Jul 29th 2009 5:24PM
What is Unique Content?
For site suggestors, one of the most important (and sometimes confusing) parts about submitting is determining whether a site's content is unique by ODP standards. For this post, editor crowbar has prepared some tips and examples to help clarify.
Emily
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You'll often hear us referring to the "unique content" of a site as being one of our main focuses in considering whether a site should be added to the Directory or not. Unique content is both simple and complicated to explain because what we are talking about and looking for pertains to the category itself, and with over 590,000 categories in the Directory, it means we could have 590,000 versions, each of them different.
As it states in the Guidelines we follow:
"Consider the relative value of a resource in comparison to other information resources available on your particular topic. Relative value refers not only to the quality of the site, but also to its ability to contribute important, unique information on a topic.
In general, ODP editors should enter sites that represent the following:
What this means is that our primary goal as editors is to build useful categories for people who are looking for information about either a Topic or a Geographical Area of the world, and we serve only these people, no one else. In our attempts to do this, we need to look at two things:
"Is the site's content/information identical to other sites? - A site should not mirror content available on other sites."
We see this often on cookie cutter, pre-made site designs. If the information is the same on each site, why would the information seeker want to waste their valuable time looking at it again (even if it's by a different owner), so we look for any unique content that might be on it. If we find it, we'll list the site; if not, we'll delete the site suggestion. Perhaps the site owner owns two or three sites with the same information on them; in this case, we will only list one of them, provided it meets the listing criteria. Editors do not consider how well a site is designed, its page rank, how much traffic it gets, how large or small it is, or the desires or needs of the site owner. Those things have nothing to do with building good categories of information for people looking for specific things, and that's all we're interested in.
Sometimes local business owners are confused about what defines "unique content" for their sites – being the only business of their kind in their town vs. the actual content on the site.
If you are confused about the term "unique content" because your type of business is the only one in town and you can't compare your content to another business's content in that category, it might be helpful to think of your content in the terms of "original content" instead; in other words, does your site have information created by yourself that no other site has?
In a Regional listing it is very easy to provide unique content just by answering the questions: Who are you and what do you do?
A non-generic personal description of your business does two things: first, it provides the unique, original content we're looking for, and second, it gives us the information to write a better description of your business for your listing. Who knows your business better than you do?
Our job is to boil that description down to two or three sentences that will tell the information seeker what you are, and what can be found on your site. The purpose of that is not to entice someone, but to give them the facts so they can decide for themselves if you have the information they're looking for. A preview of the site. Not opinion, but of facts, which is why we are only interested in the content on your site.
If there is exactly one real estate agent in a locality, but the agent's site has nothing more than contact information and MLS search (and other template content), we would still not list it.
The number of businesses of a particular type (whether 1 or 100) in a given category has no effect whatsoever on the listability of an individual website. In order to list the website, the content of the website must be unique, and must be more significant than what one would find on a business card or in a telephone directory.
An example of non-uniques would be a hotel booking site with information about a particular hotel, in comparison to the site of the hotel itself, we would always choose the site of the hotel itself.
Also, we often re-evaluate listed sites, and those considered listable in the past may not remain so a move or even a delete is an eventuality.
Can you give me some advice about what kind of unique content I should put on my site?
Surprisingly, yes I can. Even though I don't know your particular site, and editors can't be expected to help you build your site, I will give you some personal opinion.
None of these things guarantee a listing, but I believe they would be very helpful. Just remember that editors are building categories for information seekers, and in doing so, they really don't need all the sites that exist, only the ones that make the category itself more useful for the information seeker.
No one should ever build a site for the purpose of getting it listed in the Directory (just like one shouldn't build a site just for Google); instead, they should build the site for their visitors. If that site happens to become more listable because of what we've mentioned here, then we've accomplished what this blog post intended.
