It can take from one day to several years, there's no way to predict when an editor might be working in a specific area.
It will take how ever long it takes. They don't worry too much about things like service so they will never let you know one way or the other. Just submit and forget.
Sorry, swedal, we offer people the right to submit sites that they have discovered or own that would enrich the directory. Every editor is a volunteer, we work for zilch, except as I have said elsewhere for the shite that people like you throw at us. We offer our spare time to build a directory for surfers to find information well described and categorized. Thousands of site are offered every day, we simply do not have the editors to process that each day and their is a backlog, we also cannot predict how much work an editor will want to do in his/her spare time in any one given month, so we cannot predict how much editing will be done. Also some editors do not deal much with submitted sites preferring the ones they find themselves. We cannot make people spend their spare time given voluntarily in any particular way. Take for instance what you are doing with the Christmas break, how much time have you spent in voluntary activity? Many editors will have worked through Christmas Day and today, some will have taken time off to be with their families. We also do not have the resources to respond to every site that is moved, rejected, held or listed. And yet we are accused by people like yourself of giving bad service, especially when the service we offer is to the surfer and though I say it myself I think ODP is still the best directory on the web. Remember one and all if you think we should be listing more sites, then the only way is for you to join and help.
If you submitted anything in 2007/2008 then the listing is there and there is not reason to bother having to rough it through their broken CAPTCHA. If you do submit again it'll just send your submission to the bottom of the queue and you'll just have to wait that much longer. Promote your sites by other means, add more content to what is there already, and simply don't bother with DMOZ any more, as chances are they will not bother with you.
I am also a DMOZ Editor. Two categories. A small regional one and a large-sized business one. In both categories, I am the only editor. The small category is up to date, only a few left in 'unreviewed' because of 404 errors and time outs. The big category has approx 300 in 'unreviewed', the oldest dated February 2007. This is just how it is. Live with it. I waste a lot of my time reviewing sites that have virtually no real content, badly designed navigation and slow-loading flash introductions. I endorse my colleagues recommendation to submit your site and then focus all energy and resources on developing the site so that your visitors will find something interesting and enjoyable.
Don't have much choice do we? Though with that many unreviewed sites that old, is it really any wonder that so many people complain?
Look at the big picture. Multiply 300 by the number of categories. Reduce by 30% for dead sites, sites under construction, duplicated submissions. That will give you an idea of number of sites on the waiting list. One solution - get involved instead of just sitting there complaining.
Golly that's like over 100,000,000 sites in review. A bit of work for the 6,000 active editors. Ya better get cracking As for helping, I cleared the queue in one category already (which by the way didn't have 300 listings waiting), then left because I had a falling out with the ethics of having no fair appeals policy or official warning system for editors. Ya see, if I am going to work for free for a multi-billion-dollar company then I want that company to work for me...even if just a little, but that's really neither here nor there.
That is a lame excuse you should have bitched about it on internal forums until they removed you permanently so that you can never go back!
Thanks "Anonymously" for giving us such a great information on DMOZ, but i still want to ask one question. I have submitted my two sites in DMOZ after following every guidelines given by the DMOZ, and still i didn't get any reply or response. It is almost 1 year ago i have submitted, after that DMOZ updated that particular category where i have submitted, then what should we hope from DMOZ...?
Why are you asking the question in here? The answers are all available on the DMOZ website. Don't you believe them? One of the main problems with DMOZ is that many of the people who make submissions do so without reading the instructions or the information available. All of this adds to the workload of editors.
Actually not really, at least not all the time. You see, some editors seem to think that following advice that says to follow the guidelines is shaky and that there is just one thing that is really needed in getting in...unique content. http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showpost.php?p=5532568&postcount=25 Though, most other editors do seem to disagree with that, though none seemingly will bother saying it to that editors face...but certainly have no trouble saying it to mine. Honestly I do agree with you. I'm just trying to show a possible reason for someone not bothering with the guidelines for submission. If one editor can say to not follow the guidelines and no others go in and say that such a thing is shaky, then the word of the editor is likely going to stand. and that likely adds to the workload in and of itself. Then again, maybe there are clues to say how long the wait is in the above post by an editor that seems to have no trouble with the fact his/her cat has 300 unreviewed sites in their cat (some dating back 11 months). *shrug*
OMG ! 300 is that all ? I left (booted according...) a small category ( it's a small category ) with 3500 unreviewed coming down from 7000. Now boys its time for a John Lennon song Imagine.
I've just noticed that a site of mine has been added, I must have submitted it over a year ago, but I understand that's fairly quickly based on other peoples experience.