Help for BuyBritney.com

Hello,

I recently created a web site dedicated to Britney Spears, somewhat of a cross between a fan site and a selling site for my affiliates. I submitted my site a month ago with no response on a listing with the DMOZ. I am not checking site status here, rather I am looking for feedback on how to include appropriate content in my site so that it is acceptable to the DMOZ.

When I purchased the domain www.BuyBritney.com, I thought it would be good for what I was proposing since the words buy and Britney were in the domain. Any domain with the name Britney is very hard to get these days, and I felt lucky to get the domain at the time.

I have received some feedback from the DMOZ "Status" forum on the content of my site, and why it may not have been listed. Here's what they had to say "I haven't looked at the status of your suggestion but I'd expect that it wouldn't get listed as it is just content from other sites and a bunch of affiliate links."

Can anyone help me figure out what to do, since I have already purchase the domain for 2 years, I would like to do something with it, but if I can't get listed for what it is right now, how can I modify my site to be acceptable to the DMOZ? Any suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

I submitted my site a month ago with no response on a listing with the DMOZ.

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There are no responses, we don't do responses.

I'd expect that it wouldn't get listed as it is just content from other sites and a bunch of affiliate links.

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That is excellent advice. Kudos to whomever gave it to you.

And, no, we aren't going to teach you how to build a website for the purposes of getting it into DMOZ -- that is contrary to where we are going. We would much, much rather see someone build a website with so much unique content -- true value to surfers -- that we have a kefuffle over who gets to add it into the directory.

After all, this is something that you can easily do: ask yourself daily, "what can I add to my site that absolutely no one else has?" Ask and answer this question every single day. Forget about DMOZ, forget about Yahoo, forget about Google...keep adding stuff that no one else has, and we'll be beating at your door.

Re: spectregunner comments

What I meant about a response was, I had contacted the category editor 3 times through his email at the DMOZ with no response as to what the problem holding up my listing might be. They do offer the email, so I just assumed that the email was there for contacting the editor for a response.

Thanks

You can certainly send a message to an editor but we discourage them from responding. Why? Because when they do, the transaction ends badly too often. There's no reason why a volunteer should be at risk of abuse.

In any event, websites are evaluated when they are evaluated. There's nothing you can do or say which will give special priority to yours.

Regarding Feedback

Hi Again,

Ok,.. I think I need to explain first that my sole purpose of reaching out to you here is not to just get listed in the DMOZ forums,..

I am new at all of this so please don't assume I have some hidden agenda. I am a true Britney fan, and new at web design, new at listing a site etc. My goal was to provide a nicer web site then what is already out there for fans to easily view quality content regarding Britney Spears without having to wean through the bad seeds. I was litteraly dissapointed with what is "already listed" in the DMOZ for fan pages.

(ex: http://addictedtobritney.tripod.com/,..

When comparing that site "already listed in the DMOZ", to my site,.. I thought my site by far was nicer, and it's content richer, cleaner. The content on my site is still new, not as unique as it should be I gather, none the less I am working on it everyday to provide the "unique" content you mention. I have offered fans plentiful things that other Britney sites are not offering, including a way to buy concert tickets, and her cd's through quality stores on the web, such as Target and CdUniverse. I do not have a single pop up on my index page, nor will I ever. Also I would never offer spyware or adware installed from my site,.. which many of the "already listed" web sites at the DMOZ for Britney do. Hence the confusion on how to get listed with the DMOZ.

"We would much, much rather see someone build a website with so much unique content -- true value to surfers -- that we have a kefuffle over who gets to add it into the directory." - spectregunner

Here is another web site listed # 3 in the search for Britney Spears that is worth a look by it's editors, did you kefuffle over this one?...

http://www.angelfire.com/celeb2/britneyspears8/

Response: So through comments made here I am to assume that DMOZ was beating the door down of this web site to list it? That there is so much quality content at that site that it was worth the listing? I'm sorry if I sound offended. But I was honestly looking for some good advice and feeback in this matter solely because my motives are honest. I am not like all the other JoShmo's out there creating a crappy web site to suck people in.

"And, no, we aren't going to teach you how to build a website for the purposes of getting it into DMOZ -- that is contrary to where we are going." - spectregunner

Response: I'm not asking you to "teach" me anything. I was simply just looking for the right direction to go in, and who better to get it from but the people who are supposed to know about these things. Why offer the forum if you are going to just bash people and not offer any help.

"You can certainly send a message to an editor but we discourage them from responding. Why? Because when they do, the transaction ends badly too often. There's no reason why a volunteer should be at risk of abuse. In any event, websites are evaluated when they are evaluated. There's nothing you can do or say which will give special priority to yours." - JimNoble

For the record, you jumped to a conclusion that was unfounded, I was not looking for special priority nor did I even mention that. So those who aren't looking to abuse the editor just don't get an answer at all? Your status forum is offered so that people like me might be able to inquire after a month of waiting to be listed. Your general discussion section was created to help those like me looking for good direction. I wasn't reaching out to you here to "say or do" anything dishonest. Nor am I looking for special treatment.

Boy, you guys are tough here,.. I never expected this. I spoke to you with respect, I didn't get it in return. What kind of people are allowed to be editors in this place,.. you guys were way to unprofessional in my asking for feedback. Since the DMOZ is greatly responsible for being listed with the majors such as Google, etc. I was expecting something more than what I've been dealing with thus far.

For the record, after reviewing the Britney Spears sites listed at the DMOZ, I found the search category filled with more than 70% of listings that offered no quality, pop ups, spyware, lousy design, and just plain crappy web sites, some not even offereing Britney content from those who are sucking people in.

See for yourself: http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=britney+spears

Tell me how many quality listings do you have there other than the "Official Site" and the same old same old?

My Advice to The DMOZ editors responding in the forums: If you are looking to provide quality, unique content web sites to to be listed here at the DMOZ then you shouldn't fight people like me so hard. You should offer the help they are looking for by giving them good advice so people like me stand a chance of being able to give you such listings. Be more professional in your responses and don't assume that everyone posting here is just looking for special treatment, or to be taught something. You are representing a good service, think of it as if it were your own. Be more gracious and helpful at the forum at least, thats what it is here for.

Well, Juliet, what can we say?

You asked how to make your site more acceptable to DMOZ.

You were told to stress unique content, you were advised that affiliate links don't hack it. We told you that we don't give detailed advice to people because that is not our mission in life. Go look at www.gunships.org and ask yourself if you really want people like me giving advice on how to do websites. I may have the worst design in history working for me (but I have several truckloads of content found absolutely no where else on the web). Do you sense a recurring theme here?

You asked about e-mail and were given an explaination, along with a reason why we don't respond to e-mails. Perhaps a blunt: we don't reply to e-mails would have sufficed, but most people don't handle blunt language very well and when we respond inthese fourms we have a keen awareness that there may be many lurkers with the same question so we tend to give the long answer.

I'm sorry that the tone and tenor of our responses didn't suit you. It's not personal, but if you were to wade through several thousand threads, you'd find that many people with manevolent motives do asks questions that are very similar to yours. If we have become jaded in our responses, I apologize.

Juliet, you need to understand that your use of the word "quality" is sufficiently indistinguishable from marketroid hype that we were unable to determine what, if any, meaning you intended to convey. Your use of the word "unique" is, um, unique, if I might be permitted to use that word in the Noah-Websterian sense. However, your use of the word "fight" to mean "aid and advice" has excellent precedent, being positively Orwellian. But I am utterly baffled by your use of the words "help" and helpful."

There is much that I have to learn from this thread, and I shall study it carefully.