Emily
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
You'll often hear us referring to the "unique content" of a site as being one of our main focuses in considering whether a site should be added to the Directory or not. Unique content is both simple and complicated to explain because what we are talking about and looking for pertains to the category itself, and with over 590,000 categories in the Directory, it means we could have 590,000 versions, each of them different.
As it states in the Guidelines we follow:
"Consider the relative value of a resource in comparison to other information resources available on your particular topic. Relative value refers not only to the quality of the site, but also to its ability to contribute important, unique information on a topic.
In general, ODP editors should enter sites that represent the following:
- Original, unique and valuable informational content that contributes something unique to the category's subject.
- Contrasting points of view on major issues. The ODP attempts to cover the full breadth and depth of human knowledge, representing all topics and points of view on those topics. "
What this means is that our primary goal as editors is to build useful categories for people who are looking for information about either a Topic or a Geographical Area of the world, and we serve only these people, no one else. In our attempts to do this, we need to look at two things:
- The content on a site that we're reviewing for possible inclusion.
- The content that already exists in that particular category.
"Is the site's content/information identical to other sites? - A site should not mirror content available on other sites."
We see this often on cookie cutter, pre-made site designs. If the information is the same on each site, why would the information seeker want to waste their valuable time looking at it again (even if it's by a different owner), so we look for any unique content that might be on it. If we find it, we'll list the site; if not, we'll delete the site suggestion. Perhaps the site owner owns two or three sites with the same information on them; in this case, we will only list one of them, provided it meets the listing criteria. Editors do not consider how well a site is designed, its page rank, how much traffic it gets, how large or small it is, or the desires or needs of the site owner. Those things have nothing to do with building good categories of information for people looking for specific things, and that's all we're interested in.
Sometimes local business owners are confused about what defines "unique content" for their sites – being the only business of their kind in their town vs. the actual content on the site.
If you are confused about the term "unique content" because your type of business is the only one in town and you can't compare your content to another business's content in that category, it might be helpful to think of your content in the terms of "original content" instead; in other words, does your site have information created by yourself that no other site has?
In a Regional listing it is very easy to provide unique content just by answering the questions: Who are you and what do you do?
A non-generic personal description of your business does two things: first, it provides the unique, original content we're looking for, and second, it gives us the information to write a better description of your business for your listing. Who knows your business better than you do?
Our job is to boil that description down to two or three sentences that will tell the information seeker what you are, and what can be found on your site. The purpose of that is not to entice someone, but to give them the facts so they can decide for themselves if you have the information they're looking for. A preview of the site. Not opinion, but of facts, which is why we are only interested in the content on your site.
If there is exactly one real estate agent in a locality, but the agent's site has nothing more than contact information and MLS search (and other template content), we would still not list it.
The number of businesses of a particular type (whether 1 or 100) in a given category has no effect whatsoever on the listability of an individual website. In order to list the website, the content of the website must be unique, and must be more significant than what one would find on a business card or in a telephone directory.
An example of non-uniques would be a hotel booking site with information about a particular hotel, in comparison to the site of the hotel itself, we would always choose the site of the hotel itself.
Also, we often re-evaluate listed sites, and those considered listable in the past may not remain so a move or even a delete is an eventuality.
Can you give me some advice about what kind of unique content I should put on my site?
Surprisingly, yes I can. Even though I don't know your particular site, and editors can't be expected to help you build your site, I will give you some personal opinion.
- Always keep your eyes strictly on providing as much valuable information and help as you can to any possible visitor, because that's who we try to serve in building categories. If you have a website, then you know what those things are, and we will spot it as unique content (if it's there). Shift your thinking from gaining something from your site to giving something to the information seeker.
- If you have something different or valuable to offer, point it out on your main page where we can spot it easier.
- Personal opinion or experience in a topic would be considered unique content.
- It is better to write the content yourself, or have it exclusively written for you.
- Don't copy content from other sites (including so-called "free content").
None of these things guarantee a listing, but I believe they would be very helpful. Just remember that editors are building categories for information seekers, and in doing so, they really don't need all the sites that exist, only the ones that make the category itself more useful for the information seeker.
