Should I change category, and if so, how?

I am a DMOZ editor, and I've listed my own business in the category I edit. However, my business recently changed its focus—drastically—and it doesn't really belong any longer in the category I edit.

I am considering requesting that my site be moved to a more appropriate category. However, my understanding is that doing so would immediately delete the site from the category I edit and place it in the queue for the category I'd be suggesting is more appropriate. And then, it would be entirely out of my hands. I could then wait months or years and there's no guarantee that the editor of the other category would approve my site soon or ever. And if I then tried to submit it to a different category, I could be docked for submitting the site multiple times (I don't believe there's a way for an editor to cancel or modify a change category request, is there?).

So I'm considering just leaving my site in the category I edit, even though it really is miscategorized and the category is extremely specific (it's a regional site, and my business is no longer region-specific).

For those who understand how DMOZ works, what would you advise me to do?

To be honest, I'm primarily concerned about SEO. I know Google's algorithms are confidential, but does anyone have a sense of whether it's better to have a site locked into DMOZ (even if the site is miscategorized and in a category that is specific to a very small region), or whether it's better to risk losing a spot in DMOZ altogether, with the hope that it will get into the right category, which is much more general? In other words, how important is proper categorization and generality of the category for SEO purposes? What about the pagerank of the category—it seems that higher-level categories tend to have higher pageranks—is that important?

Thanks in advance for your help. I try to be as ethical as I can as a DMOZ editor, but I also don't want to hurt my SEO on account of the limitations of the system.

 

Move it. If you are seen to give preferential treatment to your own site you can be booted and keeping it in a wrong category is giving it preferential treatment IMO. If you get booted where will that leave your site, banned probably.

Edit to add
and don't forget that you are not the only editor for your category and any other editor further up the tree can come along and move it, and then spot that you should know that your own site does not fit anymore.

 

Good answer. Thank you for that. I think I'll follow your advice.

 

Next time, ask on the internal forums, and chances are that someone will come along & 'help ya out'. Though, in this case I suggest against it, as if they see this thread, you'll be under tight surveillance.

 

Okay, thanks for letting me know.

 

I doubt that. Editors looking as though they are going to treat other editors sites better than an ordinary site would also get sanctioned. You would be told what I have said on the internal forums.

 

Well, it's certainly NOT what I was seeing there while I was an editor. It was also not that way in private chats I was lucky enough to attend. Though, heh, you HAVE to say otherwise based on the confidentiality guidelines don'tcha? Be sides, giving special treatment to editor owned sites is sanctioned from the very very top is it not? I DO have proof if you need it, but then you know darn well what site & editor I'll point too

 

In your time, that was the 3 or 4 sites you listed INCLUDING your own and then bolted.......

 

Ahhh... but I did have my time, are you disagreeing with that? Are you saying that in the few months I was an editor that I somehow forgot to read or implying that I didn't talk with other editors or post on internal forums?

Or if you are saying something else, please let the world know, as certainly what it seems you are doing nothing more then making a personal attack, rather then making an actual point.

Your actions speak volumes about the ODP itself do they not?