If I can't get updated, can I withdraw my listing?

donelson said:

Is there a no-robot / no-crawl meta-tag for ODP/DMOZ? I know that MSN have a NOODP meta-tag (no surprise, really) now.

Click to expand...

I don't use dmoz to surf the web for new sites. I use MSN, Yahoo, Google, any other SE that might find something I have missed. I am not an expert, but I beleive the NOODP meta-tag is for those that want returns that are not included in the DMOZ directory (i.e if I as an editor wanted to find sites that MSN returns that aren't already in the DMOZ directory I could search with the NOODP meta-tag) but I may be confused about that.

donelson]No said:

, like the other sites on DMOZ, but this editor is refusing to use it. What makes our site different from all those others? If they can have "virtual tour" as in their page titles, and we have "virtual tour" in our home page title, what act of hatred or arrogance is keeping DMOZ from treating our site equally? Got a grudge?

Click to expand...

'Homepage title' and company name are vastly different animals. In the case of most businesses the title will be that of the actual company name not the 'homepage title' it depends on what the sites actual title is and what the 'homepage title' reads-they can and often are different.

donelson said:

Just like the Communists, DMOZ are refusing to let us out!
And just like the Communists, once people were able to leave, there was a Mad Rush to get out!
Just like for DMOZ. No wonder DMOZ don't want anyone to leave; its corrupt system would collapse.

Click to expand...

So now I am a corrupt, communist outlaw

The editors take suggestions, but not dictation.

Over here, "corruption" is defined as "betraying the editing community by doing what some other party wants, for money." The editors' behavior (as described by you) obviously fails both criteria. You haven't mentioned paying anyone, and nobody did what you want. Which is, of course, the ideal situation from the point of view of surfers who would like an independent perspective.

You are, um, seeing things a bit out of proportion here. (And I think most of the editors aren't Communists.) This is about a hyperlink on a website, nothing more or less.

The editors involved are following the rules of the ODP. There's neither hatred nor arrogance involved, only pride in trying to do a good and consistent job as much as possible. Please save your indignation for something that's worth getting upset about - there are many such things, but a hyperlink isn't one of them.

shadow575 said:

I beleive the NOODP meta-tag is for those that want returns that are not included in the DMOZ directory (i.e if I as an editor wanted to find sites that MSN returns that aren't already in the DMOZ directory I could search with the NOODP meta-tag) but I may be confused about that.

Click to expand...

As I understand it, the MSN NOODP meta-tag tells MSN NOT to use titles or descriptions from ODP.

'Homepage title' and company name are vastly different animals. In the case of most businesses the title will be that of the actual company name not the 'homepage title' it depends on what the sites actual title is and what the 'homepage title' reads-they can and often are different.

Click to expand...

Our company name is NOT our website name. In fact, we only put our company name on our COMPANY website, not on our PRODUCT websites.


Our company name is: Armchair Travel Co Ltd

Our websites are informational about places which ARE NOT OUR COMPANY ITSELF.

Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour
Explore Kew Gardens virtual tour
Explore Parliament virtual tour
Explore St Paul's Cathedral virtual tour
etc
-- The DMOZ titles should NOT be Armchair Travel for those, do you think?

The title should reflect the contents, and ours is NOT a travel agency or airline tour, they are VIRTUAL TOURs.

That should be reflected in the title in DMOZ, just as it is on our site.

Here is a sample of other DMOZ listings ---

DMOZ said:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search="virtual+tour"
Cornell College Virtual Tour
University of Liverpool Virtual Tour
Louvre Virtual Tour
Edo Japan - A Virtual Tour
Rieger Orgelbau Virtual Tour

Click to expand...

Note that all those have "Virtual Tour" on the end, so why not ours?

donelson said:

As I understand it, the MSN NOODP meta-tag tells MSN NOT to use titles or descriptions from ODP.

Click to expand...

Could be that sounds feesible too.

donelson said:

You are wrong. Our company name is NOT our website name. In fact, we only put our company name on our COMPANY website, not on our PRODUCT websites.

Click to expand...

I beg to differ, I said that in many cases the company name is NOT the site title. You may have just answered your own question though. We list the company site-not individual product sites for the company.

donelson said:

Our company name is: Armchair Travel Co Ltd

Our websites are informational about places which ARE NOT OUR COMPANY ITSELF.

Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour
Explore Kew Gardens virtual tour
Explore Parliament virtual tour
Explore St Paul's Cathedral virtual tour
etc
-- The DMOZ titles should NOT be Armchair Travel for those, do you think?

Click to expand...

No you are correct it shouldn't be, but if that is the case (I don't know I haven't looked) then none of them should be listed-only the company site should be. We don't list affiliated 'product' pages for the same company. We would list the travel/tour agency site and hope that all your 'products' would be accesible for your customers from there.

[removing irrellevant comment]
[adding]The exception to this is that where a sub-site or deeplink offers a vast amount of unique content and hence deserves a listing. That may or may not be the case here and would be at the discreation of the reviewing editor, but it is worth noting none the less.[/add]

Here is a sample of typical, similar DMOZ listings to ours ---

DMOZ said:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search="virtual+tour"
Cornell College Virtual Tour
University of Liverpool Virtual Tour
Louvre Virtual Tour
Edo Japan - A Virtual Tour
Rieger Orgelbau Virtual Tour

Click to expand...

Note that all those have "Virtual Tour" on the end, so why not ours?

Our Taj site is on DMOZ at
http://dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/India/Uttar_Pradesh/Localities/Agra/Arts_and_Entertainment/Taj_Mahal/

along with a number of other NON-COMPANIES

DMOZ is not only for companies. If it is, we want to be de-listed please.

Don - what I'm seeing as the listing for your site is:

Explore the Taj Mahal - Armchair Travel provides a virtual tour of the monument via a map and 360-degree panoramas. Offers narration and music. [English, French, Hindi, Japanese]

Is this wrong?

jeanmanco said:

Don - what I'm seeing as the listing for your site is:

Explore the Taj Mahal - Armchair Travel provides a virtual tour of the monument via a map and 360-degree panoramas. Offers narration and music. [English, French, Hindi, Japanese]

Is this wrong?

Click to expand...

Should be "Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour" - but "other editor" refused point-blank, in spite of samples of existing DMOZ sites with names ending in "virtual travel"

Because he point-blank refused, I asked to de-list. He refused that as well.

Who do you all think you are? Cruel, unfair, arbitrary, dishonest?

I am NOT asking for MORE than other sites, just equal treatment.

I feel cheated and raped.

donelson

I would suggest reading your posts again and consider how much damage you have done to the image of your firm - if indeed you are who you say you are.

regards

I started to respond to this round of insults and attacks but just isn't worth it to continue going round and round. IMO the title is correct. It is also correct according to its parent site.

donelson said:

Should be "Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour"

Click to expand...

Oh I see. You wanted keywords tacked on to the title. I was mystified. I thought there was some quality control issue. Ah no. We don't add keywords to titles. Where would it end?

My apologies for calling you Don earlier. I see that you are Mr Donelson. You have some lovely panoramas there. The Taj Mahal is a stunning building.

Eric-the-Bun said:

donelson

I would suggest reading your posts again and consider how much damage you have done to the image of your firm - if indeed you are who you say you are.

regards

Click to expand...

What kind of statement is that from an anonymous, unelected and another in the rotating series of editors piping up to this problem.

I have authorisation from our board of directors to pursue this INJUSTICE.

You won't treat our site equally to the others, you check in and check out like ghosts in the night, and no one has explained any organised method of appealing "random actions" by individual editors. This is like a kangaroo court, where a defendent is ferried from one room to another, and belittled and threatened.

No one has addressed the central issue:

Why are other sites allowed "virtual travel" in their titles, but not us?

Every time I ask this question, an editor disappears, and another pops up in their place.

You want to verify my identity? Fine. Contact me and stand up like a honest human being. Stand still and don't keep changing faces. Have some integrity for a change.

You are the FIFTH editor that has popped up WITHOUT answering my challenge of: Why are we being treated differently?

Will you disappear as well?

jeanmanco said:

Oh I see. You wanted keywords tacked on to the title. I was mystified. I thought there was some quality control issue. Ah no. We don't add keywords to titles. Where would it end?

My apologies for calling you Don earlier. I see that you are Mr Donelson. You have some lovely panoramas there. The Taj Mahal is a stunning building.

Click to expand...

I am not aksing you to "add keywords".

We only want to be treated equally to the other sites which have "virtual tour" ALREADY on their DMOZ titles, JUST AS WE DO.

ANSWER ME: Why are some allowed "virtual travel" in their titles, and some Not?