No one should ever build a site for the purpose of getting it listed in the Directory (just like one shouldn't build a site just for Google); instead, they should build the site for their visitors. If that site happens to become more listable because of what we've mentioned here, then we've accomplished what this blog post intended.
1. I have tried and failed to email the following editor, as their is a repeated error every time I submit. Therefore I post the letter here in the hopes of it getting to the right people (I want other editors involved in this, not just the addresses).
Email follows:
I'd be very interested in your reasons for failing to include my China Product Sourcing, Due Diligence, and Cyber-Fraud Claims Submissions Company website for inclusion into the International Trade section of DMOZ for the past 3 years.
I have made applications for inclusion into subcategories International Trade - Agents - and Services - at several points in time.
As when one attempt failed in one category, then I have applied to another closely matching category, since you have failed to explain why my application has failed in the first instance, I have been left to surmise, or guess you reasons; hence the multiple choice of category, into either of which we easily fit.
I also note with some shock, that certain of the websites currently included in the directory section you "edit" ARE EITHER POOR IN DESIGN, LACK ANY REAL CONTENT, AND THE GENERAL NUMBER OF INCLUSIONS IN THIS SECTION SEEMS VERY LOW.
I would briefly like to mention one of my clients, as a means of introducing myself, my company, and my website.
TsingHua TongFang is a multi-billion dollar Chinese part State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) (and for which, incidentally, I am the registered, and licensed, agent for Africa, Europe, and North America), and which owns and operates the largest computer factory on earth, with a production capacity of 5,000,000 units per year.
Not to mention their - Computer System Business Group, Energy & Environmental Engineering Group, Digital Media System Group, IT Group, and their 69 subsidiary Support Companies.
This same client is Ranked in the top 10 leading manufactures of the world, in the first 6 in the Asia-Pacific Region, and number 2 in the Chinese domestic market. (IDC figures)
Similarly the Chinese Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) has even advised claimants for fraud to come to my company, as a medium of assistance and claims arbitration and facilitation.
Yet you consistently refuse to list me in DMOZ!
I have also recently applied for my blog to be included, as this is where I offer advice to the many individual small traders, and entrepreneurs who lose money to fraudulent companies in China.
I am therefore, very curious as to the criteria you have employed to exclude my company website from the DMOZ directory for the past 3 years.
I would be grateful for answers from yourself, and or other senior editors at DMOZ.
I shall be keeping a copy of this communication, and placing it on my aforementioned blog, as I believe this is a serious issue, and which has serious repercussions for many companies who fail to get a listing in this and other categories at DMOZ.
In anticipation,
D. Ken Stone
Posted at 1:38PM on Aug 12th 2009 by Ken Stone
2. nice post, unique content is going to get the site everywhere! interesting read! nice one
Posted at 4:20AM on Aug 4th 2009 by paul
3. Ken Stone
The difficulty arises because there is a big difference between what the ODP is and what people perceive it as being or would like it to be. The two different perceptions does lead to frustrations on both sides.
From the outside. people see a large directory of website listings and believe it must be some sort of corporate entity who are geared towards listing sites. In fact it is a group of people following a hobby and listing sites is only part of the work involved. So, for most people who react to the ODP as a result of their perceptions, a better understanding of the ODP actually is, is what is needed.
The ODP is about developing categories and the suggestion pool is only one source of websites. I list most sites that are suggested but most of the sites that I list are not suggested. I regard a suggestor as someone who is helping me develop a particular category by suggesting a site thus saving me the effort of finding it when I get round to that category.
So the answer as to why any particular site is still unreviewed in a category I could edit, is that I can only devote so much time to editting and this varies. Sometimes I am enthusiastic and get lots done, other times I feel a bit jaded and do other things. Sometimes I feel a particular areas needs my attention and as a result I ignore other areas. The same goes for all the other editors who could review that category.
