Hello I know how to change the description that google takes from a DMOZ listing. But what can I do if google takes the DMOZ title from a listing and makes it to a useless keyword frase ? This code works for preventing google from taking the pages descriptions from ODP. <META NAME="GOOGLEBOT" CONTENT="NOODP"> Is there a meta tag for preventing the use of the ODP title ? or is it this one as well ?
Like many directories, Dmoz policy is to use the title shown on the site insofar as they can do so within the limits of their guidelines for capitalization and such. An exception that comes to mind is real estate, where a uniform title template is used. "AgentName, CompanyName" replaces "Joe Sells Nebraska!!!", "Augusta Homes and Land", or whatever the site is titled. Makes identification and location of specific agents easier for a surfer, duplicates easier to spot for the editors... which helped cut down on what was once a spam problem in that area. That's the chief exception (sure there are some others)... but the rule is to use the site as titled. If you title the site as you want it titled elsewhere you should be ok without a workaround.
More about tags here: http://www.google.com/support/webmasters/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=35264 Sometimes using Google search is better than asking
I am glad you have addressed this here. Finally my site got listed in DMOZ but with the worst possible description. An then I saw that google took over this description for the SERP entry. I almost fell off my chair. Now I have added that comment and I hope it will be back to normal again. However I dont want to think of how many directories have been pulling that description from DMOZ until then.
I think that DMOZ should: a) convert to a high-revenue-for-listing model, b) allow submitters to insert their own long tail keyword phrases in the site titles, and, c) encourage submitters to describe their sites in any way they wish to do. Oh wait, that's Business.com! Sorry!!!