services, and Supplier of New Telecommunication Products."
Also, noticed no ranking to date. Can someone review this site and make the corrections?
Thank you very much, in advance!
Posted at 4:47PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by Judy
14. i'm a newbie. i have a website. what can dmoz do for it?
it is a bussines website.
Thanks before.
Posted at 5:15PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by indera
15. I submitted my web site design site DMOZ originally over a year ago and again about 6 months later to no avail. I don't want to jeopardize being flagged as a spammer but a delay of over 12 months leads me to believe there may be a problem with my submissions. Please advise.
Category:
Computers: Internet: Web Design and Development: Designers: Full Service
Posted at 8:45PM on Mar 2nd 2009 by Chance Dinkins
16. I'm interested to know wich is the correct way to do questions about submmitng sites, because, as a webmaster, i sent many sites in past year and these were never indexed.
What is wrong with questions? There's no channel for this?
If you write in the forum you'll be banned and nobody answer.
My only interesr is to have my sites indexed, i want to know if this is possible, because all sites i sent are legal and in accodance with DMOZ rules
Posted at 2:58AM on Mar 3rd 2009 by Lisandro
17. I added our website sometime ago and have since written twice to the website editor to change the description as I do not feel it accurately represents the company and also that same description comes up as the google description. I have never had a reply from the editor. What do I do?
Posted at 5:10AM on Mar 3rd 2009 by Abby
18. It is very nice that somebody gets a feedback.
I fully renewed my site and have checked that all the texts are original. Picked up a right category - and nothing happening unfortunately. Even no some negative response :(
Would be very happy to get a suggestions
Thanks!!
Posted at 6:44AM on Mar 3rd 2009 by Slava
19. I have added my site in DMOZ 4 months back.But still not displayed in DMOZ.Can you plz give me the tips.My site having medical related information.
Posted at 1:03AM on Mar 4th 2009 by Angela
20. Hello,
I sugegsted our site to the directory a couple of weeks ago. As I supplied my e-mail address I expected that I would get an automatic mail confirmation of the submission, but I have not. I am afraid that maybe I have mistyped my e-mail address, and of course I am afraid that this might result in our site not being considered for inclusion. I am reluctant to resuggesting our site since the instructions stipulate that I should not. What should I do?
Thanks in advance!
Posted at 6:17AM on Mar 4th 2009 by Håkan Olsen