Mar 25th 2009 1:08PM
A Day in the Editing Life
Ever wonder what editors do behind the scenes? What tasks they complete, how edits are made, etc? Editor mollybdenum has provided a great overview of a day in the editing life to help shed some light on the inner workings of DMOZ.
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I have been an editor for about four years.
I started out with one small category, and I was approved for more categories, as time went on, and my experience grew.
There is much more to being an editor than approving sites that have been submitted, and I would like to share a typical day in the life of this editor with readers.
This morning I logged in and went to the editor forums first. I greeted some new editors, and then made a comment in a discussion about the re-naming of a category. A rename is occasionally decided upon, for better organization of the directory, and for easier browsing by our site visitors.
After that, I looked over the categories where I edit.
There were some "reds" - these are former listings that have been removed from the directory by our link-checker Robozilla because they have been inaccessible for a few weeks.
I checked the first, and found that it returned a '404 - not found' error message. I used a search engine to learn if the site had perhaps moved to a new domain. There were no results. I left the link in the 'unreviewed' area.
I will search for it again in a few weeks. Perhaps by then, it will again be available. If not, it will
be deleted or sent into 'Test' for further investigation later.
The next site was also '404 - not found'. There were no results in the search engines. I visited the archive.org website, and saw that this site had not changed since 2006. Suspecting that it may no longer be available at anytime, I left it in 'unreviewed' for a check again later. If it is still unavailable in a few weeks, it too
will either be deleted or sent to 'Test'.
The next red site I checked was working again. I was able to return the listing back into the category.
There were a couple of 'purple' sites. The color purple indicates that a request has been made for an 'update' to the listed site.
In the first case, I went to the site, and found that the company named had changed, which the submitter
had posted. I was able to change the title and update the listing in the directory.
The second purple site was a request for a change to the description. The submitter for the 'Widget Inc." site wished to have the description read, "Widget Inc. based in Widgetville, State, Country, at 555-555-5555, sells Wonderful, Exceptional Amazing Widgets in the Widgetville, State, Country area". I had a look at the site, and decided that the current description, "Provides widgets and components. Features company history, newsletter and FAQ." was more appropriate, and left the description without any changes.
Next, I went to one of the smaller categories, and noticed a typo in the description. I fixed that, and then noticed that another site had capital letters in the description. I changed that as well.
I wondered if this category could be improved. Perhaps I could find a few more sites to add. I remembered seeing an ad in yesterday's newspaper for a site that would fit there. I got the paper, and typed in the url. I spent some time looking over the site, and then wrote a description of what the business does, and what can be found on the site. I added this new listing to the directory.
I then went off to the search engines, hunting for more sites to add. I was able to find three, out of about 5 that
I visited, that were unique and useful.
By then it was lunchtime. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter were coming to visit for the afternoon.
I logged off, glad to have made a contribution to the directory.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
I have been an editor for about four years.
I started out with one small category, and I was approved for more categories, as time went on, and my experience grew.
There is much more to being an editor than approving sites that have been submitted, and I would like to share a typical day in the life of this editor with readers.
This morning I logged in and went to the editor forums first. I greeted some new editors, and then made a comment in a discussion about the re-naming of a category. A rename is occasionally decided upon, for better organization of the directory, and for easier browsing by our site visitors.
After that, I looked over the categories where I edit.
There were some "reds" - these are former listings that have been removed from the directory by our link-checker Robozilla because they have been inaccessible for a few weeks.
I checked the first, and found that it returned a '404 - not found' error message. I used a search engine to learn if the site had perhaps moved to a new domain. There were no results. I left the link in the 'unreviewed' area.
I will search for it again in a few weeks. Perhaps by then, it will again be available. If not, it will
be deleted or sent into 'Test' for further investigation later.
The next site was also '404 - not found'. There were no results in the search engines. I visited the archive.org website, and saw that this site had not changed since 2006. Suspecting that it may no longer be available at anytime, I left it in 'unreviewed' for a check again later. If it is still unavailable in a few weeks, it too
will either be deleted or sent to 'Test'.
The next red site I checked was working again. I was able to return the listing back into the category.
There were a couple of 'purple' sites. The color purple indicates that a request has been made for an 'update' to the listed site.
In the first case, I went to the site, and found that the company named had changed, which the submitter
had posted. I was able to change the title and update the listing in the directory.
The second purple site was a request for a change to the description. The submitter for the 'Widget Inc." site wished to have the description read, "Widget Inc. based in Widgetville, State, Country, at 555-555-5555, sells Wonderful, Exceptional Amazing Widgets in the Widgetville, State, Country area". I had a look at the site, and decided that the current description, "Provides widgets and components. Features company history, newsletter and FAQ." was more appropriate, and left the description without any changes.
Next, I went to one of the smaller categories, and noticed a typo in the description. I fixed that, and then noticed that another site had capital letters in the description. I changed that as well.
I wondered if this category could be improved. Perhaps I could find a few more sites to add. I remembered seeing an ad in yesterday's newspaper for a site that would fit there. I got the paper, and typed in the url. I spent some time looking over the site, and then wrote a description of what the business does, and what can be found on the site. I added this new listing to the directory.
