Allegations of DMOZ Corruption

Having an ex-editor submit for you can be a bad idea. They have a list of ex-editor owned sites that is being used as some form of blacklist preventing ex-editors from getting their sites back in (go ahead editors and tell me I'm wrong, I know it's being done )

 

Are you obsessing about DMOZ again, Toots? I thought you were just telling me (again) that that's unhealthy?

 

This is a guy's site? According to the site, the agent is a person named Cassie - I've never heard of a guy named Cassie. I could be wrong - because I heard there was this boy named Sue.

 

*Yawn*
What's your point?

 

RZ mentality, fryman - there is no point - just bafflegab and dancing around.

 

There is/was (not sure it still exists because it has been well over a year since I've seen a site listed there) a hidden category containing sites belonging to former editors - generally ones evicted for gross abuse. It isn't/wasn't a blacklist - if a site has been found to be unlistable then the notes will show it. Coincidentally many sites belonging to abusive editors would also be noted as unlistable (possibly how they got caught) and it might therefore appear to be a blacklist. Not sure what the actual purpose was but a few times people asked inside whether it was intended as a blacklist and were told categorically no, to judge the site purely on its merits.

 

Right, but what I'm saying is that it was used as a blacklist by a lot of editors. Not officially of course.

 

If I recall correctly (not having access to logs can be a pain) the reasons were to do with multiple submissions of related URLs. That story has been doing the rounds for a very long time so I looked into it as have many others. The problem with multiple related URLs is that no-one is quite sure what the one original site is so sometimes they all get excluded. That said the site doesn't appear anything like how I remember it last time I looked. So perhaps it is worth re-submitting with a note that it is now the site for agent Cassie Catania.

 

Some inexperienced editors could have misconstrued it that way. Experienced editors wouldn't have. But it would make you look more carefully at the site - if it had been deleted during an abuse investigation chances are it would have been unlistable at that time. There are far more effective ways of ensuring an unlistable site isn't listed. See http://www.dmoz.org/urlnote.html

 

LOL just noticed my latest blog entry from my buddy Emil

I guess it's ok in moderation

 

Having a point is not a necessary requirement for DMOZ editors posting, defense of corruption is.

 

I can tell you that site was never an agency site, also the agent never changed on it. If what you are saying is corect then it seems editors follow different guidelines. I will refer you to this POST it seems one of your editors made this statement from the items I posted from another thread showing dead links, agent name changes, Sites that changed Agent and company names,sites that dont meet your guidelines and just plain garbage sites.

Now I find your statement and his from this thread to contradict eachother. I found several sites that the agent had changed and company changed on them but yet they are still listed. So you mean to tell me that the rules are different for everyone. I persoanlly feel that the Vegas4sale site was removed because he stood up for me in RZ..

I dont think you can refute these 2 different statements from DMOZ editors. If you like I can go back to that thread and repost the sites I found where the agents names had changed and they are still listed. I think DMOZ is digging themselves in to a hole on this one. Please respond I cant wait to hear the excuse now for this one, lets see if the story changes.

As was stated by another editor in the thread I referenced agents change all the time but at the time of submission and listing the agents name had not changed. It was removed because he disagreed with an editor on RZ.

This reminds me of a quote, If It Walks Like A Duck And Sounds Like A Duck....Quack Quack...Its A DUCK !!!

 

If you find that R/E agents names have changed in any listings, Las Vegas, or otherwise - or the Agency name doesn't match - please report it in the Quality Control thread at http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/ - they will be addressed.

If something is found during a discussion - anywhere - someone gets curious and pulls the site (I've done it hundreds of times myself) and checks out the editor notes - or compares the site against the current title/description. If everything is kosher, you don't see any action, if it's not - the site is typically unreviewed and will be looked at again later. Just because one website in a category is checked, doesn't mean that all of them will be. That is why when you brought up the list - some of them were unreviewed/changed, but the entire category wasn't scrubbed.

There are a few editors who have editing privileges throughout the directory that monitor the quality control thread and will check on listings posted there - so please do.

I don't see how the two posts contradict themselves -

This was still an agent site - just changed agency.

This is a misplaced site - which is typically unreviewed and transferred, then typically reviewed by another editor (or the same editor if they choose to work in the second category also). BTW the site referenced in #14 is now not working and I've reported it in quality control.

 

sorry didn't realize this was any older thread.

 

Hi brizzie,

That is inaccurate. There were not multiple submissions.

To set the record straight for everyone else;

a) I was not dismissed as an editall for abuse OR corruption. I was simply locked out after a prolonged absence due to health (broken neck).
b) I was cleared of the ONLY allegation of abuse when I “Cooled” a non-profit site that was owned and operated by The University Of Missouri at Rolla (www.rollanet.org) . A few of my detractors claimed that I owned the domain and website. That was quickly proven to be false. It was the only site I had ever “Cooled” BTW.
c) www.vegas4sale.net was launched long after I was locked out of DMOZ. Any editor can look at the date I was locked out and the creation date of the domain. No rocket science here.
d) Yes, the agent has changed from my wife and I (Liberty Realty) to Cassie Catania of REMAX.
e) No I don’t think all DMOZ Editors are corrupt. I believe the majority are hard working honest volunteers that believe in what they are doing. Unfortunately, a few bad apples (like in Real Estate) give everyone the impression that the whole organization is that way.

~VegasMack

 

My recollection is that you cooled that site, a senior editor uncooled it, and then you went and recooled it without any discussion. That alone is grounds for removal.

 

The RollaNet site was “un-cooled” when ridiculous allegations were made that the domain and website was owned by me.

After it was determined that the site and domain was a non-profit owned and operated by a University, I believe I may have “re-cooled” it again.

HOWEVER, I was at DMOZ long after all of that, so that I don’t believe that would be the reason I was locked out.

BTW – Being locked out after a prolonged period without logging in and “removal” are two completely different circumstances. I would have no way of knowing if someone added a post script mentioning the www.rollanet.org incident to my record.

For the Record: RollaNet is a non-profit community website that provides free internet access, email, and a great deal of information about and for Rolla Missouri. Students and volunteers operate the site and do a great job even today. I have NEVER had any affiliation with RollaNet. My only connection other than having one of their free email addresses is that I lived in a town about 30 miles away and have a great deal of admiration and respect for the students and yes VOLUNTEERS. And no, I was not or ever have been a RollaNet student or VOLUNTEER.

Personally, I think Kids (students) giving back to the community instead of vandalizing and terrorizing it is very COOL!

I sincerely don’t believe that cooling or re-cooling RollaNet was the reason I was locked out of DMOZ however, if it was then my only regret would be the time that I wasted as a DMOZ VOLUNTEER.

~VegasMack