I submitted my site about 2 years ago, and I wrote about a year after than on the forum that it wasn't listed and i was frustrated by the fact. 
I got a good response, and basically resigned myself to the fact that I'd never get listed.
Now I can see the same editors writing the same replies to new people asking the same questions, and I'm really starting to feel sorry for the editors and moderators for all the hassle they get.
The Open Directory Project is run by volunteers for free rather than a business run by employees. That is why it is so important - it's impartial, non-commercial and doesn't care if your site is listed or not. If it wasn't so good, Google wouldn't use it.
Getting listed is a privilege not a right.
I think a lot of the frustration comes from rubbish Search Engine optimisation people telling webmasters how important it is to get listed. The fact is is doesn't really matter, if you really want to build a successful site then do just that, build it for your customers or readers and just like Field of Dreams "they will come".
If people are really desperate to get listed but can't then go and pay some fees to get put in all the commercial directories; combined their optimization "value" is far in excess to what a listing in the ODP can offer.
So at the end of the day, if your site gets listed then great, but if not don't worry it's not the end of the world.
I got paranoid when my site wasn't listed, but it didn't make any difference at the end of the day. The power to make my site successful is in my hands, and not the editors here.
The traffic value of this place really is over rated. It's a free resource, treat it as such.
I got a good response, and basically resigned myself to the fact that I'd never get listed.
Now I can see the same editors writing the same replies to new people asking the same questions, and I'm really starting to feel sorry for the editors and moderators for all the hassle they get.
The Open Directory Project is run by volunteers for free rather than a business run by employees. That is why it is so important - it's impartial, non-commercial and doesn't care if your site is listed or not. If it wasn't so good, Google wouldn't use it.
Getting listed is a privilege not a right.
I think a lot of the frustration comes from rubbish Search Engine optimisation people telling webmasters how important it is to get listed. The fact is is doesn't really matter, if you really want to build a successful site then do just that, build it for your customers or readers and just like Field of Dreams "they will come".
If people are really desperate to get listed but can't then go and pay some fees to get put in all the commercial directories; combined their optimization "value" is far in excess to what a listing in the ODP can offer.
So at the end of the day, if your site gets listed then great, but if not don't worry it's not the end of the world.
I got paranoid when my site wasn't listed, but it didn't make any difference at the end of the day. The power to make my site successful is in my hands, and not the editors here.
The traffic value of this place really is over rated. It's a free resource, treat it as such.
