Interesting situation

Hi DMOZ,
I have a website that had listed in DMOZ for about over a year, then one company decided to rent my website for their purpose without changing my website, (the only major change was to put their logo and contact info ). I still own and operate the website, own the copyright all the pictures and text etc.
Now The ODP editor has seen this change and decided to change my URL and put the company's URL that has only one landing page and link to my website. (which I don't even think that can be considered as a website)
I have tried to contact to editor a few times however he ignored my change request. I don't want to bother him anymore
I can provide the website info and you guys can confirm this statement using whois database.

My first question : can any of you guys change back my website's URL to back what it was? since I am doing my best to respect DMOZ policy.

My contract may expire with the company soon and I will be removing their logo and everything but they may just stay as a advertiser (like couple of their banners etc.) would this also convince the editor to change back to my URL.

I really appreciate your time to help me dig myself out of the hole.
Huseyin Polat

Your question can't be answered generally. We'd need specifics.

Even then, we might not be able to answer. Please bear in mind that posting here isn't a way to expedite listings or listing changes. We'd only comment on whether the change you desire is good for the directory and, if so, how to go about achieving it.

thank you Jim

Thank you for quick response,
I understand that posting here won't help to get my problem solved, But I at least understand the concept how things work.. Do I have any option other than asking for updates? such as calling the editor via his cellphone or go to his house and knock the door ? just kidding..
I mean is there other people that I can request my changes. I know there are supermoderators , maybe I can convince them !
thank you for your time Jim.

While there are Meta-Editors, we don't speed up listings/updates on request. Just suggest an update explaining the situation (if you didn't already do that) and it will be changed if the editor is convinced it should be.

As Jim already said: We can't comment if it should be changed when we don't know further details.

Do I have any option other than asking for updates? such as calling the editor via his cellphone or go to his house and knock the door ? just kidding..

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Your "just kidding" wouldn't wash if you showed up at my house or called me at home.

At a bare minimum, a police report would be filed. On the other end of the spectrum, you wouldn't want to think about it.

You say "just kidding" but it is not "just kidding" to us. Editors have been harrassed, and stalked by moronic/unbalanced webmasters who could not get their way. We take our personal safety very seriously, and I am offended that you can make a cavalier joke about invading our personal privacy and personal space and casually dismiss it with a "just kidding".

What gunner said!

Yeah, somebody called me once to put pressure on me. I filed an abuse report. His site will never be listed.

Back to the question.

The problem is probably that your sites now looks like it is owned by Bloggs Inc (or whatever). Bloggs Inc might, now or in the future, own fifty domains with the intention of having them each listed separately. It happens, especially in real estate and financial services and porn and, err, most other categories as well. So the editor has, quite rightly, listed the ultimate source.

You sold your site. Its new owner is hence the center of vegas-world.

PS: I am not an editor, merely a passing nobody.

Thank you for the response

OK, I would like to end this conversation here. Sorry for offending the editor with the silly joke. I couldn't imagine this would actually happen, If I were the editor I would call police too if that really happened, But I would ignore if somebody clearly states he is kidding. My bad sorry.

I don't know what jdaw1 talking about, blogger porn what else ?? anyway if this person really knows then he can check the whois database of the website to see the real owner, it is open public information.

thank you

We don't mind who owns a domain, we just mind the content of the site.

A very basic example: If _I_ would register a domain and make it a mirror of ebay, we wouldn't list it because Ebay is already listed. If - instead of making it a mirror - I would write some documentation which was pretending to be from Ebay, we still would not list the site, because Ebay is already listed and their documentation is supposed to be available somewhere on their site. We would not bother checking if the documentation really is availble from the main ebay site. If you tried to find something in their help you know why

windharp said:

We don't mind who owns a domain, we just mind the content of the site.

A very basic example: If _I_ would register a domain and make it a mirror of ebay, we wouldn't list it because Ebay is already listed. If - instead of making it a mirror - I would write some documentation which was pretending to be from Ebay, we still would not list the site, because Ebay is already listed and their documentation is supposed to be available somewhere on their site. We would not bother checking if the documentation really is availble from the main ebay site. If you tried to find something in their help you know why

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Thank you Winharp,
I absolutely agree what you are saying about ebay example. How about if ebay has domain name called myebay.com and has nothing in it but one link to ebay.com .. would you list ebay.com or myebay.com ?.. I am not trying to get listed twice I would like to have my main website get listed..
I think I have no chance so I gave up.. thank you all for listening.
All the best

We usually list the site where the content is. If myebay contains only the link, we wouldn't usually list it.

Let's try a more difficult thought: Imagine ebay had it's content splitted on several domains, i.e. ebay1.com (auctions), ebay2.com (help), ebay3.com (forums), ... If myebay.com would now be the page offering links to all of those domains, we would usually list myebay.com instead of those domains.

Why do we do that? Because the abovementioned structure is exactly the structure of ebay right now. Only that they use subdomains and folders instead of domains. We don't care which structure a company generates, we try to find the main page and list that.