The answer as to why any particular site is still unreviewed in any category is that the number of editors that could edit any category is only a few hundred whilst the number of categories is approaching 600,000. This means that were each editor to go through systematically and edit in a different category each day, it would take at some 3 years to cover the lot. But a 'day' of editing means different things to each volunteer; from 8 hours because it's Saturday, raining and nothing else to do to 0 hours because it's my night to go down the pub, over-indulge and get carted home in a wheelbarrow. And of course in that time they may or may not be able to carry out all the work needed for that category.
Many people look at their site to find some reason why it is not be listed - is the editor a competitor, misogynist, racist, of the opposite political persuasion, jealous, an alien being intent on overthrowing the earths economy etc. etc.
However, if your site is listable (which at this stage only you know - see guidelines), the reason it is not listed is that no one has reviewed it yet.
Such a simple answer is however often less than satisfying
regards
Posted at 7:00AM on Aug 4th 2009 by Eric-the-Bun
4. The short answer is that we are not a listing service for site owners, and no site has a "right" or a promise to be listed. Sites are added or not added at the sole discretion of the editors.
Our main focus as editors is to build categories for information seekers, and we have multiple sources of finding new sites, including the site suggestions sent by the public. Though we appreciate these, they are only one source, and we are not obligated to use them at all. It's up to the individual editors who are building the category.
The Directory gets hundreds of thousands of "site suggestions" and each editor volunteers whatever amount of time they feel they can devote to editing, because it's a hobby, not a job.
As we're building categories, and not providing a listing service to site owners, editors have no obligation whatsoever to offer any explanation to a site owner's inquiries, nor do we really have the time to discuss the merits of each of the hundreds of thousands of site suggestions that are submitted.
Posted at 7:18AM on Aug 4th 2009 by crowbar
5. Interesting post about unique content, and pointing out what would be considered as a 'non-unique', which should help a lot of people. We have been gearing our own website more towards 'who we are and what we do' but we've yet to see how unique that might be.
As for Ken Stone and his issue - I'm sure he realises that he's not the only one, and I hope he realises that posting his letter here and on his blog isn't going to help at all. If it makes him feel better, there are a number of other directories out there, and one (which I'm sure he will have never heard of, nor many other people who read this) have pending submissions nearing 40,000 sites. The number of suggestions put to the ODP must be pretty horrific.
Posted at 11:02AM on Aug 4th 2009 by stephen.welton
6. Sorry for put a message here. My editor name is marcoachury I lost my password, I enter the page, receive an email and the recived password dont works. Any idea?
Posted at 2:51AM on Aug 6th 2009 by Marco Achury
7. Marco Achury: The help pages at http://www.dmoz.org/help/existing.html provide lots of useful information, include what to do if you forget your password.
If you haven't edited for some time, then your account may be automatically inactivated. If this is the case, then you need to apply for reinstatement. Instructions are provided at the above link.
If you still have problems, please ask at http://www.resource-zone.com/ where someone will be able to help you.
Posted at 5:08AM on Aug 6th 2009 by chaos127
8. There is something up with your captcha when trying to add a site to dmoz. There is nowhere on the site with any information on how to contact the admin of the entire site to let them know they need to check out using the captcha. It may be a Firefox issue, but the window does not accept any correct captcha one enters. Sorry to post it here, but could not find any contact information.
Posted at 6:32PM on Aug 12th 2009 by 8 Women Dream
9. Having quality and relevant unique content is worth nothing if your site never gets reviewed. Before suggesting a site to DMOZ a webmaster must check whether the category is being maintained. As D. Ken Stone said, some categories list abandoned websites or even sites not fitting the category they are into. You can have a good example in my article "DMOZ open source category dissection" (google it).
Posted at 10:10PM on Aug 12th 2009 by caprichoso
10. @8 Women Dream - captcha problem
I've checked it out and it works for me using firefox. Note that if you go back to the page having left it, you need to click the get new text to get a new string.
