The powers that be are the ones who are simply not performing and are responsible for the decline in editors projected at 10% for 2006. Cull the powers that be and replace them with experienced managers who know how to manage projects and you would see a big difference. Training in DMOZ should be mandatory, it isn't. Guidelines should be universally consistent and published. They aren't. Change is required in many areas to bring DMOZ up to date, it won't happen.
On my spare time I like piecing puzzles with my children and maybe learned a bit of a way applying this in human form. True, how could an editor missed that listing. I was about to blow the whistle but unfortunately I was removed, but that wasn't the cause of my removal. There are more listings but that is only the beginning and I already started showing how rotten the Travel Category is. There are editors on some travel categories though, as you say, they are inexperienced and spam filled categories needs "individual specialists" to look after those listings which were listed by retired, former, removed or corrupt editors ahead of my time. I'll take it a day at a time. We'll go to Business Category next and it will be Gary's turn.
Uuuummmm, not likely to happen. It would be difficult for some Senior Editors to list unacceptable sites and later just only to be discovered. 2 Songs to choose; Donna Summer - Working Hard for the Money Cyndi Lauper - Money Changes Everything
Change WILL happen, but it wont be for the good of DMOZ! Here's another song for you popotalk Michael Ball - Love changes everything
I hate to be conceited online but I always ask myself when everywhere I go Women just Adores Me. I hate that in public.
Not to mention humble and modest. Back to the thread. Here is a difficult one that has gone to some great lengths and nearly gets away with it. Regional/North_America/Canada/Travel_and_Tourism/Travel_Services/Travel_Agents/ airticketsdirect.ca redirects to airticketsdirect.com for starters First clue - the name smacks of affiliate travel agent. Online travel agent selling discount flights - 99% guaranteed to be affiliate. If you can prove it. Second clue - the flight booking form format on the left of the index page - it is sooo familiar. Third clue - search for a flight. The layout of the results is also sooo familiar But the URL doesn't change from airticketsdirect.com and so far there is zero proof this is an affiliate. Look at the source - you'll be lucky to find anything in that massive jumble - it might be there but how long have you got... So move on, pick a flight. Fourth clue - now you are forbidden from looking at the source (IE6). Why? Fifth clue - click on the terms and conditions (where you will sometimes discover who you are really booking with) and it is blank. Would you book an expensive flight and be a little concerned about the lack of key information? So we're stuffed - no evidence of affiliate status. But wait. Top right. International Wholesale Flights from the US banner. Click it. Watch the URL change, then back again. Now check the source. To reveal travelpath.patheo.com Damn - under construction. Remove the travelpath bit. And find patheo.com. Now click on the travel agent link at the foot of the page. TravelPath-Retail is the most advanced discount air booking engine. You can sell airfare from the largest inventory of consolidator fares directly from your website Click the sign up link to find out the features of this form of affiliate program. They may have got away with that one except for the careless banner ad. Once you get a bit of practice you learn to recognise the booking forms and which affiliate they are. Fanfare - you have just beaten one of the tougher affiliate puzzles.
First clue, links to the right The links to the right (just check where the javascript is redirecting and type it, don't click on it) http://www.airticketsdirect.com/superclubs.html (needs source code viewing) http://www.airticketsdirect.com/patheo.html etc
Another Travel Now Affiliate. I thought I got ridded of Abuse. On the other hand it was an abuse of Internal Forum. Anyway back to the site. California/Localities/S/San_Francisco/Travel_and_Tourism/Travel_Services/Travel_Agents/ Alliance Travel - Travel Now Affiliate
Regional/North_America/Canada/Travel_and_Tourism/Travel_Services/Travel_Agents/ All About Adventure - We are currently under construction ANZA Travel - hijacked by toptravelsites.com CAA Travel Agency - not a travel agency but a motoring organisation with a travel agency attached. Needs to be moved. Carlson Wagonlit Travel - redirect to carlsonwagonlit.com Centralrez.ca - airdepartment.com flight affiliate, try and book a room - I couldn't get it to add anything to my travel "plan" but it might be my cookie settings. Exit.ca - check out the copyright notice - this is part of transat.com which leads to travelpluscentral.com as well. Guess what is also listed in the same category. Expedite.ca - flights by Travel Source Network. Nasty - fill in the car hire form for a search and it actually tries to send an email from your computer. Hotels by directoryview.com. Note the information at the bottom - Expedite Marketing Group, not travel agents. G.A.P. Adventures - not much to note except they are under the same ownership as planeterra.org and realtraveller.com neither of which appear to be listed at present. Maybe some preventative yellow tagging might be advisable. So out of the first 10 sites (including the #91 one above), 8 questionable listings. Only Easyrez was a no comment unless anyone can see anything I missed.
Easyrez seems legit. The best entry of all is at the bottom of the category The worst part is that quite a few of the listings don't even need reviewing to see that they don't follow DMOZ guidelines, just someone that has the time to just click on the links and see that it doesn't lead to where it is supposed to lead
I will give you a hint Description: Travel agency affiliated with Sears Canada. Flight booking, hotel reservations, car rentals, cruises, vacation packages, travel insurance, personalized travel newsletter.
Ah, Tripeze - redirects to searstravel.ca Uflysmart - flights - openfares.com affiliate, hotels - worldres.com affiliate Travel Only - not a travel agency but a travel affiliate program. Holiday Outlet Travel - redirects to hot-sax.softvoyage.com and vision2000.ca affiliate it is Canada - UK travel agent and should be listed in UK - only tour operators can be listed in their destination travel cat per the travel guidelines. Multi Travel - redirects to fabuloussavings.com Netholidays.ca - synopsis.ca affiliate Orient Canada Travel Ltd. - try the hotel links - they are all password protected (no content available). Tours seem OK though. Rewards Canada Travel - redirects to travel.rewardscanada.ca. Top offers are all Expedia affiliate links. On the hotels page you can see a variety of affiliate program links. Ditto for flights except they tell you who the affiliate is. One of the most blatent of all affiliate sites. Snowbird Travel Agency - one branch in one place - 1035 Salisbury Road, Moncton, NB E1E 3V9 - should be in the locality only. Top of the World 2000 - flights by dotres.com or WestJet, vacations and business travel by ensembletravel.com. Tours seem to be theirs. Tour East Holidays - mirror of toureast.com (email address as well) and wwte.ca affiliate Travel Cuts - travelstoremaker.com affiliate for flights Travel Last Minute Canada - openfares.com for flights, clubmed affiliate, some of their own stuff. Travelactive - not a travel agent - see foot of page - TravelActive.com Marketing TravelPlus - see Exit.ca above That's the lot for that category. Not very impressive really.
And all these sites are in DMOZ? Shucks........ And I cant get REAL travel sites listed And I wonder where peoples frustrations come from?? Was also speaking with a friend ( I have got one, Yes 1) who has a flight site and it IS listed in DMOZ. However, he wants to make a basic amendment to the listing. Answer? NO! Why? Because changing the name contradicts the 'rules' of DMOZ. There is no underhand dealing here. It is a simple, basic change and DMOZ wont do it!!