Email form vs. having info on site

Hi. A while back in this thread (see post #11) the issue of having an email form on my site was discussed. I understood that I needed to put more actual information on my website, and couldn't just have people email me, and then have me send the information. Basically what I was doing was providing information on my wholesale business, and having people email me if they wanted to receive the order forms.

I was told this was not good for DMOZ (they looked at it as e-mail harvesting) so I posted the actual order forms on my website (you can see how it is here: http://www.italycharms.com/hotsheets/ (in the Puzzle section I had to remove the files today, but all other sections the files are still easily accesible)

However, some of the companies I work with want me to go back to the old way so I can verify if someone is a real, legitimate business before they have access to the wholesale forms.

So my question is, what can I do so that I don't have the forms directly on the website, but don't get 'blacklisted' from DMOZ as a site just trying to obtain people's email addresses (as was discussed in the original thread).

Am I allowed to password protect the directory that the files are located in? So the files are still technically posted on my website, but someone would have to email me for the password? How would DMOZ feel about that?

Any help on this would be great.

Thanks very much!

-- Josh

We don't reject (blacklist is such an ugly word) a listing solely on the basis of it having a response form. We look at the total site and determine if the primary purpose of the site is to gather or provide information.

If I look at WingBat Inc's website I look to see if they have product descriptions, photos and prices (that are not copies from some other place). Do they describe the company; have a list of contacts, including phone numbers, e-mail address and postal addresses; have a FAQ or other informational documents; a privacy statemet; a complaint/returns procedure; etc. I then weigh this original content against the data collection/information gathering form and decide whether the purpose of the website is to convery information or gather addresses.

It is a judgement call, and there is no formula -- just the experience of evaluating thousands of sites.

I hope this helps.

spectregunner said:

If I look at WingBat Inc's website I look to see if they have product descriptions, photos and prices (that are not copies from some other place). Do they describe the company; have a list of contacts, including phone numbers, e-mail address and postal addresses; have a FAQ or other informational documents; a privacy statemet; a complaint/returns procedure; etc.

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It does help, thank you very much!

Regarding above, are you looking for information on my company (Italycharms.com) or the companies that I work with (that don't want their order forms posted live)?

I have no problems providing all of my contact information, and information on my company, what I do, how I can help my customers, etc... along with some of the info on the companies I work with, but I can't post their pricing and stuff like that (it's on the order forms that they don't want posted).

We list sites that give out information ON THE SITE.

If your site doesn't give that information freely, without jumping through hoops, then it is a site that we CANNOT list.



It isn't to do with what you do with the form, or the email addresses that you collect. It is to do with this question:

When a visitor browses the site, is there information there for them to browse, and is it useful, and unique?

If it cannot be BROWSED, but has to be sent for by means of a form, then that sort of site is one that we do NOT list.




I know that you really really really want to get your site into the ODP, and I guess that Google is a motive for that, but have you considered that there is no more directory link on the front page of Google anymore? Google no longer promote their copy of the ODP on their front page.

giz said:

We list sites that give out information ON THE SITE. If your site doesn't give that information freely, without jumping through hoops, then it is a site that we CANNOT list. When a visitor browses the site, is there information there for them to browse, and is it useful, and unique? If it cannot be BROWSED, but has to be sent for by means of a form, then that sort of site is one that we do NOT list.

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Thanks for the info. There's 2 main points to my site. One is offering information about how to buy charms at wholesale, start a charm business, top selling charms, and other such unique information that i've gained from my experience with hundreds of retailers that buy from me. So that information is accessible on the site. The second point of my site is allowing the purchase of wholesale charms via the order forms. THe order forms will no longer be on the site, but the rest of the information, advice, etc.. will be.

Do you think that's enough? Or I guess you really can't answer that.

Thanks again!

Am I allowed to password protect the directory that the files are located in? So the files are still technically posted on my website, but someone would have to email me for the password? How would DMOZ feel about that?

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This is acceptable - there are sites in the ODP where the entire content is accessible to members only. What you should do if this is the case is set up a password for ODP editors to use to review the content, and then when you submit the site include the password as part of the description. Something like:

Good Gadgets - Offers gadgets, widgets, and whatsits for sale. Includes wholesale ordering forms for members only. [password "mozzierules" for editor review only]

Keep the password set up, so that if at a future date an editor wants to re-review the site they can.

Hope that helps!

lissa said:

This is acceptable - there are sites in the ODP where the entire content is accessible to members only. What you should do if this is the case is set up a password for ODP editors to use to review the content, and then when you submit the site include the password as part of the description.
Hope that helps!

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Great, thanks!!!