Domain URL updates not happening for multiple listings & sites

Almost four months ago I submitted a request to update the domain URL for one of our web sites that has four listings in different categories in the DMOZ as we had after ten years change the domain name of our web site. Today when I check there has been no change to any of the four listings.

Then I thought I would check a similar request for a different web site which I don't own, but noticed that the domain name had changed slightly. I can't remember when I did this request, but it would have been more than six months ago and probably nine. This site is in a completely different category and again it hasn't changed.

Given that in all cases the domain URL was providing a 301 redirect to the new domain the listing was still working. However I would imagine this is a very common request which doesn't seem to being completed by the editors. Perhaps an automated or semi-automated system could be put in place to correct these errors.

Indeed the DMOZ should be concerned about any web site that is using 301 redirection as they could be used to redirect completely different sites that may have illegal or adult content. Now there is software available which can run reports on web sites to detect 301 redirects, so it should be fairly easy to find and work through to correct all these errors in the DMOZ. Obviously an editor doing this sort of task would need higher than normal permissions or just different permissions which only allowed them to change the domain URL across many, most or all categories. I am not a programmer, but I am sure someone could create a script to automatically or semi-automatically correct these errors very quickly.

What you describe is certainly not normal. Update requests are normaly processed with priority. And the reason they are given priority is exactly as you describe, 301 redirects may be misused by spammers.
I can't see that we have long waiting requests.
I will do something we normaly not do, contact you through PM to find out what the exact situation is (please do not past urls or categories in this thread)

This is a volunteer organisation. Editors do as much or as little work as they wish within the limits of their permissions. In the areas where I operate (UK, NZ and Ireland), there are no outstanding update requests and I'm sure the same is true for many other areas of the directory too. OTOH, if no editor is interested in and volunteers to work in some sector, it might not be that important in the overall scheme of things.

Automated updates are not a good idea because the vast majority are not in line with either our guidelines or common sense. These are declined, obviously.

- Many update requests that ask for a URL change can't resist the temptation to request keyword stuffed or promotional titles and descriptions. The latter leap the the eye and it can happen that the editor doesn't even notice the URL change when he declines it..

- Many URL change requests don't have 301 redirects in place and, to prevent listing hijacks, these too are declined (and against advice, I'll usually send an email explaining why). Incidentally, your comment about 301s doesn't make sense. If a website owner can redirect his URL to a pr0n site, he can also repurpose the original URL into a pr0n site.

Lastly, update requests show up prominently on our dashboards and most of us, within our areas of interest, give them priority. Not getting what you want doesn't necessarily mean that your request has been ignored; it is more likely (in my experience) to have been declined.

jimnoble said:

Automated updates are not a good idea because the vast majority are not in line with either our guidelines or common sense. These are declined, obviously.

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I was only suggesting automated updates for URL changes only. A test could be done on the DMOZ dump to find any 301 redirects, these could then be flagged to be changed. Other changes need human intervention.

jimnoble said:

Incidentally, your comment about 301s doesn't make sense. If a website owner can redirect his URL to a pr0n site, he can also repurpose the original URL into a pr0n site.

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This could be done by picking up expired domains which are listed in the DMOZ and then using a 301 redirect to an adult or other undesirably site. With so many sites listed in the DMOZ, there must be some expired domains occurring.

jimnoble said:

Lastly, update requests show up prominently on our dashboards and most of us, within our areas of interest, give them priority. Not getting what you want doesn't necessarily mean that your request has been ignored; it is more likely (in my experience) to have been declined.

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Now this is just increasing my paranoia that the editor(s) in the section(s) our my web site is listed are biased against me or my site, because of this situation and previous activity over last six years or so. I checked my notes, and they seem to show that I made no changes to the listings for my web site other than domain and in one case the domain and url (added a slash on the end). This is particularly concerning given how obvious and simple the process appears to be from an editors point of view. I really hope I am wrong, but it is concerning.

pvgool said:

I will do something we normaly not do, contact you through PM to find out what the exact situation is (please do not past urls or categories in this thread)

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Thank you for your kind offer of assistance. I am aware how rare this sort of intervention is. I will wait for your PM.

This is particularly concerning given how obvious and simple the process appears to be from an editors point of view.

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Yes, the process is simple, but only if a volunteer editor is interested in processing it. Since you claim to have 4 listings for the same website, these must be in different branches of the directory which are likely to be looked after by different editors. I suppose that you'll now deduce that there's a conspiracy against you . Incidentally, if the listings are in the same branch of the directory, that's an error which we need to fix.

As to 301 redirects, you might have misunderstood my comment. To put one in place, the pr0n guy must already be in control of the domain, in which case he doesn't need one.

Only a few AOL employees have access to our code base and available development effort is extremely scarce. We already have a wish list as long as your arm and your suggestion that we implement 'URL updates only' automatically is unlikely to rise to the top of the heap any time soon - in my humble opinion of course.

jimnoble said:

Incidentally, if the listings are in the same branch of the directory, that's an error which we need to fix.

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When I say branch, I mean there are three in sub branches of "Regional: Asia: Japan".

Our site is very large (around 3,000 points of interest and over 8,000 pictures) and covers many subjects relating to Japan. A comparable site to ours has a total of 16 listings, so by that standard we should have more not less listings.

Actually about six years ago we had more listings, but two or three were removed (one was reinstated by another kind editor). We have never had any more added even though the site has grown in content several times over and the quality has improved.

I wouldn't have thought there would be many editors for the the section "Regional: Asia: Japan". I assume it is just one or two people as they didn't want my assistance when I offered to be an editor.

whats_up_skip said:

Thank you for your kind offer of assistance. I am aware how rare this sort of intervention is. I will wait for your PM.

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It was already send wghen I wrote my message.
At the top of the page you find an envelope icon, mouse over will show messenger. Click on it.

whats_up_skip has answered my PM
His domain was the one I already expected it to be.
As we have never received an update request for any of its listings it is no wonder that he did not see any change happening.

To make an update request go to the category in which a site is listed and click the "update listing" link at the top of the page. Fill in the form. And one of the editors will process the request.

pvgool said:

As we have never received an update request for any of its listings it is no wonder that he did not see any change happening.

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No, I definitely submitted the update for these back in April.

Anyway I have resubmitted three of the four listings.

Now the listing on weddings is there when you search for it, but when you go to the page it is not showing. Why would this be?

The actual category is authoritative. Our search has a bug in which it still shows removed listings. AOL's technicians are aware of it - and have been for some time.

jimnoble said:

The actual category is authoritative.

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This would mean the listing has been removed.

Can't understand why. It is not like there are other listing about Japanese traditional weddings and all the content is original.