Read about "Team ODP"

But search engines, don't get spammed and for ODP it is a real problem. Also few sites are rejected unless they are spam. Look at some of the sites asked about on here and irate webmasters wonder why we won't list their spammy sites. That does not say all webmasters spam or that their site is spammy, but most rejected sites are.

 

rotflmao

Is there something like DP Oxymoron of Century Award? I think we have a winner!

 

That is false - editors are advised not to communicate with webmasters.

Hmm...I wonder what happens to a website that continually publicly states that it doesn't care about webmasters. It will be interesting to find out over the next few years.

No, you are misunderstanding me. A sane webmaster will not become enraged because they can't share one pr3 or less link with 20 - 50 other sites...my point was that it's disrespectful to call a someone stupid to their face - that's what puts people off not the fact that they can't get one little link.

Wow...anyway I am an editor at dmoz, and I also manage another popular directory and I do get spam in both but it's not a real problem. If I see a spammy site I just delete the submission.

 

That's true, and I've stated that in here myself, but I was refering to this and other forums. (so, it's not false)

Editors are advised not to respond to submitters, but not forbidden to. That's very good advice for new editors to follow because they don't really know enough about the Directory and editing to give sound information. I've always assumed that if the Directory didn't want us to talk to submitters at all, they wouldn't have our contact information prominently displayed on every editors profile page, .

It's precautionary advice.

If you're an editor, you must be a fairly new one, if you don't understand that we serve only the web surfers needs, and not the webmaster/seo/site owners needs. Many editors would prefer that all submissions be shut off. They're handy sometimes, but they also create a lot of extra work, and editing time might be better spent in just mining for new sites on our own (as many editors now do anyway).

A small directory is much easier to handle than a Directory the size of this one. I've thought about creating a small niche directory myself, seems like it would be a lot of fun, and it ain't exactly rocket science, . It's more or less just a link farm that's easily navigated, and a place to use your creativity.

Where did you get the idea that the Directory is dependant on professional webmasters? Most anybody can build a website nowadays, especially with all the interfaces out there. You don't need to write in html with those, it's just click and drag. Some of the best, most informative sites I've seen have been very unsophisticated, but, gave me the information I was looking for, right up front, and were very charming and creative.

To be honest with you, when I go to a site looking for info, I'm not interested in all the flash crap, how tricky the webmaster is, or all the junk ads that I have no interest in. I'm also not interested in wasting a lot of time wading through a site, I want the info I came to get, nothing else. (whether it's presented in a sophisticated manner or not). I could care less about the skill of the webmaster.

I agree. It's unneccessary, rude, and doesn't accomplish anything positive. On the other hand, sometimes you really have to talk straight to people, throw the nicities out the window, and speak your mind honestly. I do it myself because I feel if non editors in here can speak their minds impolitely, then why can't I let my hair down once in a while and do the same. As long as it's honest and doesn't go too overboard, .

 

ODP needs to introduce better spam handling systems if the volume of spam is interfering with the real work.

The key to success is to build a system where your not wading through tonnes of toxic sludge day in and day out so the gems don't get missed.

I have a feeling it is often all too convenient to blame spam for lack of new entries.

 

Spam in ODP perhaps has slightly different overtones. It is also about webmasters trying to get a site listed at many levels. trying all the deeplinks, applying to high up categories when it is clear from the category description, if read properly, that the site has to be placed lower, affiliate sites and multi listing with re-directs.

We have been beefing up the defences, I understand, I don't understand much of that stuff, we have volunteers who seem to be able to some impossible things with the tools they build, but as editors we have to be vigilant, there are unfortunately webmasters who want o exploit the system. We also have our share of submissions which are just copies and not unique content, etc.

 

These days I don't use the expression "don't care about webmasters" becuase I think that crowbar and others are saying that their primary focus is not with webmasters, but it can be seen as meaning having no concern at all and almost towards hating them. But I think the terms are that we are not here to promote websites our primary concern is to serve the surfer not those who own and publish sites, so we don't run back up services about what has happened to a suggested site.

I have re-read this thread and I have not found an editor calling a webmaster stupid, or have I missed that?

But at times webmasters have been very dim witted on here and deserved the title, but so have some editors, probably me at times!

 

You're exactly right. It's not that I don't care about webmasters, or I wouldn't be here trying to inform you. I do care and I do sympathize with your predicament because I've been on the outside and I know exactly how blind you are from out there.