Every single DMOZ editor that has spoken has FAILED to answer this question, while failing to allow us to be de-listed. You won't be treated fairly, and you cannot leave. It's EAST BERLIN all over again, with DMOZ as the Berlin Wall.

Hotel California: You can check in, but you can never leave

Is it an arbitrary decision by the editor-of-the-moment? Is this a Wiki-out-of-control?

You won't treat us fairly, equally to MANY other sites, but you won't let us go. You are dishonest and cowards.

Stand up and be counted as being Fair Human Beings.

Treat your sites fairly, equally. Don't single out some sites for favoured treatment, while telling us we're somehow different. Tell me why and how we are different

shadow575 said:

It is also correct according to its parent site.

Click to expand...

What??? !!!!!

I am the webmaster for the site hosted on United Hosting.

I KNOW the name of the site.

The page title IS: "Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour"

Why do you treat us differently from all the other virtual tour sites?

Here is a sample of typical, similar DMOZ listings to ours ---

DMOZ said:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search="virtual+tour"
Cornell College Virtual Tour
University of Liverpool Virtual Tour
Louvre Virtual Tour
Edo Japan - A Virtual Tour
Rieger Orgelbau Virtual Tour

Click to expand...

How are we different from these? Tell me!!!

Here is a sample of typical, similar DMOZ listings to ours ---

DMOZ said:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search="virtual+tour"
Cornell College Virtual Tour
University of Liverpool Virtual Tour
Louvre Virtual Tour
Edo Japan - A Virtual Tour
Rieger Orgelbau Virtual Tour

Click to expand...

The point is that your approach to the subject makes it very difficult to reply.

Your site is not treated any differently from all the other sites.

The directory has been built up over many years during which it has seen many editors come and go and many improvements to the guidelines. This means that in the directory there are a proportion of titles and descriptions and even websites that are not guidelines compliant. When we locate these, they are corrected.

Last night a question from a new editor prompted me to search for a type of phrase in the descriptions which is not guidelines compliant. I found a handful and requested corrections. I have no idea who the websites belong to or why the phrase was there - all I am concerned with is that they are now in the process of being corrected/removed.

Very simply put - we have guidelines of our devising and endeavour to ensure that our content meets those guidelines. If people point out that a mistake has been made in reference to our guidelines, we (hopefully) correct it. If people do not like our guidelines, then that is another matter entirely.

To answer your question - if the titles of those sites listed are incorrect and you report them in the Quality thread or update listing, then they will be corrected in time. Just because they are incorrect does not mean your sites title should be ammended to also be incorrect.

regards

Eric-the-Bun said:

The point is that your approach to the subject makes it very difficult to reply.

Your site is not treated any differently from all the other sites.

The directory has been built up over many years during which it has seen many editors come and go and many improvements to the guidelines. This means that in the directory there are a proportion of titles and descriptions and even websites that are not guidelines compliant. When we locate these, they are corrected.

Last night a question from a new editor prompted me to search for a type of phrase in the descriptions which is not guidelines compliant. I found a handful and requested corrections. I have no idea who the websites belong to or why the phrase was there - all I am concerned with is that they are now in the process of being corrected.

Very simply put - we have guidelines of our devising and endeavour to ensure that our content meets those guidelines. If people point out that a mistake has been made in reference to our guidelines, we (hopefully) correct it. If people do not like our guidelines, then that is another matter entirely.

To answer your question - if the titles of those sites listed are incorrect and you report them in the Quality thread or update listing, then they will be corrected in time. Just because they are incorrect does not mean your sites title should be ammended to also be incorrect.

regards

Click to expand...

Eric, thank you very much for giving me a straight answer.

But you cannot seriously say that it makes sense to remove "virtual tour" from these titles in DMOZ ?

DMOZ said:

Cornell College Virtual Tour
University of Liverpool Virtual Tour
Louvre Virtual Tour
Edo Japan - A Virtual Tour
Rieger Orgelbau Virtual Tour

Click to expand...

How would you suggest they title their sites?

I think it would be insane for me to complain and suggest to DMOZ that those sites should HIDE their true nature from your directory visitors!

Surely you are not suggesting that? !!!

William

If your post about "persuing an injustice" is a threat of legal action, then you must henceforth make all future correspondance with the ODP through AOL's legal channels.

We, as editors, are disbarred from making further contact with you.

The page title IS: "Explore the Taj Mahal virtual tour"

Click to expand...

No the page title - that is what appears on the screen and a surfer would see - is what is listed. We are not interested in the metatag Description.

regards