Feature Idea - Site Status

How about having a feature on DMOZ that allows people to view the status of their submissions.

A very well thought out way to this: When a site is added for review, the email field is optional. Now all that is needed is another section added on to DMOZ for people to check the status of their submissions. They would go to that section, and type their email address in, a random password would be generated and sent to them. Since multiple urls can be submitted by a single email address, and I'm assuming the dmoz DB would have email, url in the same row. You could add the password field into the table also, and when the password is generated it will add the password to all of the urls with that email. Now the person is able to login with their autogenerated password and view all of the urls that they have submitted. I would also like to see within this feature the ability to move an url to another category or delete an url submission, saving editors a bunch of work. It also solves the problem of people that have submitted a site so long ago they can't remember what directory they submitted it to or if they even submitted it at all. Then they submit it twice to the same directory which is a big no no. Everyone who submits a site is in the dark and it's not fun. The status of each url could show; date submitted, in spam filter, in queue with 30 other sites, or complete. I'm not sure who would write this program, but I can only imagine it would take a good week for 1 single programmer to write, it's not that complicated. The only reason I see not to write it, is the additional strain on the servers.

Please, post your thoughts on this, I'm interested.

One thing to consider is this - you mention that people forget which category and when ther submitted. It also seems that in some companies, multiple people are involved, or consultants are involved, and sites get multiple submissions by different people with different emails, and they forget who submitted. Also bear in mind that other poeple submit sites besides the site owner; before I was an editor I used to submit sites I liked, and give my email. So which email address gets associated with a site?

ODP doesn't have a single database. Data for each category is kept in a number of flat files. This is one of the major reasons why a system of this sort would not be easy to implement, and is also the reason why, when checking site submissions here, it is usually necessary to state which category you submitted to.

Yeah, it's stunning that people visit us here at RZ and don't know where they submitted their site. I don't think a lookup feature will help that multitude.

Sorry, an autoemail is not going to happen, and neither is a lookup of what's waiting.

Considering that I get sites that I review where the submitter forgets his company name and/or URL, I'm not surprised.

The ability to check the status of submissions is one of the feature upgrades most frequenty suggested by submitters.

You are right, spiderico, that this programming task would be fairly trivial if the directory was stored in a single relational database. But as theseeker pointed out, it's not.

For anyone to successfully make the case that such a feature is desirable, they would have to convince editors that it would have a positive impact on the quality or quantity of listings in the directory. So far, I haven't heard such a case presented convincingly.

I am very interested in hearing about ideas of features that would benefit the one-time submitter without making it easier to more effectively spam the directory with inappropriate submissions.

Does anyone have any suggestions about how we can attract and make it easier for the first-time submitter? Those kind of suggestions might find a more attentive ear among editors.

AFAIK we do use a relational SQL database for our internal forums but the directory itself uses Berkeley DB, I believe. This is a flat format which is not so easy to work with, but that's how it was implemented 5 years ago and that's how it has stuck around.

cool beans

they should just put all urls as (waiting and existing in a database) for quick lookup via url.

don't check status via email or tom, dick or harry due to different submitters.

two categories for quick url status check so the same url will not be re-submitted and also for status checking.

two databases should be created for (waiting) and (existing) due to same company having multiple persons submitting url's. this would lesson editors work on reviewing multiple submissions of same url more than once.

they could hire some employees for like a week and assign one category to each employ to grab the url's to list in existing database. all future url's could then only be submitted by url only through the database.

cool beans.

One approach might be to accept submissions from the registrant email address as shown in whois. I know whois prevents automated lookups, but assume there is a tool they offer which would be available to dmoz.

Assuming that could happen, the dmoz submission form would state that status will be reported to the domain registrant only. The submitter would need to enter the registrant email address. When the form is submitted, a script would run the whois lookup. If it does not match what the submitter entered, the submission is ignored. If it does match, an email could be automatically generated and sent to the registrant's address saying "submission received... review expected in 'x' weeks. Upon review, a status change will be emailed to this same address."

This would eliminate many of the problems described above, especially the quality of submissions. And of course, editors would spend less time checking status. As the domain owner, I would know that my submission was received and will be reviewed about when the email said it would. So, I really shouldn't do anything until I receive a new status report.

Just a thought. . .

>> How about having a feature on DMOZ that allows people to view the status of their submissions. <<

There are a multitude of reasons why this isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Use forum search and then read all of the previous threads from the last 20 times that this question was asked and answered over the last few months.

For anyone to successfully make the case that such a feature is desirable, they would have to convince editors that it would have a positive impact on the quality or quantity of listings in the directory. So far, I haven't heard such a case presented convincingly.