I've resigned several times from the Directory because of RL issues, so even knowing what I did about the Directory, being on the outside is extremely frustrating, as far as knowing what's going on.

We can only be your eyes to a certain extent because we're bound by a confidentiality clause, but we'll try to give you what we can.

Anonymously is right about spam. It isn't just the kind of spam you might get in your mailbox, it's more like virus and hacker protection for your computer, as well as the things anonymously mentioned. Giving out inside information aids those who have less than honorable intentions.

The Directory Security is as much a protection for honest webmasters and their listings, as it is for the Directory. It's inconvenient, but neccessary.

The problem is that is raises unfounded suspicions of wrong doing because of the secretive nature of it, but 7,000 - 8,000 editors wouldn't be participating freely if that were really true, and all of us are free to leave at any moment.

And to winifred gray. If you are a newer editor, I didn't mean to sound condescending. You are as equal as I am and a fellow editor, and your opinion carries as much weight as mine does, I just have a little more experience. No offense meant, .

 

Well, I've been a professional webmaster since 1998 and I've been editing at dmoz off and on since 2002 so I've been around for awhile and I know what's going on and I know that what I am saying is true because I've been watching these things happen with my own eyes for many years.

And of course dmoz is dependant on webmasters - every website is.

The majority of traffic to a website comes from other websites, which are created by webmasters. Even the amount of traffic that you receive from Google is largely based on how many webmasters have decided to link to you.

So if the webmasters are not on your side...ultimately you will fail because your main goal is to serve web surfers needs and you cannot meet that goal if no one surfs to your site.

 

Well, this is my 2 cents. Actually, 2 pence, I don't do dollars

I've not been in this whole 'SEO' world for long, maybe 3 or 4 months. But, in that time I have learned that the ODP is corrupt. Majorly corrupt, at best. Yes, I am aware the ODP was once the directory to be included in. Unfortunately since so many of the world's great companies use the ODP's data, inclusion is always a must even now. But, the integrity of the ODP has been reduced to ruins by spammers and a minority of editors becoming corrupted by bribes. I think I learnt about paying my way into yahoo and ODP after day-2 on the job. However, that's not a root I'm willing to take at the risk of having my site permanently banished by both yahoo and dmoz.org. Whether or not Qryztufre did become an editor for the sake of including his own site is not worthy of speculating. Look at the other editors of dmoz, you're going to tell me none of them included their own sites (in the best of the best categories too), right? Well, from what I've learnt, that's reality. The reality of the ODP.

Don't get me wrong though, I might not have been around these waters during the ODP's greatest years, but I'd love to see it back to those levels. Back to being the best directory in this world. Narrowly beating my new directory, of course

Anyway, keep it clean kids, and if you can't keep it clean, then, well, that's just downright naughty!

 

You should! It is really easy, fun, and not much more work then editing a few categories at dmoz, plus if your directory is successful you'll get a shameful amount of money for your efforts.

 

No, it isn't. You do not receive any substantial amount traffic from these directories, and Google counts one link in dmoz as one link, the directories that use odp data are now recognized as duplicate directories and no longer provide the benefit to your site that they did in the past.

It's nice to have a link from almost any website, dmoz included, but a dmoz link is not a must by any stretch of the imagination.

 

So listing ones own site makes the editors and directory corrupt. It's not surprising that sometimes people do get called stupid.

I know a lot of editors and they treat their own sites like anyone elses and often worse, sites which deserve to get cooled don't because we are not allowed to cool our own sites or ask anyone else to do so, booting is liable if we do otherwise.

 

No, I was referring to the editors that apply to become editors for the sole purpose of adding their own site, not for the benefit a new editor would bring to the ODP. Ie. the editor that turns up for a new job Monday morning and is gone by coffee break

 

Stop talking about Q like that

But one has to say that there should be a health warning on the "Apply to edit this category" button, which says
"You might just want to list your own site, but be aware you can become addicted in doing so"

 

Well, I have to agree with that one, but, that's not corruption, it's just plain old selfishness. An editor can add his own site to a category that he edits in, there's nothing wrong with that, as long as the site actually belongs in that category. Not doing so could be considered a reverse discrimination, a reversed bias. You'd be depriving the web surfer of a possibly good site just because you own it.

But, you are right, many people join just to get their own site listed, and then they never do another edit. It's immoral, and disgusting, but not really corruption. (because it's allowed).

Others join out of curiousity, or with good intentions, and find that it's maybe more than they bargained for, or they just don't want to put in the time and effort it takes to learn, or they don't like following instruction, or they just forget to come back and they time out.

