I have been noticing that a great many of the new directories are requiring submitters to check that "I agree with the terms of service" box. As a rule, I don't have a problem with doing that. What makes your site look ridiculous and unprofessional is when you have that requirement and then your terms of service page is blank or comically says something like "edit this page in the admin panel". C'mon folks either take the time to write a few lines for a terms of service or remove the requirement. For a while, I would not submit to any site that did this out of concern for some sort of bait and switch nonsense where the TOS I "agreed" to suddenly contained something very objectionable. After a while I realized no tricks were happening, just lazy directory owners. If you don't want to lose potential submissions - either remove the requirement or actually create a service agreement.
Very good point YMC, i see this continually in a lot of the new ones. Id like to know what im agreeing to too.
I see this too YMC and to me stuff like this just screams POOR QUALITY. Anyone that does not even put the time in to set up their site properly surely is not going to promote it, properly edit it or much anything else for that matter.
If I see that it's where my submission ends, along with other factors that let me know the site isn't going to be properly maintained.
there are also other things like if they are using a template with the default logo still showing if they cant be bothered to make simple changes they arent gonna be bothered worrying about the directory as a whole
The worst is when the submitter agrees to it, yet still breaches it. Like some idiot last week - he/she submitted a pill store to fruity directory, bad spelling etc. Sent me an abusive email saying I was stupid for rejecting it in a health directory. Yet they'd agreed to make accurate, spam free titles and not submit pills and crap like that I sometimes wonder why we bother...Don't even get me started on the Russian spammers either...
Do n't be rude on them as sometimes they might have not tested the directory before going online if fully... But if the same member is doing the same mistake again and again then he is a trying to make quick bucks
And what do you think of those directories that don't have privacy policy page in place? And yet, they ask submitters to enter their email addresses in submission forms.
The point of this thread was to educate as none of us here knew what we do now when we started. If I had wanted to rude, I would have outed them within their threads - though I wonder if any of them will actually take the time to read threads such as this one. I hope for many it is probably an oversight in their excitement of getting their site up and running and that's who I hope will see this thread. The others are just lazy or are just out for a quick buck or even worse are using their directory to build their email lists. No privacy policy is another one and is now one that could also get them into trouble with Google if they are running Adsense.
English language skills are required to read this thread and develop TOS. Far too many supposed directory owners have very poor or no English language skills.
TBH I don't think their English skills matter since they are only hitting approve on submissions anyway The vast majority don't edit descriptions and that goes for native English speakers also The quicker google does something about this the better Its about time the directories with unique content stood out from the rest
You have hit a very good point YMC. I have seen more than one directory with missing guidelines. Sometime I also get a rejection mail saying submission didn't follow the guidelines, I went back and checked that there were no guidelines )