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.
21. Something beside the cookie cutter answers the very thing you ask that an editor not due when selecting sites is exactly what the responses always are if you ever get one, I can see by your response your a polite person who cares about DMOZ. I applaud you. but things done in secret, with no answers, build the very reputation that DMOZ has, and from what I understand when you are a new editor you are critiqued to help improve what you do. The actions of a few ruin what could be a definitive directory. DMOZ needs the help, they ask for help yet turn down 90% of the people willing to help, and I have no idea what the rejection of sites is but I would guess it is quite high.
Maybe it would be better to work with willing people that really want to help than, be an elite group, where nothing but a few superior acting meta editors can ruin such a valuable resource. I have no problems with the actual editors my sites would never make it in as they are affiliate sites, and the rules are very clear about that.
So the only person hurt here was DMOZ which lost a potential editor for an area that hasn't seen attention in years.
Crowbar may you enjoy your editing, as it appears you do, for me it's on to other opportunities, I will just pay Yahoo the annual fee, and sign up for BOTW and possible find another directory to help out, but I do think the demise of DMOZ is just a matter of time, and it just is waiting for a good epitaph to be written for it.
Posted at 3:23AM on Aug 23rd 2009 by Mike Baker
22. I added a comment to crowbar but I guess it was deleted, s I will try again. Crowbar by your answer you appear to be a nice dedicated editor. But the canned responses of denial to become an editor are not unique content just form letters that do nnothing to help a would be editor learn to improve, if one was able to become an editor are they not supervised closely when they start and always as you describe? If this is the case would it not be better to have an editor working small catagory, and help him improve? it's not that the site information can't be edited or even deleted if he makes a mistake.
It seems the process to help resolve the shortage of editors is at odds with the problem.
I am glad you feel you do a good job and possibly your area is a goos one, but there are many areas that need some attention, and you would think if the system is as good as it is suppossed to be, with differing levels of editors above others that little time would be spent helping a new editor get up to speed there by helping end the reputation of we don't care wh you are or what you want, we do things our way.
Enjoy your editing, and I hope you are right in your response, but going for a fourth rejection not knowing why I was rejected seems futile at this point.
Posted at 2:26PM on Aug 23rd 2009 by tech
23. I guess you could call me a mid-level editor, tech, I have no where near the experience and knowledge that's required to be a good meta, and I have no desire to be one, but I do know that the application is more of a process than a form.
Those canned form replies deliberately cover a range of possibilities so that the applicant can show his ability to figure out which of those apply to him, and to correct his mistakes on the next application.
This is the type of ability that makes a good editor, so it is important.
I wouldn't say new editors are necessarily closely supervised, as much as welcomed, encouraged to ask questions and read our help articles. You'll normally get multiple editors answering you and trying to be helpful.
New editors are limited to one small category while they learn the ropes, and as you become more knowledgeable, you can apply for other categories. You can also ask for a mentor/advisor, or join our editors school.
Do not give up, most editors get turned down initially, but end up joining us. I'd be happy to welcome you to the family, your passion would be a welcome addition. :)
Posted at 6:36PM on Aug 23rd 2009 by crowbar
24. Did it ever accrue to you that you are running DIRECTORY?
Let me remind you, that directory is not only about who has produced some products but also about who is in the business that sells it. So you understand better, the same product can be sold by, let say 100 stores and that is where directory comes in place, it tells people where they can to find that product even if all sellers located in the same City, State or Country.
Just listen to yourselves what you are saying.
As stupid as it can be, you saying that there is no need for another site to be added to DMOZ because we already have one site that has been offering that product without realizing that "unique" is not a “product” but the “store” that sells it.
If Yellow Pages God forbid adopts your way of thinking, then there will be only one store in Town listed in it for each Industry it represents. Like for example if Yellow Pages become ODP alike, we will see only: 1 Grocery Store, 1 Book Store etc.
Does it make any sense to any of you Mr. and Mrs. ODP Editor?
Posted at 8:01PM on Sep 6th 2009 by fastreplies
25. Yeah..what is the unique content between Homedepot and Lowes? Walmart and Target?
Posted at 9:33AM on Sep 8th 2009 by john
26. This blog has been quite enlightening about DMOZ. I wish this directory the best but I would ask those who are running it to consider a reorganization. I applied for listing months ago and have never been listed or rejected. I thought, "okay, the hard-working DMOZ editors are overloaded so I will volunteer to help." Wrong! I was rejected. I finally paid for a listing in the Yahoo Directory and in Business.com.
Thanks
Ron D
Posted at 9:21PM on Sep 11th 2009 by Ron Derven
27. Hi Dmoz Editors
I am trying to submit my website in dmoz from last 3 years but not successfull yet, I have followed all the guidelines mentioned by dmoz but still my website is not approved in Dmoz, should I stop hoping that my website will be ver listed in dmoz now?
Posted at 7:26AM on Sep 15th 2009 by Rohit
28. Hi Emily!
Concerning unique content I have submitted my site two times under /Science/Technology/Welding/. Once in April 09 and again in July 09 and have not heard anything back.
My site www.gowelding.org has good amount of content that is so unique it cannot be found on the web, in books, or anywhere else. This is information that I learned while becoming a certified welder again and it is packed with the little details that make a big difference while welding! I have met at least 30 welders that have told me they found my site to be extremely helpful when getting ready to test for a welding job and they also could not find this information anywhere else. Again, the information could not be found anywhere and it is all free.
Why would I not get accepted? I am questioning that my home page is nothing interesting (I am working on that). On the other hand my content pages are packed with a ton of unique information and pictures like. Would it be possible to have an editor who is either an experienced welder or is a welding engineer review it?
Thank You
Dave
Posted at 1:43PM on Sep 19th 2009 by David Zielinski
29. quote
Yeah..what is the unique content between Homedepot and Lowes? Walmart and Target?
Posted at 9:33AM on Sep 8th 2009 by john quote
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Location stupid
Directory tells people where they can go online for example to check if that Homedepot in their area have any specials or even get directions and/or phone number.
Once again, DMOZ is nothing more than freaking Yellow Pages.
The only UNIQUE aspect sites have is site content. If 2 sites are selling apples and one of them is have it address point to Main Street and another site to Main Avenue, then there you have it, they are UNIQUE
fastreplies
Posted at 3:28PM on Sep 29th 2009 by fastreplies