Genuine feedback

marksteve_74

Member
Joined
May 9, 2005
Messages
20
We found that in the category of our interest there is no useful sites covering unique wide spectrum of topics, so we have built a website with unique content and with aim of providing valuable information to users for the category for which we are submitting. We have submitted the site to DMOZ last year and did once again couple of months back. We followed all guidelines for building the website and for submitting to DMOZ, it is not listed yet and not sure whether it is reviewed and what we are missing as a good site. With the interest of webuser we just wanted to find out is there is any opportunity to review our site give genuine feedback why it is not worth to include in DMOZ.
 

windharp

Meta/kMeta
Curlie Meta
Joined
Apr 30, 2002
Messages
9,204
Since you are here for some time, you might have noticed the FAQ link at the top left of our forum. Please reread it, it covers the topics "submission status" and "How to speed up a site review".
 

hutcheson

Curlie Meta
Joined
Mar 23, 2002
Messages
19,136
Not here, there's not. But many webmaster forums offer a site review. And I can't believe ODP editors are the only people on earth who know what "unique content" means.

There are four hurdles a site must pass.
(1) It must be on a topic that an editor is working on. (Who knows what topics that will be on any day? Nobody! It's a matter of individual editorial priorities.)

(2) The editor must find it. (Site suggestion can take care of this.)

(3) There must be something about the context in which the editor finds it, that suggests THAT site might be better to review next, than any other site. (That could be: found in a reliable source (printed article, or reputable link list, maybe even -- although this is least likely -- a good description in a public suggestion. Or it could be -- I've reviewed the first 150 sites in a Google search, and this is site #151.) Again, it's a matter of individual editorial judgment.

(4) Upon review, the site must have significant unique content. (This is, as things go, a fairly objective standard, with a large body of case law in prior decisions and discussions.)

You're focusing on #4. There is no reason to suppose that the site has ever passed hurdles #1 or #3 -- hundreds of thousands of sites haven't. Millions of other sites haven't passed #2, and the editors may be working on that deficiency instead of the other hurdles. So there is no point in worrying about it just because "some amount of time has passed." Time passes. Time passes anyway. The sun came up this morning without asking whether I'd done my quota of volunteer work for the previous day. And the sun came up despite the fact that several other volunteers are sitting on work I gave them, and didn't move half so much of it as I'd wish. I don't know when they'll finish it. That's life.

And that's OK. I'm sitting on the work of a few other volunteers (especially myself), not getting it moved towards publication half so quickly as I'd like ... either.

One thing none of us in the volunteer community has, is the moral right, or the physical power, to grab someone else and coerce them to do what we want now. And ... that's a good thing.

So how can you make the editor look at your site? Um, you can't. And that's a good thing.

But if you have friends who understand the concept of "unique content", you may so far impose on their friendship as to have them review your site for hurdle #4, as (after you've submitted and taken care of #2) it's the only one in your power to affect. Or check out the webmaster forums -- ask if people can find the absolutely unique contribution you are making to the sum of human knowledge, or the unique goods and services you are able and willing to provide (for money), or the unique expressions of personal creativity or personal experience, or ... whatever you have done because nobody else could have done, or that nobody else would do. If they can find the unique content WITHOUT you telling them anything but the URL, then ... that's good. Otherwise, you have your work cut out for you.
 
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