Clarification on Submission Rules

Question 1
Does the submission rule that states "Do not submit any site with an address that redirects to another address" include domain names that redirect to home pages? Not for the intent to hide the actual address. Just for the purpose of having an address that is easier to remember.

Question 2
I have one site at present that sells a product in bulk to a specific group of businesses. However, I plan to have a second site that sells the same product but in small quantities to individuals. The two sites would look very much alike and belong in the same category, but in different sub/categories. Would this be considered mirroring?

1) Yes. We understand and sympathize with your motive, and don't mind you giving out all the easy-to-remember URLs you wish, but we won't take them. The fundamental issues are twofold: (1) it simplifies checking for alias URLs if we have a standard way of choosing which one to list (and this is a big problem, with a third or more of the submitted URLs being mirrors or doorways of some kind or another); and (2) it simplifies our automatic checking for broken links, which is also a significant issue.

Because of the variety of redirection and doorway methods and motives, and the enormous problem of doorway domains (spamming both directories and search engines) there can be no technological solution to this problem, and we are forced to choose a URL most convenient for us, not for you.

(2) Yes, a single operating retail business (with flesh-and-blood workers and actual stock on pallets or shelves in a bricks-and-mortar location (as opposed to a pixel-and-paper advertising/promotional business, which gets nada) gets one and only one listing in Shopping.

We lean over backwards to represent small businesses. You get as many Shopping listings as Walmart does -- but when you abuse this level of generosity, you really annihilate a LOT of sympathy.

Thank you, for your quick response. I have no intentions of trying to get around rules of submission. Just trying to understand them completely. I did use the actual address when submitting instead of the domain name that redirects, simply because I was not sure. So, when I have the second site completed, I will just state that the business owners should visit the sister site and vice versa.

One thing you might want to think of is to have one "master" site that gives the general background information on your company, so that it doesn't have to be duplicated, and then direct your prospective customers to the other parts of your company's web offerings. Then the ODP can list that master site.

Hope this helps.

Yes it does help! Thank you very much! In stead of creating a second site I could just have other pages geared toward individuals, which was my first thought. Plenty of time yet to make that kind of decision. Thank you all for your help!

Thanks, alucard, I meant to say something about that, and forgot before I was finished. ("The doctor said I have A.D.D. He just doesn't understand. It's -- hey, look at that bug!")

Thank you both. The only reason I was considering two separate sites was to possibly have one that would be geared to come up with certain search engine keywords, and have the other to come up with different key words. And to have domain names that were more matched to the different markets.
To hopefully cover both markets better.

Another Question

What would be considered a reasonable time to request a category change? I am aware of the update listing, and how to use it. I was listed in the wee early morning hours of 5-2-04, but like so many others, I was placed in a different category than the one I submitted. I am grateful to be included in the directory, but fear the category I am in will not be accessed by the limited market that I cater too. Is it too soon to use the update listing tool?

I was listed as:
Fancy Pants Dog Bows in this category:
http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Pets/Supplies/Apparel/Dogs/

I submitted to this category:
http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Pets/Supplies/Grooming/
because I only sell to dog groomers, in bulk, not to individual pet owners.

My URL is:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/o/dogbows/

P.S. Dog bows are not even considered apparel, at least for the most part, in the grooming industry. They are considered Accessaries. Which might be a good suggestion for another category tree in both categories.

What would be considered a reasonable time to request a category change?

Click to expand...

You MUST wait a MINIMUM of 11 seconds, or terrible things will happen to you.

Seriously, once you are listed, you are free to request an update. We don't look at how long a site has been listed when considering the validity of an update request.

...but thank you for asking.

When this kind of situation comes up I tend to look in the directory to see if there are any other sites out there similar and the only one I find is in neither of the categories you mentioned. The site is Boutique Dog Bows and it is in

http://dmoz.org/Business/Consumer_Goods_and_Services/Pet_Supplies/Dogs/

I think I am agreeing with you here that you are misplaced but I am leaning towards moving your site to the above category.

Before you do that!

Try looking in the directory at the category I submitted to. Both Bardel Bows and Bows by Haley are in this category! As well as Fantasy Farm and Show Off. http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Pets/Supplies/Grooming/
This is the one I belong in!

And the consumer category you mentioned once again would put me where individual pet owners would look. And as far as I am concerned Boutique Dog Bows should be moved also. I know my business, and my competitors. She is in the wrong place also, however she might not appreciate the move if that is where she submitted!!! Grooming Salons are not what I call a consumer, or at least not in the traditional sense, But a business looking for the supplies they need. And they are going to look in the above grooming supplies category!

I agree that they should possibly be moved all into one category, but Shopping categories deal primarily with selling to end-customers, and Business categories tend to be for business-to-business, which is more the nature of what you do, by your own description.

Well that may be true Alucard, but I sell grooming supplies and I should be where groomers are going to look for supplies. Why else is there a category for grooming supplies? Every single listing in grooming supplies is a business that sells to another business. Are you going to eliminate the whole category? This would be a terrible injustice to all that are already listed there!!! Please don't do that. I will just stay where I am. I never dreamed that this might do damage to others.

If it is a business selling to another business, then it probably belongs in /Business rather than /Shopping.

This is how the directory grows, by taking several related misplaced listings from not quite appropriate categories (probably were the best at the time of submission or listing) and making a new category to hold them. An interested editor might also do a quick search for any other obvious ones to list at the sime time.

giz thank you but I would suspect that that is the very reason that the grooming supplies category was created in the first place. They all are businesses that sell to other businessess, but they all sell to the same kind of business! As I said before please do not eliminate the grooming supplies category. I would rather just stay where I am than to harm the ones that are already listed there, including my competitors that are listed there!!

Help Please! I am totally heart-broken at the course that this thread has taken! Is there anyway a member can just completely delete a thread that they started? I don't think just deleting all my posts will do the trick! I have been crying for an hour now, and can't stop. Please do not eliminate the grooming supplies category!

Dogbows, if the sites by and large belong in business, that's where we'll put the category. When we move/create a category like this we leave behind an @ link (or related cat) so that surfers navigating through the directory can find a category even if they start in the wrong branch. Effectively, the category will be navigable from either parent cat. There are already many such cross-links between business and shopping.

I hope this clarification relieves your mind somewhat. As for deleting this thread, the cat's already out of the bag (so to speak.)

We don't remove otherwise listable sites from the directory just because a little reorganizing is in order, either.

Thank you X, but I personally still believe that this particular category is exactly the way it should be. And it does not ease my mind at all! I really wish I had never asked!!!!!!!! And I cannot find ontology in my pocket dictionary. Could you please explain? Oops you edited that part I think!

If it doesn't ease your mind, read it again: you didn't understand what was said. Reread as many times as necessary.

As an example, look in http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Health/ the link to "manufacturers" goes to a category in Business. http://www.dmoz.org/Business/Healthcare/Products_and_Services/.