Have I done something wrong?

Hello,

I am not asking for a submission check so I won't put my url here unless asked. I know our site has been submitted.

My question is to see if I have done something wrong. Our site is in 5 languages and has been submitted twice: once in 2004 and then again some time in early 2006 (I think). Maybe someone from our small team thought they should submit again and we have been labeled a spammer

I've was once given the message that the english submission was sent to the German category then moved back. Then the Spanish listing showed up without the "/es/" so I've requested that it be changed.

What I don't understand is why our English, German, French sites have not gotten listed while others with less info have gotten listed even though they were submitted probably around the same time as their WhoIs record shows they are just as old as we are.

We are constantly adding new products, event listings and guide info but we never appear in the ODP. The content was written by us.

Would someone be so kind as to check if I have done something wrong.

Thanks.

the Spanish listing showed up without the "/es/" so I've requested that it be changed.

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As it should. The policy is to list the shortest working url that is of use. Where the languages are all selectable on the main url, thats the one that should be listed in all the categories.
Guidelines are at http://dmoz.org/guidelines/site-specific.html#multi-lingual

Our site is in 5 languages and has been submitted twice: once in 2004 and then again some time in early 2006 (I think)

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If the site has not been suggested again since our server crash (ie suuggested again this year) please suggest it once more to each of the language categories that it might be listed in.

why our English, German, French sites have not gotten listed

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The same editor will not usually have permissions or the language skills to list a site in multiple language categories, so it must wait for an editor in each language. Additionally a site may not be listable in one language when it is listable in another. The site is evaluated by whether it adds unique content to the category, sometimes all the information is already available in a category in one language, but not in the other language(s).

My question is to see if I have done something wrong.

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Based on your post, no.

If the site has not been suggested again since our server crash (ie suuggested again this year) please suggest it once more to each of the language categories that it might be listed in.

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To expand on that excellent advice:

Ehen you do submit, submit only the root URL.

If once cannot navigate to the individual languages from the root, then your individual languages are probably not going to be listed.

gimmster said:

As it should. The policy is to list the shortest working url that is of use. Where the languages are all selectable on the main url, thats the one that should be listed in all the categories.
Guidelines are at http://dmoz.org/guidelines/site-specific.html#multi-lingual

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Not always. I can always find a few sites listed with the "/fr/" or "/es/" language indicator. If DMOZ wants just base urls that OK with me but I don't think that is the best thing for users because sometimes our website does not detect automatically the correct language of the web client.

gimmster said:

Additionally a site may not be listable in one language when it is listable in another. The site is evaluated by whether it adds unique content to the category, sometimes all the information is already available in a category in one language, but not in the other language(s).

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Ok even though many sites are listed more than once. I do believe that we have orginal content which is useful to people in all the languages that we have on the site, but that is just my opinion and I am not an editor. In fact some, not all, webistes are listed in 3 or 4 lanuages in the ODP. In order for this to be true a comparison each sites content to all already listed sites would have to be done.

Anyways, on monday I will take to my co-worker to see what she has done. I have a feeling that she may have submitted various times to different categories. (Typical newbie mistakes).

As there has been server problems I'd like to ask a favor.

If I post our url and where we have submitted would someone be so kind as to check that everything is in order and we are not labeled as spam?

If someone PM me I promise not to start sending messages about progess or anything like that.


Thanks.

Not always. I can always find a few sites listed with the "/fr/" or "/es/" language indicator. If DMOZ wants just base urls that OK with me but I don't think that is the best thing for users because sometimes our website does not detect automatically the correct language of the web client.

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Some editors (generally new ones) don't necessarily understand that they should be listing the root and so, yes, you will find some of those. They are generally corrected as other editors find them, though. It's not about automatic detection of the language. In fact, most multilingual sites don't have any kind of automatic detection.

As there has been server problems I'd like to ask a favor.

If I post our url and where we have submitted would someone be so kind as to check that everything is in order and we are not labeled as spam?

If someone PM me I promise not to start sending messages about progess or anything like that.

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No, that would not be appropriate. That would still constitute a status check and we don't do those here. Please respect the forum's policies. It would take more than a couple suggestions or missuggestions for someone to be labelled a spammer. But I'd recommend that if you resuggest the site, that you use the root URL for each of the World/<language> categories that you suggest the site to.

It's not about automatic detection of the language. In fact, most multilingual sites don't have any kind of automatic detection.

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Speaking entirely as a web user (not as an ODP editor), I dislike sites that try to make decisions for me, such as which language to display. (Especially those which set a cookie so it's impossible to get out of the language chosen for me without a lot of hassle). But then, I'm ornery and have weird opinions about things - I know that many people do appreciate automatic language detection.

Similiarly annoying to me would be the sites that automatically detect where they think you are located on your IP address and direct you to that country version of the site, regardless of which country version you want to access.

Similiarly annoying to me would be the sites that automatically detect where they think you are located on your IP address and direct you to that country version of the site, regardless of which country version you want to access.

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Especially when the detection software makes a mistake and puts you in the wrong country

I had problems with the language detection on eBay. It wouldn't let me view some items because I had both French and German as acceptable display languages in browser preferences and it assumed I was in France or Germany where certain items are banned for access.

Better to let the site visitor pick for themselves.

Still confused as to why we hav not been listed

Hello,

I have read all of the editor comments above and I still am really confused as to why our english, german and french websites aren't listed.

Our language detection depends on what language your browser is set to. Anyways there are flags on the main navigation so you can switch. And we don't use any cookies or sessions to store your language selection so you can change easily.

Actually I noticed that the site apartime.com has been listed and they don't even have much content.

We actually taken the time to add more content to our site, we even support Docter's without borders with part of our sales. We have information about our city, over a hundred of apartments to rent, articles about Barcelona and yet I watch other sites get listed.

Please could someone explain why? Maybe tell me where our site has been submitted to? Even move it to the category below.

This is our category: http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Europe...talonia/Barcelona/Travel_and_Tourism/Lodging/

Please could someone explain why?

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Most probably a volunteer editor haven´t yet found the time or interest to review your suggestion.

Note: Actually I first submitted 3 years ago. I am not sure to whcih category and then some co-workers also have submitted. I'd like to get our website in the right category.

informator said:

Most probably a volunteer editor haven´t yet found the time or interest to review your suggestion.

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I think my suggestion has been lost or moved internally or something like that.

MikieMike said:

I think my suggestion has been lost or moved internally or something like that.

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If you have reason to believe its been lost (the only reason I can think of to think that is if you last suggested before October of last year, before the dmoz servers crashed) you can resuggest it one time to the single best category you can find.
As someone who has spent some time working in Spain's AC categories, I can tell you that real estate and travel categories are not fun there (well less even less fun than many of the other countries I have frequented) just because of the amount of spam and mis-placed suggestions. It is quite probable that know one has taken enough interest in these areas to find your suggestion and be willing to review it along with the others. Of course like I said, if you haven't suggested your site since before the servers went on vacation last fall it is also very possible the suggestion was lost due to the technical difficulties.

Hope that helps.