After submission - A few questions

Ok I submitted and think I did my homework right - to the correct place in the directory and all. It was:

Top: Regional: North America: United States: Texas: Localities: H: Houston: Business and Economy: Home and Garden: Landscaping

http://www.swplandscaping.com/

Now - I know you wait a month before you are allowed to do an inqquiry in the submission threads as to status, but every now and than how do you check to see if it took? Do you search for http://www.swplandscaping.com/
in the ODP search page or search for "southwest property landscaping" ? Sometime you feel so helpless and at the mercy of the huge system.

But this is one of those sites that is our substanance and the way our family survives. By staying in the rules - How could I know - same day - when and if the site is accepted - A daily search seems correct - Is that correct and exactly what words do I type and search for ? Also since this site is a local search for Houston Texas area di I need to modify the search some how for a local search - Your help would be so appreciated as our bussiness has slumped some this past year and we are hoping for the internet to give us a boost this spring during the peak planting months.

THANKS for your advice Very Much-

The only way to check (before the month wait for a status check) would be to go directly to the category you submitted to and take a look. The search is usually a little behind the actual "live" listings.

That's only for ODP, as far as search engines (if you are curious), no way of telling and, as ODP editors, it's not really a concern (as you may have guessed ).

[Warning::General Information Ahead] There are plenty of online forums if you want to read some of the information out there about being picked up by search engines and the like.
Computers/Internet/Web Design and Development/Promotion/Chats and Forums

You are never at the mercy of the ODP. If you're worried about it, you may promote your business and your website just as if the ODP never existed. It's just one site out of millions -- but it happens to be a site that doesn't provide the services you and your family need for sustenance.

That's not unusual. The BBC probably doesn't either, nor does Project Gutenberg. Nor does the local hospital or elementary school. That's not what they're there for.

And that's OK. After all, it is possible (and excusable) that your site contributes nothing whatsoever to your local educational or health system, and its primary purpose in life might not be to provide proofread pages to Project Gutenberg. Even if you open a forum, we shall not denigrate, ridicule, or contemn you for that shortcoming.

That's the way the system works. You do what you think is important. Someone else does what they think is important. The two are different.