Posts by Emily Kayser at DMOZ Blog

One of the most confusing steps in the site suggestion process is often the very first one: selecting the category to which you will suggest your site. Editor hiraeth has provided an excellent overview of how to decide.

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This post attempts to provide some help to anyone intending to suggest their website to the Open Directory for possible inclusion. To give your site a good chance of prompt attention by an editor, you should do your best to find the correct category to which to propose it. Many editors have permission to review sites in strictly limited areas of the directory. This means that incorrectly suggested sites may get passed from one editor to another, encountering delay on each occasion. Editors may also be inclined to review correctly submitted sites more speedily, in preference to those where the person submitting the site has not bothered to make an effort, though these will be sent somewhere more appropriate in due course. Here are some tips:

What language is your site in?
The English language part of the directory only includes sites in English or with an English version. For sites in other languages try World. Or look for the "This category in other languages" facility below the main headings.

Is your site of interest only to people living in one area or country?
The Open Directory has extensive cover of local and national sites under Regional. You can navigate in Regional to find the most appropriate geographic region for your site before looking for topical sub-categories. Do not worry if your locality doesn't have the perfect topical sub-category, it will still be the correct place for your site. You can try putting the name of your town or locality into the search box.

Is your site a business site?
Many categories in the Open Directory are for informational sites only. Most categories will have descriptions providing details of the kind of sites accepted. If business sites are not allowed, there is usually a list of related categories that may help, under the heading "See also". Shopping sites should be listed in the correct category in Regional if there is a physical outlet. Online retailers should be listed in the topical category for the area they cover.

Does your site resemble those already listed in the category?
When you think you have found the correct category, check the sites already listed. If they are quite dis-similar to yours, you may be in the wrong place. Read the "Description" of the category. Look at the list of related categories under the heading "See also". These may guide you to a better location.

Can your site be listed in more than one category?
In general, the answer is "No" but there are some exceptions to this rule. Some sites may be included in the main topical category as well as in the Regional category for the locality served. A site with versions in more than one language may be listed in several appropriate categories in World. Please do not suggest your site to multiple categories just because you have difficulty finding the right one.

Stumped?
It's not too surprising, the Open Directory has such a vast array of categories that finding your way around it is difficult, even for editors. Try the excellent DMOZ search facility, entering one or two key words. If you are sure the category you are looking for will be in a particular branch of the Directory, you can search while in that category, restricting the results to its subcategories.

Last Fall, we introduced you to Mozzie, the little green monster you see at the bottom of category pages. But did you know that Mozzie has an award named in his honor? For this post, editor hiraeth has provided an overview of the awards process.

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The beginning of the year traditionally marks the awards season as well, when we recognize the most outstanding achievements of the previous year. For the ODP community, this means it's time for the annual Mozzie Awards which recognize editor achievements and commitment to the project in a light-hearted way.

Nominations happen in the forums, and as voting gets under way, campaigning takes place in the editor forums as well.

This year, winners from around the globe were recognized in over 100 categories. These include awards for a wide range of topics ranging from the most dedicated and the laziest editors to the best quality control specialist, as well as the best topical editors in the many branches of the directory. New editors who have joined the project in the last year have their own separate awards. There is also recognition for the best categories of various sizes and awards for editors from around the world in the many languages in which the directory exists.

Many editors have permission to edit in only a limited area of the directory and being nominated for an award is an honor in itself and demonstrates that their efforts have been noticed by other editors.

In the recent Mozzies, the most hotly contested award was for the most "evil" senior editor! Success in this and other awards means that a banner can be added to the editor's profile. Some awards are for the best categories rather than individual editors. Here the winner is the Open Directory itself and the wider Internet community.

Congratulations to everyone involved!

This week, we're presenting the first in an occasional series of posts that highlight a different section of the directory. Today, we're focusing on Kids and Teens, and editor artisands has provided a great overview of this fantastic family resource.
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Kids and Teens was developed as a standalone section of the Open Directory Project (ODP) in November of 2000. The goal of this "directory within a directory" was to provide a kid-safe area that would cater to the specific needs of the under 18 age group. Kids and Teens has its own set of guidelines, forums, and senior editorial staff.

This top level section of the directory lists sites for kids, not about kids. Some highlights include the School Time section which offers a wide range of sites providing help with homework questions in a variety of subject areas. Internet Safety offers valuable tips to kids and teens on staying safe while surfing the Web. The Health category provides information about physical and emotional health, including safety, fitness, and healthy lifestyles. These are just a few examples and all of the categories are worth a look!

