Is storefront missing element?

Hi - A little over a year ago, I first submitted my URL for possible inclusion in the Open Directory project. After several months of not hearing, I submitted it again. I've done that at least once more after that (about every 4 months). Each time I submitted it to a different location (being unsure exactly what had happened and with my site fitting multiple categories).

My site is a custom home building website. My brother and I build custom homes for a living and the site is our resource for publishing various forms, pictures, company philosophy, contacts, etc.

I think I followed all the rules for a proper submission and think my website is thorough and complete and has a substantial amount of information.

Instead of continuing to resubmit periodically, I wanted to try to do some research as to maybe why it hasn't made the Directory. So I found this forum today and I saw someone mention that the absence of a storefront was a possible reason. I (like most of my fellow builders) run my business out of my house and so all I have for an address is a PO Box where I pick up my mail. We are state licensed and a member of two local chamber of commerces as well as the local and national home builder's associations.

Any help or guidance you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill Berg
Berg Mountain Homes

As a general sort of response

Having a storefront address is important if you want to listed in Regional, since regional is about wher you are and we would generally not want to list a business that no one could go visit. We also list businesses by where they are physically lcoated, rather than by the markets they serve (or claim to serve as is often the case)

In the topical part of the directory, having a physical address is less important, since people are looking for type of businesses, as opposed to businesses located withing a given locality.

I think I followed all the rules for a proper submission and think my website is thorough and complete and has a substantial amount of information.

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Then I guess you missed the part when it said to submit once to the single best category?

Multiple submissions to the same category will keep moving the suggestion down in date order (for those editors who might look at them in date order). Multiple submissions of the same site across multiple categories is verging on spam and will definitely not improve the speed of listing. Indeed, it can have the opposite effect.

Callimachus said:

Then I guess you missed the part when it said to submit once to the single best category?

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That sounds easy and all but sometimes it isn't. The site I submitted is a delivery,moving and courier company, unfortunately there isn't a single best category. While you can just say "pick one" that isn't the best thing for a company, they are all very important parts. Some people actually want their sites listed in here and are just looking for help in doing so. Coming down on people for what you consider "verging on spam" is ridiculous. If there was a way for people to know their site was pending, denied, or lost then maybe it would be spam. So maybe get off your high horse and give the standard answer "No we can't do anything to help you".

So maybe get off your high horse and give the standard answer "No we can't do anything to help you".

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You could do something to help us though - by following our guidelines.

If you suggest your website to three different categories, it needs to be processed three times instead of once.

Tripling the editorial workload doesn't endear you to editors and isn't a good way speeding the editorial process up either.

The site I submitted is a delivery,moving and courier company

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Unless it has several depots, that belongs in its locality. Wherever else would it go?

Thats fine Jim but editors being snide and rude to people that are just curious/worried about their websites doesn't endear them to us. I'm sorry but some of the replies in these forums are just that.

My company is based in one locality, not restricted to that one category on where we service. And it could go in delivery,couriers,or moving services so when people are searching for any of those instead of by region they would find us.

so when people are searching for any of those instead of by region they would find us.

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Just to point out that this is a directory, not a search engine.

Your website will likely end up being listed in its locality so you might as well have suggested it to there to start with. That would have saved you a bunch of angst and us a whole load of shifting it around - which not only takes editorial effort, it takes elapsed time (which is what I suspect your root complaint to be).

Right and you search for directory listings...

I'm not the OP I submitted mine to one category. This is obviously not going to go anywhere I just wanted to voice my opinion on how some of the editors on this forum come down and act rude to the people asking questions. Not all....some. Anyway sorry Jim I'll quit wasting your time on this.

Move along people,nothing to see here...

I'll forego a justifiable rant about how those who suggest sites obviously don't bother to follow the very explicit guidelines and then come here say they did and complaining. It happens day after day after day.

I wasn't being rude, I was being curt and to the point. Sometimes that's the only way many people seem to actually get the point (if you'll read many of the back postings in similar veins.

There are many who have promoted the disabling of all external suggestions (I'm not one of them) for that very reason. If people can't have the courtesy to read the guidelines that have been prepared to help them, and us, do a better job and then follow them then why should they expect anything but frustrated, curt answers in return?