Best way to submit a change of URL (and category)

First of all, I'd like to say that submitting to the ODP has been relatively smooth. We read the directions and submitted to our regional section -- and in less than 8 weeks we were listed! Many thanks to the editor that listed us -- wherever they are

Anyway, on to business We currently have a listing in the ODP for a product of ours that is going through some re-development and rebranding. The new version will have a new name and involve much more functionality than the old. It will also have a new URL within our site (same domain).

Of course, we'd like to update our listing....but I am guessing that this change will necessitate a change in category.

My questions are:
1. Is there any protocol (or recommendations) for how we do the update? (301 redirects, etc)
2. Is a move treated any differently than a new listing (specifically if it moves categories) in terms of how it is edited?

Many thanks!!

jcraven said:

1. Is there any protocol (or recommendations) for how we do the update? (301 redirects, etc)
2. Is a move treated any differently than a new listing (specifically if it moves categories) in terms of how it is edited?

Click to expand...

1-Your existing URL should either automatically redirect to the new URL or the old should clearly give a message stating to go to the new URL. Then you need to go to the category where you are listed and follow the *Update Listing* instructions.

2- No (if I understand the question correctly)-If you have completely changed focus of the site to a different topic that requires a change of categories as well, the site will most likely be unreviewed and sent to the waiting review pile in the new category. In effect you have created a new site out of an old one and the new one will have to go through the same review process the old one did initially, just in a new category. I suppose that there is a chance that the editor doing the unreviewing would also have permissions (and interest) in the new category and could perform the update, review, and move at the same time but that is not very likely to be the case.

Hope that helps.

confused and slightly dazed



I'm hoping someone who reads this will be able to answer my question... I have a site that is listed in a category that does not currently have an editor assigned to it... is this why my suggestions have gone unanswered for my site update. Ideally I would like to change both my category and my site description, however I would be over the moon happy if I could just have my description modified. Here's where I'm a little concerned - I've lodged the "modify my listing" form about 5 times over a six month period - is someone going to get cross at me and pull my site? should I just keep trying? Have I fallen into a black hole? I've even written to editors in associated groups to see if they'll help me but I've received no reply from them either... maybe they don't really exist either... oh no, I'm alone... helllooooooo? anyone? please help me!

It may not be the case that update requests overwrite one another, as new requests do, but there's still no point in submitting the update request more than once. It's not likely that your requests have all been deleted, but it is possible.

It's up to the individual editor, but update requests usually get a higher priority than new submissions.

loress said:

I've lodged the "modify my listing" form about 5 times over a six month period - is someone going to get cross at me and pull my site?

Click to expand...

As we don't do status update I can only give a general answer.
If you made so many update request I am prety sure they have been looked at by now.

loress said:

should I just keep trying? Have I fallen into a black hole?

Click to expand...

My guess is that your requests were rejected. From my own experience most requests are rejected because the proposed change in description or title didn't follow the DMOZ guidelines. Also if the current description is according to our guidelines and it describes the site as it is at the moment of review very probably the request is also rejected.

loress said:

I've even written to editors in associated groups to see if they'll help me but I've received no reply from them either... maybe they don't really exist either

Click to expand...

Due to many bad experiences in the past editors normaly don't answer any emails.

I've lodged the "modify my listing" form about 5 times over a six month period

Click to expand...

If you have repeatedly suggested updates and seen no changes, maybe you need to reconsider what you are asking to change.

There are 2 general reasons I'd deny a request with no change:
1) The actual factual change is hidden amongst a long, first person, keyword stuffed change request and gets overloooked because of the surrounding, non-guidelines compliant changes requested.
2) The change is for a URL update, and the old url is still working, does not forward to the new url, or contains no information linking it to the new url. NB Having identical content on both the old and new url does not prove they are related/linked (I can put a copy of your site on my newly registered url and request a change - the sites will appear identical, but not both be yours) Whilst this may be a minor annoyance, it is to protect site listings from being hijacked by the slightly less scrupulous portion of the internet community.

Category changes are rather more difficult, it seems a lot of requests are to move based on some percieved advantage to being in the other category, rather than on whether they are categorised correctly on their current content.
In general categories exist in 2 forms, those that categorise primarily by Topic, and those that categorise primarily by Location. The sites will always be moved to the lowest level that the categorisation type supports, (most specific topic, or most specific location).
Make sure that the request is to move to a 'better fit' category based on the actual content, not any other reason.

I'd advise against trying to move category and suggesting some outrageous description in the same request (well I'd advise against the outrageous description change, period), as it's likely to result in the baby/bathwater effect.

Read the guidelines on Titles/Descriptions at http://www.dmoz.org/guidelines/describing.html to get a feel for how suggestions should read.

:tree:

I'm not alone!

Thank you so much for your replies - they weren't what I wanted to read - but you replied - I wanted Oh, there you are let me magically fix you but alas...

I had read the guidelines (I even went back and re-read them) and I did adhere to them - I appear in a category that is perceived by some as a very sceptical area, that combined with no current Editor was why I was thinking that I'd just fallen off the planet. And perhaps if I am completely honest the move of category was a move for move's sake - I thought I would have more impact or that someone would notice me.

I am in a category with 67 others - whilst I realize this is not a huge group my 9 word description really does not define what it is we do - my suggested description is 17 words long; Subject + Content. Is it possible that as 6 of my original words are still in the new description that, that alone is enough for it to be rejected?

Thank you gimmster, pvgool & arubin - I don't feel quite so abandoned now