I then went off to the search engines, hunting for more sites to add. I was able to find three, out of about 5 that
I visited, that were unique and useful.
By then it was lunchtime. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter were coming to visit for the afternoon.
I logged off, glad to have made a contribution to the directory.
1. Great post.
I never realised there was so much administration involved.
Just a quick question though, you say you were looking for more sites to add, dont you have an inbox FULL of suggested URL's. I know that I have submitted 6 or 7 over the last few years, none of which have been approved :-(
Posted at 8:06AM on Mar 26th 2009 by Simon
2. Emily - thanks for this breakdown. I've been trying desperately to get my site listed in DMOZ for about 3 years, with no luck. No response and every time I try to email the editors for the Gambling links, I get no response or the system doesn't send the request.
I realize that Editors are overworked (and underpaid - LOL!) but getting listed for some businesses that have valid sites and that really are working at getting listed is often difficult.
I also understand that everyone and their brother probably submits to the incorrect category - or has the most obnoxious information in the ABOUT field...
But - it's very difficult for the "little-guy" business to become listed at all.
If you have ANY suggestions or feedback that you could give - I mean seriously - I've tried everything... I have tried different categories, different ways of presenting my site, all in a professional, non-gaudy manner, etc. Then I will take those suggestions to heart.
I truly do appreciate the time you took to list out all of the things that are required of the editors - it does make me wince to think of some of the submissions that must come your way.
Might I suggest a separate category that might help me --- and others like me? (Gambling blogs)...
Anyhow - if you have any questions - OR ANY SUGGESTIONS at all - Please - feel free to contact me.
WagerWitch
Posted at 11:52PM on Mar 30th 2009 by WagerWitch
3. Hello
I was wondering.. I have done more than 10 applications to become an editor, at dmoz but never have been accepted , I am starting to believe that dmoz is left over to die and with it all the correct results on the net considering that Google is always seeing the directory ..
I have 3 problems .
First is that I try to become an editor on the Greek language and the form don%uFFFDt let me . http://www.dmoz.org/World/Greek/%ce%9a%ce%b1%cf%84%ce%ac_%ce%a0%ce%b5%cf%81%ce%b9%ce%bf%cf%87%ce%ae/%ce%95%cf%85%cf%81%cf%8e%cf%80%ce%b7/%ce%95%ce%bb%ce%bb%ce%ac%ce%b4%ce%b1/%ce%a4%ce%bf%cf%85%cf%81%ce%b9%cf%83%ce%bc%cf%8c%cf%82_%ce%ba%ce%b1%ce%b9_%ce%a4%ce%b1%ce%be%ce%af%ce%b4%ce%b9%ce%b1/
And second.. I want my site to be listed and there is no editor to list it .
its all about Mykonos.
And third how can I change an URL so that it is listed to the correct one. I know that noone will respond to this post also ,,,
But anyway
Best regards from Mykonos
George Nazos
Posted at 6:42PM on Jun 8th 2009 by George Nazos
4. I really liked that post. Thx
Freelancer Muenchen
Posted at 12:02PM on Apr 25th 2009 by Freelancer Muenchen
5. I agree somewhat to the extent of these comments. It's nice that some of the editors have supplied some informative information for those to correctly submit a url; however, for those of us that are internet and directory savvy - we do not understand why it takes years (or never) to be listed. Heck, I'd even pay for a listing or you were to offer a paid service. It's the talk of the entire internet marketing community - about the mystery on why NO ONE that we know has been able to get into your directory, while following all the directions to a T.
Posted at 5:25PM on Apr 1st 2009 by Sandy
6. I neglected to ask what another person has already asked. Perhaps duplicating the question will provide an answer:
You say you were looking for more sites to add, dont you have an inbox ENTIRELY FULL of suggested URL's from those of us that FOLLOW DIRECTIONS. I know that I have submitted 5 over the last few years, none of which have been approved or denied. They seem to go into Dmoz's garbage can. The work is alraedy done for you. WHY go searching for sites to add? Please!
Posted at 5:29PM on Apr 1st 2009 by Sandy
7. (Just checking in to see if there was an answer to my basic questions --- ok - maybe not so basic - LOL)
But seriously - could you - as an editor, perhaps maybe explain for us how to properly submit, or explain why, even when properly submitted there is no placement.
Maybe another blog post? I would love to read it.
I do appreciate your time and efforts.
Posted at 10:26PM on Apr 1st 2009 by Wager Witch
8. My site is [site] Submitted it a couple of times for the past months already.. never got any feedback about it.
But after reading "A Day in the Editing Life" by Ms Emily, I think I Understand.
Posted at 4:09PM on Apr 2nd 2009 by Leo
9. Hi,
Mind you, I'm not complaining. I'm just lost and continually running into dead ends everywhere I turn. There is no editor to contact for my category so I tried to contact the first editor upstream of my category (kspaul), but the system crashes and says my email is undeliverable.