Posted at 8:16PM on Aug 15th 2009 by Eric-the-Bun
11. Q.
What is Unique Content?
A.
Everything useful to users!
[2° attempt]
Posted at 2:58AM on Aug 16th 2009 by Luciano
12. How two companies offering the same services and using the same suppliers can have unique content? So therefore the oldest company (luck them got included) is listed but the new ones offering more quality and better services, to the same costumer niche will be left out, very interesting concept from DMOZ, laze one and definitely not equal opportunity directory. Thats why a bunch of crappy sites still listed.
Posted at 11:33PM on Aug 18th 2009 by Carlos Dantas
13. @Carlos Dantas
"How two companies offering the same services and using the same suppliers can have unique content?"
By offering information about your particular company, or knowing your business and customers well enough to offer them some important information about your product or services that they would find very useful, but that another company doesn't have on their site.
Otherwise, why would an information seeker want to look at your site, instead of a current listing? (if they both offer the same thing)
We're not interested in equal opportunity for site owners, we're not a listing service. What we're interested in is building a category that becomes a good resource for information seekers. That is why we're only interested in the unique (original) content on each site and how it makes the category better, nothing else.
Posted at 4:54PM on Aug 18th 2009 by crowbar
14. @ crowbar
Your reply confirm my point, thanks a lot!
"We're not interested in equal opportunity for site owners"
I got it is a DMOZ dictatorship Viva La Revolution!
"By offering information about your particular company, or knowing your business and customers well enough to offer them some important information about your product or services that they would find very useful, but that another company doesn't have on their site."
What a statement(are you a politician? you sounds like because you say a lot but did not answer - it is like the "unique content" - BS), based on your information DMOZ should only list the chicken or the egg? Seriously DMOZ should list only the manufacturers,they know better then anybody else their products, they offer most of the content for all the resellers (services/products) websites and they know their market niche and goals. At the end resellers only offer services, products or promotions based on what the manufacturers allow them to do.
A quick Quizz:
What is the unique content between HomeDepot and Lowes?
What is the unique content between Walmart and Target?
Ok, other point for my concern! Thanks Again!
"Otherwise, why would an information seeker want to look at your site, instead of a current listing?"
Because offering more options the "end client" makes that decision not DMOZ, the user should decided what service or product supplier, is better not DMOZ. Now DMOZ is DICTATING what is good or bad, what is relevant or not, when DMOZ costumers (directory users) should make that decision, at the end they will pay for it. It is kind of monopoly of information and empowering the "DMOZ editors" to make a decision which doesn't belongs to them in the first place. It is my humbled opinion as a user, I don't care if any site is listed here or not. It is a fact of rights.
Posted at 8:57PM on Aug 18th 2009 by Carlos Dantas
15.
I believe that's covered in our Guidelines, Carlos.
http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/include.html#notinclude
"We're not interested in equal opportunity for site owners"
You forgot the rest of the sentence,
"We're not interested in equal opportunity for site owners, we're not a listing service. What we're interested in is building a category that becomes a good resource for information seekers."
Speaking personally, I understand and sympathize with your desire and need to be listed in the Directory, but we don't and never have, offered a listing service for site owners.
Editors build categories of sites that will be a good resource for people who are looking for information about a specific topic or geographical area of the world.
In doing so, we accept suggestions from the public for consideration, but we are selective and can't use every site that exists, only the ones that make a category a better resource. And, yes, this requires that we examine the content on a site, and only list sites that have unique content for that category.
Posted at 6:28AM on Aug 19th 2009 by crowbar
16. I am a freelancer and I have a profile on a site that is already listed in DMOZ. Is my particular profile considered a unique content - in other words, can I submit it to DMOZ? For example, think of elance.com and a specific profile on elance.com. Thanks in advance for your answer.
