Help with application.

Can anyone please advise me on my application?


I applied to edit Regional/Europe/Italy/Regions/Tuscany/Business_and_Economy/Real_Estate

but was rejected on the following grounds:

"..you have chosen a category that is already well represented, or is broader than we typically assign to a new editor.."


I'm not sure how either of these reasons apply? The category in question only has 31 sites listed and no sub-categories (it seems that new editors are not given categories with more than 75 sites) and as the results it currently gives fail to accurately represent companies working in this area I can't really believe it's suffering from editorial excess either!

I did admit that I had a professional interest in this area in my application. The FAQ states this is not a reason for declining an application. My site is already one of those listed but as we work in a very small area, often have more enquiries than we can manage and frequently recommend other companies I have a interest in getting this category into much better shape.


Can anyone suggest how I should reapply or whether it is likely that I will continue to be rejected for this category

I'm happy to volunteer to edit other categories. Is there some way I can check if they already have a surplus of editors beforehand?


Thanks

Jules Holden

I would recommend choosing something other than Real Estate when you reapply. Real Estate is a high spam area with very specific guidelines and isn't a good category for a new editor to start out in.

Thanks for the advice. The FAQ reads:

"Choose a category which interests you, and which you feel you can improve. Please note, though, that some areas are more prone to abuse than others. For these areas it is difficult - but not impossible - to get accepted as a brand new editor"


Which seems to cover the matter nicely - but gives no guidance as which sort of category falls into this (erm!) category.

Perhaps a nice feature for the future might be for DMOZ not to have the "Volunteer to edit this category" link on the bottom of categories for which new application are unlikely to be considered and perhaps some way to show where categories already have sufficient editors?

I shall now go off and try to find a category that doesn't already have too many editors, isn't a "high spam area" isn't too big and IS something I know something about

Ciao


Jules

What can be confusing is that the "Volunteer to edit this category" link is also for existing editors applying for new permissions. Although a brand new editor may not be accepted, an existing editor with related experience could be.

We've discussed before (both here and internally) ways to identify categories that would be good for brand new editors, but can't think of a method that would address all of the concerns. It is not just about the category, but the person applying for it. For example, consider a category that is in a spammy area, has 100 listings already and 300 waiting for review. Most applicants would probably get denied. But if someone with experience in the industry applies and demonstrates on the application that they understand the issues and nuances of the category (by providing more detailed discussion about many existing listings and other references on the web that they would use), they might be accepted. If we had turned off the sign in the category, we might have missed signing up the expert!

-Lissa

I recommend you apply for a narrower geographical area, smaller than all of Tuscany. Tuscany includes ten provinces. And the ODP has some strict rules about real estate sites, so most agencies would probably not be listed as high as the province level. Your best option is to ask to edit the category for a particular town, or its Business_and_Economy category. For example, if you know of several good English-language sites we have overlooked about Arezzo, you could apply to edit Regional: Europe: Italy: Regions: Tuscany: Localities: Arezzo.

And to continue on icxcnika's advice, once you've proven that you know what you're doing with Regional: Europe: Italy: Regions: Tuscany: Localities: Arezzo, you could then apply to move up the hierarchy. Or at that point you might decide that you have an interest in something totally different and you'll go off in another direction. I think that most of us have gone off on some pretty interesting tangents after we got that first category

Hello,
Thanks to everyone for the good advice.

I reapplied for Regional: Europe:Italy Regions:Tuscany:Localities:Bagni di Lucca yesterday as that's where I live and as the poor category only has one entry at present.

I'd love to help out on Arrezzo (being a somewhat larger and more vibrant place) but having only been there twice in my life I'm sure there's someone else out there who can do a better job on that than I.


Ciao


Jules

Show us some good work on that Bagni place, and then ... "I'd like to visit Outer Mongolia someday, so I've been looking at a lot of websites to get ideas about where to eat..." is not an unprecedented or unreasonable reason for wanting to edit a regional category!