In October of 2007, the listings in Kids and Teens surpassed 45,000! This milestone was reached thanks to the combined efforts of the dedicated editors who work very hard to build and maintain this special directory. Much of the growth can also be attributed to the expansion of the International branch, which boasts over 16,000 sites in 34 languages.

Another unique aspect of Kids and Teens is the use of "age tags". Sites are evaluated based on the appropriateness of content for three age groups:

Kids (12 years and younger)
Teens (13-15 years)
Mature Teens (16-18 years)

These tags appear right after the title in the directory listing, which is helpful to users in selecting age appropriate sites to visit. The ODP also provides a selection of search engines geared towards kids which can be found linked at the bottom of the category pages.

Since this is regarded as a separate directory, it is often possible to find sites listed in both the Classic directory and in Kids and Teens. This will happen when a useful, content-rich informational site is found that would provide value to both directories. So, when suggesting sites for the Kids and Teens directory, keep in mind that there may also be a comparable "Classic" category. A second suggestion in this case may be appropriate. Another point to remember is that commercial and/or shopping sites are not listed in Kids and Teens.

If you have ever given thought to becoming a ODP volunteer editor, consider applying for a small category in Kids and Teens. All you need is a little spare time and the desire and ability to find, describe, and list great "Kid Safe" websites.

A lot of the feedback we see on the blog actually has to do more with house keeping questions about DMOZ than with the topics we're covering. This week, we hope to clear up some of the confusion by highlighting the great resources that already exist to answer the most common questions.

Happy New Year! You probably see some of us in the forums, but behind the scenes, there are a lot of people working hard on this project, so we thought we'd kick off 2009 with an introduction to our core team.

Bob Keating, DMOZ Editor-in-Chief (rdkeating25)
A search nerd with a deep love and appreciation for opinionated masses, Bob Keating is the ODP's Editor in Chief, and has been involved with the ODP since joining AOL in 1999. He oversees the community and editorial policies, and regales his colleagues with anecdotes from annals of ODP history.

Photo of Grant

Grant Belaire, Director - Audience Growth (bbqgrant)
"I've had the pleasure of supporting the ODP/DMOZ community for more than a year and a half. Initially, I acted as a conduit from the forums back to the AOL management. As time went on I also helped in the creation of the DMOZ Blog, collaborated with AOL Corporate Communications to work on the various topics that come up with DMOZ in the headline, aided in the evangelism of DMOZ to all parts of AOL and led the release Beta Release of DMOZ. I care about the community and the experience we provide because I think that authoritative, subject matter experts CAN provide an experience on par and in certain circumstances far superior to the algorithmic search. And DMOZ is by far the single best example of that on this planet...or any other that I am aware of : ) If you ever have a question about DMOZ or an idea that could be improved by the resources we have, I'd love to hear from you. "

Emily Kayser, Senior Program Manager - Audience Growth (emi1y)
"If you read this blog or spend any time in the editors' forums, you probably know me as the DMOZ blog manager. Since I joined this team about 6 months ago, I've worked primarily on setting up a posting process and editorial calendar. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to work collaboratively with editors from around the world and to work towards making the official blog more representative of the entire community. Behind the scenes, I've also been involved in the DMOZ 2.0 project. I am looking forward to continuing to build on our success in 2009."

Dave Shebat, Technical Project Manager (dmozpjm)
"I joined the AOL Search organization in early 2008 and one of my many new assignments was to help manage the in-flight ODP/DMOZ 2.0 platform upgrade – huh? What on earth is "ODP/DMOZ" and who is Mozzie? So, to better understand what exactly I was getting myself into I started studying the corporate wiki's and documentation, surfed the net for additional information, became an editor and asked Grant way too many questions. To my delight, I felt like I was opening a treasure chest. After working at AOL for almost 10 years and spending time in every corner of the company, I thought I had seen it all; however, one of the crown jewels of the net had been hiding right under my nose all along. I find DMOZ to be incredibly fascinating and hope to contribute more to its bright future. Now, with all its renewed interest and recent improvements, I predict 2009 will be the year of the Mozzie!"

Zhuo Zhang, Developer (aptor)
"My name is Zhuo Zhang. In DMOZ 2.0, my main responsibility is developing code for this project, writing documentation and installation guidelines, and other necessary tasks. I also cooperate with our QA team, helping them to execute the test cases. Additionally, in order to ensure the quality of our project, I communicate a lot with the editor community via the DMOZ forum. Being a part of DMOZ 2.0 is really exciting and challenging. I receive various kinds of help and support from all around the globe. The history and the future of DMOZ make me very proud of my work."