Why even submit when category is obviously corrupt?

Why should I even bother?

http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Niche/Hip-Hop/

I applied to be an editor with no response. Absolutely corrupt. Deep links, redirects..

What can I do?

 

When was that?
Proposed editorname?

 

There are only 4 listed sites in that category? Did you mean one of the two linked cats (clothing or music) perhaps? Not that there isn't work that needs to be done in that cat, there were several links there and in music (haven't looked at clothing) that needed updating-they have been noted and should be cleaned up as soon as someone can get to them.

*Add*-Went through clothing links too and noted the ones that needed some attention as well. Feel free to visit the Quality Control Thread at RZ if you see any I missed.

Thanks.

 

actually, the best way, if you can is to become an editor yourself. sounds bad, but join the corruption to ensure your site does the best you can.

 

"You shouldn't" would be my answer. I gave up on DMOZ some time ago, don't even bother wasting my time trying to submit when in my experience I never get a response.

 

If you were to add your site and it wasn't listable or the title/description wasn't guideline compliant then someone else would come along and de-list it. If it was more than just poorly written descriptions/title then it could be deleted. If the site was listable and the title and description were compliant then there wouldn't be any issues.

I am always sorry to hear someone had a poor experience with dmoz Unfortunately there is probably a mis-understanding of policies in this case, because of an expectation of a response. In most cases there are not going to be responses for site suggestions. There are many reasons that this policy is in place. Its too bad that this misunderstanding resulted in a bad experience for you in trying to help the editors find good sites.

 

so you applied to be an editor to get your site listed? and you wonder why you wernt accepted?

 

Apply to a small non-commercial category.
Then work your way up to the more commercial ones ,once you've shown that you know what you are doing, and can be trusted in the more commercial areas of the directory.

That's how it generally works for all new editors.

 

No I didn't apply just to get my site listed. I'm genuinely interested in the industry. I'm qualified and run many directories of my own one related soley to this industry. Even a free one for you in my footer if you'd like.

I'd be a great & honest editor, but it's just a corrupt category.

 

I assume you're using the word corrupt to describe a category where some of the links no longer work as they may have originally? Did you see the post above where Shadow575 invited you to visit the quality control thread at Resource Zone? Or even better, you could use the update listing link in the category where the broken/redirect URLs are listed. You don't have to own the site(s) in question to use the update listing link - anyone can use it to report problems.

 

Did you miss post #2 asking for some details of your application? I can check it out but I'm not a mind reader.

 

Except when you edit a category for some time, don't make any major blunders and then ask "can I edit another category slightly higher up or in the same area?" and get told that you can't.

 

Not knowing the situation, I can only speculate to possible reasons for this:

1. Perhaps there were no major blunders but an abundunt of minor ones. A new editor isn't likely to approved for a new category if their current (especially their first) one isn't up to snuff. Typos, grammar, poor titles and descriptions should be fixed and/or replaced before asking for new permissions.
2. The new category might be to much of a *jump*. For example, a regional editor usually starts in a Locality sub-cat (i.e their home town or even a sub-cat of their home town). They work for a month or so and clean their cat spotless and with good sites/titles/descriptions. Then they apply for the whole state? Even though they have proven that they can edit well in their locality, they aren't likely to be given an entire state as their second category. Instead they apply for a neighboring locality and clean it up. Then they apply for an entire Locality Alpha-bar (i.e all localities begining with "B" ) and Build up the "B" localities, doesn't have to be perfect just show substantial improvement through their work. Then they apply for State and they probably will be granted it.
3. Or maybe the new editor permissions application contained errors or sites that didn't fit in the requested category. Filling out a new editor permissions application goes through the same process as an application to become a new editor, so it should be treated as just as important.

There are other reasons, but I suspect these are the most common/probable to a generic situation.

Hope that helps a little.

 

It would be unusual for a new permissions request to be declined without feedback.

 

Thanks jim-Good point.

 

I've been doing that but there is an element of the process that I object to. Quite strongly. Didn't know about it when I was an editor. To do an Update the form requires a valid email address. My email address was not available to other editors when I was an editor, I don't see why I should give it as someone who is not an editor. Of course you can give a false email address but it is not right you should be forced into doing that. I strongly suggest someone take this up internally - the email address should be optional, as it is when submitting a site, and as it is for editors. You never know how many people are put off sending in Updates because of that.

 

I am not agreeing or disagreeing with you with regards to the policy, but are you sure about the email address being optional when suggesting a new site? I am pretty sure that it is also required, at least I am not able to suggest a new url without entering an email address. It just isn't marked as Required on the suggestion form. I believe an email address is required for both.

 

Sorry I've been pretty busy and was expecting soley defeatist posts. The email would have been from my free directory as I was trying to show I actually know directories and not just some yahoo looking to get a site listed.

Email would have been admin @ free-website-directory . com

I think it's great some of you guys seem to still believe in DMOZ.

 

Almost immediately after an application for editorship has been made, the machinery emails a message back to the applicant. Only when the applicant validates his/her email address by replying does the application become visible to the humans who would process it. If the system doesn't get a reply, it eventually eats the application - unseen.

See the and finally section of this RZ sticky thread dated 2002 for confirmation of all that.

If you applied with that email, our servers never received the validation message. This might be because the verification request got caught up in your spam filters.

Editors have no access to the servers (which are run by paid AOL employees) at this level so your situation can't have been caused by editorial corruption.

 

Glad you are pleseantly surprised.

If I didn't believe in dmoz, I wouldn't be editing for it The same goes for the majority of editors (a much larger number than might be assumed) and contrary to the feeling of some, we are trying to make things better every day. It is slow and there are many un-controllable (and some controllable) factors slowing it down more but we are working on it.

Thanks for your interest in helping and in dmoz! We appreciate it, and if you truly do want to help keep trying, we always need more good editors willing to help out.