Does No Active Editor Mean No Listing?

I've read somewhere that categories that have "Volunteer to edit this category" at the bottom means that there is no active editor and therefore are pointless submitting to.

Now, whilst I'm sure this isn't true, it has taken several of my clients an absolutely ridiculous amount of time to get submitted to certain categories which appear to have no active editor.

Examples:
http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe...plies/Site_Construction/Irrigation_Equipment/
- All of their competitors are here, yet they can't get in, despite having (in my completely unbiased opinion of course ) a much better site.

http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe...ruction_and_Maintenance/Contractors/Interior/

http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe...ing/Clothing/Accessories/Handbags_and_Purses/

My question is, if there is no active editor, who is actually editing the category?

My question is, if there is no active editor, who is actually editing the category?

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There are hundreds of editors who have access to all categories, without being listed as editor.

You and your clients are free to suggest your sites. ODP is however not a submission service for webmasters, so the editors are free to ignore the suggestions.

I've read somewhere that categories that have "Volunteer to edit this category" at the bottom means that there is no active editor and therefore are pointless submitting to.

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It is pointless to suggest your site to any category except the most relevant one (or two, if your site has both a regional and topical relevance). Sending the site to a category that is less relevant but has a listed editor will result in a longer time until review. There may be exceptions to that rule, but they are very few and far between.

Nea - I appreciate that. But seeing as these websites are extremely relevant to the categories with no active editors and are well designed/coded (winning presitigious awards in some cases) with good information architecture and usability and they still can't get in after 6+ months then finding a different, semi-relevant category with an active editor seems like the only choice.

Informator - Again, I know that ODP has no obligation to include websites and it is not submission service. But it is supposed to be a high quality directory which includes the best, most relevant and useful websites pertaining to each category, so really it should be in the ODP's interests that it accepts good website listing suggestions as dilligently as possible, as opposed to coming across as an elitest portal that alienates many of the webmasters and designers who do use it properly but still can't get any luck with it.

finding a different, semi-relevant category with an active editor seems like the only choice.

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It's a counter-productive choice because that active editor will simply send it to the correct category for evaluation. That double handling incurs two wait times instead of one. It's also deliberately wasting our scarce resources. Don't do it OK?

jimnoble said:

It's a counter-productive choice because that active editor will simply send it to the correct category for evaluation. That double handling incurs two wait times instead of one. It's also deliberately wasting our scarce resources. Don't do it OK?

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Jim - i don't see how your response is practical or realistic. It might apply to some businesses or websites but not all.

There are lots of sites out there fit into MULTIPLE categories. For example a classic case is with an accountant friend. He is a chartered accountant and fits into the UK accountants category. There is also a local London accountancy category that he fits in (and a specific one for his area), a London borough and a business plan category he fits in (as he also writes busienss plans), and a company secretarial category he also fits in - infact there are over 5 categories and then even more local categories he deserves to be in. In the end he submitted himself into quite a few categories and only got into the business plan category (and not into the chartered accountant category). That took him over a year to get into.

Add to that that most of your editors probably dont spend time analysing websites properly (it's not their fault - they are probably very busy) and are also biased against some submissions as they probably have their own sites or client sites in some categories. One of the DMOZ editors even argued that the accountant didnt belong in the specific area my accountant friend worked in - this is because his borough borders another borough so he got placed in the wrong area/borough by the DMOZ editors.

This is simply not a case of black and white and can be very subjective.

He is a chartered accountant and fits into the UK accountants category. There is also a local London accountancy category that he fits in

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This one of the situations a site is allowed to be suggested twice. Once under a Topic and once under Regional.

infact there are over 5 categories and then even more local categories he deserves to be in

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First of all. No one deserves a listing.
If he would fit into 5 topical categories (which I doubt he does) he should have selected the lowest level category that had all these 5 categories as children. That is the way DMOZ list websites.

One of the DMOZ editors even argued that the accountant didnt belong in the specific area my accountant friend worked in

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That editor was correct. Within Regional sites are listed in the locality they are fysically located. Not in the localities they (claim to) work in.

and are also biased against some submissions as they probably have their own sites or client sites in some categories

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If you have any prove please provide it using our file abuse option at DMOZ. If you don't have prove please stop giving these false and malicious accusations.

In the end he submitted himself into quite a few categories

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That, frankly, borders on spam. The guidelines are quite specific: submit to the single best category.

While, as pvpool indicated, there are exceptions, the general rule should be followed unless one is conversant on these exceptions.

A self-inflated believe that one somehow "deserves" to be in multiple categories does not constitute an exception to the single best category rule.