I'm sorry to bother you but where else can I turn to make contact with DMOZ? I submitted my site a few months ago. I keep checking to see the listing but it still hasn't appeared. I have received no communication one way or the other.
All of my competitors have their sites listed under Lottery Software. I would just like a chance to be able to compete. Your instructions state that I'm not supposed to submit my site multiple times. So, what do I do?
Thank you for your time.
Darrel
Posted at 5:13PM on Apr 3rd 2009 by Darrel Dolph
10. @George Nazos:
If your problem 1 is a technical problem with dmoz.org, then the best thing to do is to post in http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18 where editors will try to help you out. If it's just a matter of your applications being rejected, then I can only suggest you read the rejection emails and try to figure out how to improve any future applications.
Your other two questions are also answered in the RZ FAQ. See:
http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=faq_site_questions#faq_no_editor
http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=alreadylisted#faq_update_link
Posted at 2:23PM on Apr 4th 2009 by chaos127
11. I guess you are a nice editor. I know a lot of editors will not be kind enough to look for sites and place it in the directory themselves.
This is my website, i have been struggling to have it placed. i think ive done all it requires to be listed, but it isint.
Posted at 2:03AM on Apr 5th 2009 by larry
12. @Simon and others
With regards the question of looking for sites. It is a popular misconception that there is always a large "inbox" full of sites awaiting every editor in every category. There could be several reasons for this. One could be that the editor has evaluated all of the sites that were there and that there are no more left. Another could be that the editor wants to look elsewhere for sites. After all the "inbox" is only one place that sites can be found that may suit the category.
Taking the first scenario. I, along with others, edit in several parts of the directory. One part has over 20000 links in it, which have to be looked after, and this category has I would guess over 1000 sub categories. There are no sites waiting in any of the "inboxes". I therefore have to look for sites that may be appropriate and I indeed have found about 900 of them that I will be evaluating in the next few weeks.
Taking the second scenario. We are all volunteers around ODP and there is no hard and fast contract that says we MUST look at the sites in the "inbox" There are many sources that are good to look for sites, this includes things like newspapers, van advertising and local shops (yes some of us are that sad):), In some cases, and I do not have any categories like this, but it must be hard going to look at the "inbox" as there may be many many sites most of which are inappropriate with the category as the categories are spam magnets. Real Estate and Gambling come to mind as two examples.
All in all I am not saying that we don't care what webmasters think and provide to us, but our main focus is the users of the directory and Internet and how to provide a useful entity to them.
Hope that sheds a little light on the "inbox" thing.
Posted at 12:01PM on Apr 5th 2009 by laigh
13. I have filled out the forsm to be an editor, and try as I might I can not get a response. I am willing to help but months after the submittal you hear nothing. I have tried to email a number of the editors in catagories above the one I asked for and I get server unable to deliver message.
Like most yes I have a web site, but I don't care if I get to edit an are where it resides, I am willing to contribute, I just need some help figuring our to do that.
Posted at 8:22PM on Apr 6th 2009 by Mike Baker
14. @ Mike Baker
You could got to Resource Zone http://www.resource-zone.com and have a look at the advice given there especially at http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=11
Posted at 5:29AM on Apr 8th 2009 by laigh
15. Nice interesting post. Thanks for sharing,
regards
Posted at 6:44AM on Apr 8th 2009 by GIS services
16. Hi,
This is a wonderful opinion. The things mentioned are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.
William
Drug Intervention New Mexico
Posted at 4:54AM on Apr 9th 2009 by William
17. Quite insightful post.Interesting one.
Regards
LiDAR services
Posted at 1:46AM on Apr 21st 2009 by GIS services
18. Thanks for posting this. I am waiting for your new arrivals.
Posted at 11:27AM on Apr 21st 2009 by rakesh
19. Hi Emily,
I have a quick question: is it the policy of DMOZ to delete links if they are no longer live _even_ if they _are_ available on archive.org? If so, I think that is a great shame. Unfortunately, due to the commercialization of the web that has occurred over this decade, many of the most useful and informative sites have been driven out of business by their less-useful corporate counterparts. Why not take advantage of the incredible and valuable service that the Internet Archive offers, and just update the link to point to the Archive (all you have to do is put web.archive.org/*/ in front of the link and you will see all the dates archived - you could then pick one and link to that specific one if you want to ensure it won't be updated with some domain-squatter or something [otherwise you can just put web.archive.org/ in front of the link and it will pull the most recent one]).
Anyway, I really appreciate all the work you and the other editors are doing, Emily -- it just made me sad when you mentioned in your blog having to delete sites that are no longer up. I don't know if you are any of the others here remember that "golden age" of the 'net, when all these individuals were putting up sites just to share their passion and knowledge about their favorite topics. Wikipedia has filled that gap somewhat, but sites like Knol seem to be failing for now.
Thanks for all you do....
Scott Edwards
Pasadena, CA
Posted at 5:13PM on May 6th 2009 by Scott Edwards
20. Nice article,
As mentioned above I have also tried to email a number of editors and have received the unable to deliver message.....?
Posted at 3:49PM on Jun 29th 2009 by Jess V.