How can one tell, that one's site has been reviewed

Hi All

So ODP will not do status check.

However, nothwithstanding the fact that the editors are extremely determining what is list worthy for ODP, tis inevitable that persons like me
not being privy to ODP internal data cannot


tell whether any editor has looked at the site, plus of course where the category doesn't have an editor listed an page does not state last edited date


cannot tell if , inspite of ones best efforts, whether the site fitted the reviewing editors expectation, judgement it is usually agreed, is subjective to some degree


So, you forum members, of long standing , can you please enlighten me

Your best bet is to submit and forget about it. If your site meets all the criteria to get listed, it probably will. However, sites are reviewed by volunteer editors, and they are under no obligation to provide a time frame, any notification about your submission, nor any correspondence related to the matter. So like I said, your best bet is to submit and forget. If you feel the area you submitted to is not being updated you may want to volunteer to edit that category, however the editor application is currently broken.

There's no way to tell. And an honest webmaster will be doing the same thing regardless of whether or when independent reviewers are reviewing.

A dishonest webmaster, however, has a very broad choice of actions to take, if he knows when the review will happen (or did happen). He can change his website so the ODP editor doesn't see what other surfers see. He can time his spam submittals to waste more of the ODP editors' time. He can know just when to start making physical or legal threats. We know this, because we've seen all these reactions.

We don't want to encourage dishonest webmasters. Run your website as if your entire reputation rested on it--EVERY time ANY visitor comes: and then it won't matter when it's reviewed.

Actually, the reason I would like to know is for possible re submission


After all, if one re submits say every 3 months, an reviews in that category take 6 months, then does not a re submission put the site down to the back of the queue,

Few editors review sites in chronological order.

Actually, the reason I would like to know is for possible re submission

Click to expand...

If your site has been reviewed and declined, we really don't want/need you to resubmit. The vast, vast majoirty of sites we decline to list are fundamentally not listable.

If your site has not been reviewed, we really don't want/need you to resubmit.

>After all, if one re submits say every 3 months, an reviews in that category take 6 months, then does not a re submission put the site down to the back of the queue.

There's no queue to have a front or back. There is only a pool

In the pool, duplicates are combined to save editors time (while allowing rude submitters to waste their time.) This is a win-win situation, since it cannot possibly hurt those polite folk who are following the submittal policies. Anything that can make resubmittal less efficient (and less effective) is a really good thing!

Since August 2005, I have suggested my site for inclusion in the OPD on eight (8) different occasions... without success. I think I've done my homework, but obviously I'm doing something wrong:
1. I've almost memorized the "Submission Guidelines"
2. I've read and re-read every FAQ.
3. I realize that the process of using volunteers, by nature, is slow and I've waited several weeks to 5 months between submitting
4. I'm positive I've chosen the "Right Category"; Business/Transportation and Logistics/Traffic Control/Signage for my small Sign Company (as an aside, it seems odd that out of the thousands of Sign Shops in the USA alone, only 15 are listed in the OPD)
5. I have modified my "site description" on every attempt thinking perhaps my description was unacceptable

We have a family owned business and website that offers a good product at a fair price. My daughter/Webmaster insures that our site is "honest" and only uses "White Hat" (whatever that means) methods, yet our site has yet to be "accepted".

I have never visited a "chat room" or ever belonged to a "Forum" until today, but I thought perhaps it might be wise to ask for help. Any ideas?

Dave

> I have suggested my site for inclusion in the OPD on eight (8) different occasions... without success.
> I think I've done my homework, but obviously I'm doing something wrong:

Yes, you did.
Maybe you overlooked the following while suggesting your site.
Please only submit a URL to the Open Directory once.

After you suggest a site an editor needs to review it. Time between suggestion and review can vary from a few days to several years.

Many kinds of small businesses are listed only (or primarily) in the locality where they are located: and suggestions made to the right place are more likely to be reviewed more quickly.

But don't assume that a "suggestion" imposes priorities or deadlines on volunteers. We don't know when any particular suggestion will be reviewed. (Which is just one of the many reasons why it's pointless to make the same suggestion over and over again.)

I'd recommend one more suggestion (to the locality), which is probably all the additional help you can give. Beyond that, it's up to the editors.

Thank you both for your replies; the infomation is helpful.

I had no idea that the "or more" for for the review timeframe in the submittal instructions "...up to 2 weeks or more..." could be "several years"!

Although the "mirror site", and "disquised sites" (adding "index", etc) instructions are clear, I thought that if "a month or two or five" had passed, one could logically assume that perhaps a "Suggest URL" had been denied by an Editor for a variety of reasons (server was temporally "down" and therefore website appeared to be inactive or under construction, site description was too "sales-like" etc.) and therefore a new, "revised" submittal was appropriate. Now I know. Thanks.

I am a bit confused with your (hutcheson) terminology. In your last sentence you 'recommended one more SUGGESTION'. Are you advising to once again "SUGGEST URL"? If so, I am clueless at to what the "locality" is and how to submit to them... or am I misinterpreting the word "suggestion"? At your earliest convenience, please advise. Thanks

There's a category for every town/village/city/community. That's where most local businesses are listed.

And you reach the locality category by going to http://dmoz.org/Regional and then clicking yourself down through the continent, country, and other geographical levels until you reach the most relevant locality (For instance, Boston is http://dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts/Localities/B/Boston). Each locality can be further subdivided (it depends on how many sites are listed in the category) and for a sign company you'd look for the Business_and_Economy category, and possibly even a relevant subcategory of that. If there is no Business and Economy category in your home town, just suggest the site straight to the town level. If by mistake you should send it to the wrong category within the right locality (such as the town level instead of the Business and Economy category), don't worry about it at all, the editor will move it to the right category. Hope that helps.