Posted at 7:46PM on Aug 20th 2009 by HP
17. Though i have a unique content and pages, Dmoz hates my site and all the time its giving the error
Proxy Error
The proxy server received an invalid response from an upstream server.
The proxy server could not handle the request POST /cgi-bin/add.cgi.
Reason: Error reading from remote server
when will this issue gets sorted out ?
Posted at 1:00AM on Aug 21st 2009 by nmarketers.com
18. a few weeks ago, I had to fill out a form to enter the website belonging to me, but why not go to the dmoz directory?
please help :(
Posted at 11:35PM on Aug 21st 2009 by karen
19. Well this is the third attempt to be an editor denied with the normal don't take it personal but you just not our type. So I give up, I have tried areas where I have no affiliation I found good sites, and I have come to the conclusion that DMOZ doesn't want help they would rather have a reputation of a self serving snob ran directory, half the links I get from Google are dead and every one I have traced back to DMOZ, so I don't think it will be long before Google cuts it's ties and either charges for directory submission or works with another large directory that actually cleans up the mess it creates. I will spend my time now doing just the opposite, working towards having AOL just shut down the loosing directory. My experience is the people on the forum are rude, impolite, and think they are to good to answer questions. AOL I am sure through it's purchase of Netscape doesn't care much about the directory and a campaign of bad press and constant letters to board members may have better and faster results than actually trying to get accepted to DMOZ. They seem to think everyone who apply's is self serving, and looking to promote their own sites, Well I wasn't that's why I asked for an area completely out of my range of websites, and that hadn't been promoted for years. If you believe the letter they get so many applications that they just can't accept them all, I guess that is why I find a Volunteer to take care of this section under about 65% of the categories I look through. And just in case DMOZ hasn't figured it out the only reason they even exist at this point is for a company to get listed with Google, nothing else. I have talked to computers classes I have given presentations to and not one high school or college age kid has ever used or heard of DMOZ, there answer to finding things is we just Google it.
I talked to one of the original founders of DMOZ he told me it is all but dead, it serves little purpose and unless major changes are made it will be dead before long and I have to agree. With the current management or lack of management, no real rules or procedures these are made up by the editors on a whim, all it would take to shut it down is one good discrimination law suit which is why they never actually disclose their reasons for doing anything.
I give it a year if that and I think we will see the demise of DMOZ, it was a great idea that has gone terrible wrong over time. Since I like to search the Internet and had the time to be a good editor, I can put this time to use, as one of the many working for it's elimination which appears to be a growing group of former editors, websites owners and prospective editors. all who hate the lack of communication. Before the week is out I will find every board member to AOL and they will be getting personal letters, along with my documentation from DMOZ asking to end it's support for such a discriminative group of people. If this was truly a directory for the people by the people it would give cause to it's action and have meeting notes and not act in secret. I don't care if they discriminate against my sites, because I wrote this letter, they never let them in any way so what harm can they cause, say I am not worthy to be an editor because I spoke out against them finally.
DMOZ put up or shut up. Look at the bottom of this page DMOZ is so on top of this site the copyright statement ended in 2007, not that anything here is actually copyrighted anyway by copyright law.
Posted at 3:25AM on Aug 23rd 2009 by tech
20. I'm sorry you feel that way, tech, but every editor has not only gone through this same application process to become an editor, but each of us goes through the same process as editors when we request to edit in other areas of the Directory, so it doesn't end after you become an editor.
Every editor gets turned down for new category permissions at one time or another, I have, but it's not a personal thing. Our meta editors, who handle these applications, are responsible to the Directory and the editing community, to make the correct decisions with the little information they have available to them,, and they're doing a fine job.
Just as not every site is suitable to be listed, not every person is suitable to be an editor, for one reason or another, and choosing the wrong person could mean having to clean up after him and trying to undo the damage that was done, so getting it right is important. Not only for the editing community, but for the site owners who are listed.
Best of luck in your future endeavors.
Posted at 12:10PM on Aug 22nd 2009 by crowbar