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Well, I would make a nice long statement about this, but I just finished writing a very long review and I am tried or writing so I can answre this is on senticene

The postive effect would be that these forums would not be necesarry. If a submission dident' go through, peopel will know and they won't have to ask here...the only thing these forums would be usefull for if that type of system was implinted, is for Abuse Reports.

People could check as much as they wanted even and they woudlen't ever have to bother the editors about it. So, the editors will now have more time to do other directory related stuff (not necesarily just site approvals).

Guess that was more than a sentence...well...umm...it deffinately isen't even close to some of my best writing...lol

>> If a submission didnt' go through, people will know and they won't have to ask here.. <<

However, if you had read any of the previous 20 threads about this very subject then you would have discovered that we don't tell spammers and other people who are causing us problems anything that they may find remotely useful. They will use it to cause us more problems. Information they find useful includes any hint as to how we detected their spam, which bits were detected, when we did it, and what we did with it.

I guess you have a point there...I did read the other thereads thou

I don't realy care if a system like this is set up to tell you the truth , because if I did I would have wrote a much more convining paragraph

I just hope people don't submit and wait 6 months to know that there site never went through LOL.

If it does match, an email could be automatically generated and sent to the registrant's address saying "submission received... review expected in 'x' weeks. Upon review, a status change will be emailed to this same address."

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But we can't ever guess how many weeks it will be until review of a site. Today, a person suggesting a site is taken to a "Submission received" screen - occasionally this doesn't work because of a bug or so but in the absolute majority of cases it does work, as far as we know. If a submitter doesn't bother looking at that screen, it doesn't seem particularly useful to send him an email providing the exact same information he could already have seen on that screen.

Besides, automatic emailings constitute spam in my book - and it would cause a lot of strain on the server, which would lead to problems for the editors, which would lead to a decrease in editing activities.

People could check as much as they wanted even and they woudlen't ever have to bother the editors about it. So, the editors will now have more time to do other directory related stuff (not necesarily just site approvals).

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The very small minority of editors who reply to questions in this forum don't necessarily do it instead of editing - me, I'm writing this reply instead of washing up after dinner ;-)

One approach might be to accept submissions from the registrant email address as shown in whois.

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Except that we don't want to allow just the site owner to submit a site. Anyone who comes across a nifty site that they think should be listed should be able to submit a site to us.

me, I'm writing this reply instead of washing up after dinner ;-)

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There you have it! One good reason to be a Dmoz editor or post on on forums invovling "important" matters...get out of washing the dishes LOL.

motsa said:

Except that we don't want to allow just the site owner to submit a site. Anyone who comes across a nifty site that they think should be listed should be able to submit a site to us.

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hhmmmm........ good point.

First Submission

This is a second posting about my ODP site submission dated March 20, 2004. No response to date. In my first posting on June 27, 2004, I asked why, if there are an insufficient number of editors in my category to timely review submission, (Attorneys-Employment Law), haven't I heard about my application to become an editor in this category? I am expert in this area of law, and have been in practice for more than 27 years! No response to anything, and no way to check if even my site submission is being reviewed. There are only a few attorneys listed in your directory under this category, yet I haven't been listed. I am a member of the NELA (National Employment Lawyers Association) and itsLawyer Referral Service panel, and one of only a few dozen attorneys in New York specializing in this area of law exclusively. You advertise yourself as a democratic open site, dedicated to open communication among members. Yet you conduct yourself like a secret, exclusive society to which only initiates can be admitted. I can't even obtain the name of the attorney editor assigned to review my submission!! Shame on you! Barbara Lifton.

Site Submission

I see from reading prior postings, that Editors and Administrators of dmoz do read this forum. I am therefore requesting, in addiiton to the questions asked in my posting a few minutes ago, who is reviewing my submission of my web site <http://home.sprynet.com/~femlawye/>. My site was submitted for review on March 20, 2004, and I have had no response, and have been told nothing about the status of my submission. I would appreciate a response.
Thank you. Barbara G. Lifton.

You want the status of your site then please post in the right forum and follow the guidelines. Otherwise you will continue to get ignored.

Your first post on June 27, was a general complaint - not a status request, and you got an answer [as follows]

With your site? Do you see the Submission Status Forum? Read the guidelines for it and request the status there. That is what it is for. Someone will let you know. Don't be surprised if it is "awaiting review".

You didn't follow the advice - so you did not get an answer. [Of course how get anyone answer, since that first post did not even give your site URL]

You have now hijacked this thread which is not the place to ask your question.

Shame on you.

[readme]Please read the guidelines[/readme]