It's almost impossible to keep these kind of people out of the Directory, because you can only guess at someones real intentions for joining, and hope you've made the right decision when you approve them. But, even if they only add three or four good sites to the Directory before they time out or quit, they've at least improved the Directory by that much, so it's not a complete waste of time. And, on the reverse side, whatever their real intentions were to begin with, you can always hope that they'll see the bigger picture and actually become interested.

I, myself, became an editor out of ignorance. I built a website for my business using the Homestead interface, and while I was tramping around the Internet trying to figure out how to get listed on a search engine, I ran across the ODP. I had no idea what the heck it was, but reading the Help section, I liked the all inclusiveness of it, and the fact that it was a volunteer organization working for all Internet users. I read the Guidelines and decided to give it a shot just for the heck of it.

I was about as ignorant and unknowledgeable of the Internet, search engines, webmasters, ect as you could ever imagine, I knew absolutely nothing.

I applied to edit my small city (4 sites in it), and one of the three sample sites was my own business site (and I made sure to state that), which is where the site belonged, and I was accepted. I didn't know if I would stay or not, but, bein ignorant an all, I figured it wouldn't hurt to have my site listed somewhere.

Six years later, I have no sites at all and I now edit every city, county, region, and metro within the United States, as well as other categories and my little city now has 130 sites to represent itself on the Internet, where it can compete.

That's a fairly reasonable thought, but let me give you some info you might not know.

1. No editor ever owns any one category, many other editors also edit there.

2. All editors are required to list any sites they own or are afilliated with, right on their Dashboards. Not doing so could be grounds for removal, and that info is available to all senior editors and admins.

3. Every editor starts out in a very small, limited category, so that any damage they do can be limited, and this is their training ground. They do not have access to any other category, so they can't just list their sites where they want to.

4. In the Directory, sites can't be placed willy nilly, there's a definate criteria for where a site has to be placed. It's not possible to just sprinkle a site throughout the Directory in "the best categories for the site owner". If a site is listed multiple times (which is sometimes very legitimate), we'll see where it's listed. If a site is improperly listed, any editor with permissions there can move it, or delete unwarranted copies of it, so, it's pretty near impossible to get away with it for long.

5. If the public sees any such listings, they are strongly encouraged to make us aware of it using the "Abuse Form", which is prominently displayed on our public pages.

6. Also, when we're editing a site, most editors really don't know if an editor owns that particular listing or not (without doing a lot of investigating that we don't really have any reason to do on each site), so that site would be treated the way any other site gets treated. (Unless something arouses our suspicion)

So, though your thought is a very reasonable one from the outside, the actual facts are that it would be a very dangerous thing to attempt, and not likely to succeed for long, . Both the editor and his sites could be banned from the Directory.

 

Well, I wasn't really thinking about money, I was thinking it might be fun to create a little Directory on a certain topic that I might be interested in (just like a category) and concentrate on finding the best of the best for it, and then just expanding it off to the sides with related topics.

Watergardening comes to mind, and expanding it to areas for dragonflies, frogs, Koi, plants. It's a pretty extensive hobby, but because of the way categories are setup in the ODP, you can't really keep everything together in one spot, and then the terms we have to use for naming cats aren't always the best for what I'd like to do. I suppose a few paid ads wouldn't hurt, but I'd hate cluttering it up too much. Maybe when I retire.

I can see how you might be right if you're talking about traffic, and web surfers actually going to the Directory itself to look for stuff, but, I see us as more of an organized Database that other information suppliers use. More like we collect and organize it, but, search engines do a much better job of distributing the information to the web surfer.

 

somebody above said a right word ... making a directory is not rocket science , its just 25 USD out of your kitty , or even free , and using a DMOZ RDF dump / other mods to create the base categories and listings ( which one often forgets listings from the same corrupt directory ) with the same descriptions , except it does not contain the mandatory mention of the actual ODP .
those who actually Edit the directory do it not for fame , and neither to spend hours and hours to be finally able to be in a position to think of bribes .
But rather to learn some extremely difficult skills , have loads of fun and make around hundreds of friends and find out 1000's of sites.

 

You make it sound fun, might join, whoops already have

Edit to add
Crowbar...are you in the Mozzie awards for the most long winded editor

 

No, but I've had customers roll up their windows and drive away, . Sorry guys, I do get long winded when I start putting down my thoughts.