(Even though this might not help you with your current problem, it might help you understanding the situation)

redirecting to another website

Hi Editors,
I have a website listed in DMOZ however I have a main website that is not listed in DMOZ, the website that is listed in DMOZ was useless for me and I want to redirected to my main website that has all the content. My main website is originally listed in DMOZ for two years and editor switched the URL to my second website.
If I redirect this second website to my main website, would editor change back my listing to original website ? Or he has to put me in the queue and I need to wait another up to 2 years for that?
thank you

If you have put the redirect in place, feel free to submit an "Update URL" request for the change. Usually update requests are processed a lot faster than URL suggestions.

(I suggest not to include the addition of keywords or similiar changes in the request. Otherwise it might be considered spam and trashed)

windharp said:

If you have put the redirect in place, feel free to submit an "Update URL" request for the change. Usually update requests are processed a lot faster than URL suggestions.

(I suggest not to include the addition of keywords or similiar changes in the request. Otherwise it might be considered spam and trashed)

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Thank you windharp, I am just scared a little bit of bothering the editor for this request though.
I will make this update request as you have advised me.
thank you

There is no reason to be scared. This is what editors enjoy to do.
Just be sure to do what windharp said and just request that the URL be changed after you have the redirect in place.

Listing sites in DMOZ

Hi,

I am writing this before I totally give up on Dmoz and remove all links to them from my site.

I have trying to list for 2 years. In all that time, all of the categories (real estate, regional, investment property) I have noticed there are no editors listed at the bottom of the relevant page. So maybe thats the reason it isn't listed. But we would never know, because the dmoz god and his cohorts (editors) don't/can't communicate.

My site is unique. Its clean. It has very useful information regarding property investment that is free. It does not appear to contradict any dmoz specifics.
No clandestine techniques anywhere.

The section to which I have applied for a listing is very bare by comparison to the big boy search engines. SO it really could do with some upgrading. I have noticed there have been very few additions since I first applied to list.

I think dmoz will die eventually. I have read that they only uplift around 1000 sites per week to the directory. I don't think that is going to give the public anywhere near a cross section of information relevant to searches by comparison to even the medium siz search engines available. Not when you consider the millions of urls that are new to the web every week.

I have also rooted about in this forum occasionally, and it appears that the comments from some of the editors are "elitist" and disparaging to webmasters and SEO's. It has been documented that in their own private forum (can't remember the name of it now) they openly laugh and joke about the situation and frustrations of seo's/webmasters. The fact is that if google etc did not utilise dmoz as a source, nobody would bother with it. On its own, it is really quite a sparse and useless provider, because the amount of data stored/registered by editors is limited. What editors must realise is that it is the SEO's and webmasters who provide the material for dmoz to exist, and dmoz should really start some sort of contributary campaign to communicate with them, so that the relationship could be mutually beneficial.

I am in several other forums, even though I am new to seo etc, and the vast majority of people I communicate with think dmoz is a joke. They have given up on them already--and if dmoz aren't careful, this malaise will spread.

I also don't think the non-seo/webmaster types use dmoz at all, so this situation could be critical. Lets see what what happens then to the"holier than thou" attitude of the rather large ego'd editors who seem to take pride in their obscene approach to the job of editing.

After all, why do they do it? I think we know the answer to that one.......

[quote name='rslaing]I think dmoz will die eventually. [/QUOTE]I believe that everything will die eventually. [QUOTE]I have read that they only uplift around 1000 sites per week to the directory.[/QUOTE]I think your numbers are a bit off - see the ODP monthly reports for more accurate information. [QUOTE] On its own, it is really quite a sparse and useless provider, because the amount of data stored/registered by editors is limited. [/QUOTE]I guess that's true, if you consider over 5,000,000 listed sites sparse.[QUOTE']After all, why do they do it? I think we know the answer to that one.......[/quote]Yes we do know the answer - because it's something we enjoy doing.

Arrogant and unhelpful replies in this forum

Surely that last reply typifies and underlines my original comments.

WHy are all of the editors comments in this forum so defensive? Has any one ever had a useful, helpful reply in here?

I have since read a comment in here that the way to approach dmoz is to think of it as another site that that you are requesting a link from....
That is an excellent way to look at it----but there is a problem. When you link exchange, the other person normally responds. Plus there is a benefit to each of you. Dmoz don't look at it like that, even though if it wasn't for website owners, they wouldn't exist.

In spite of the reply, we know why editors become editors. Do I have to spell it out? They become editors to get there site on dmoz. I would, if it was possible, love to find out how many editors had there sites listed before they became editors. The "corrupt dmoz editor" site surely explains a lot. If the claims within are not true, because they certainly are damaging, why hasn't there been any lawsuits? (Maybe this post will be removed because of that reference--maybe not in the interests of free speech, which we have in the UK, and the "free" www)

The editors' attitudes seems to be that although they are supposed to be providing a service, it seems to be a self serving situation.

I am sure that we can all relate to the frustrations of people who actually bother to become members here, to post their comments/questions, only to get abused by editors or fobbed off with poor rhetoric when asking a serious question that bothers them.

But we know the stock answer from editors don't we " If you don't like it--don't come here or use dmoz"

Brilliant quality of service. That attitude sure gets progressive companies a long way--not.

Brilliant quality of service.

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Do you see ODP as a free listing service which gives poor service?