Regional is a special place in DMOZ. Unlike the rest of the directory, where sites are primarily organized by their topics, in Regional sites are primarily organized by location. Every language in DMOZ has a Regional branch, and almost all have dedicated editors, endeavoring to keep their little (or big!) corner of the directory in tip-top shape.
Every website that has regional relevance and meets our site selection criteria can be listed in Regional, and purely local businesses are only found in Regional - so it's an important part of the directory, and one we are proud of. But we must admit: it's not always so easy to find specific types of sites in a particular area. Because of the hierarchical structure of the directory, and the editorial guidelines for site placement, you have to search around a bit to locate, say, all sites for bowling alleys in your area. They are likely to be listed in different localities, and depending on how many sites are listed in that locality, they may be listed at various levels in the topical hierarchy for the locality.
Recent improvements in our data infrastructure have allowed us to come up with a new way to present the data in our regional categories. We call this new presentation Regional Trees, and have rolled it out in a few corners of our Regional branches, to see how it works out. Take a look at a few examples:
Creating a tree view for a regional structure does take extra work on the part of our editors, who must go through our existing listings and assign a specific topic to each one. So we're trying it out on a small scale first. Visit our Regional Trees category for an up-to-date list of the regional areas that are already participating.
When you visit a category that's part of a Regional Tree, you'll see the
icon to the right of the category path. Click the icon to take you to the tree view. Navigate around to more or less specific topics, and up and down the regional hierarchy. When you want to return to the traditional category view, just click the
icon to take you right back.
We hope you find our new feature useful! If you'd like to contribute to a Regional Tree in your own neck of the woods, apply to become an editor! Soon, you could be adding and organizing sites in your favorite area, and helping your neighbors find the sites of deserving local organizations and businesses.
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Every website that has regional relevance and meets our site selection criteria can be listed in Regional, and purely local businesses are only found in Regional - so it's an important part of the directory, and one we are proud of. But we must admit: it's not always so easy to find specific types of sites in a particular area. Because of the hierarchical structure of the directory, and the editorial guidelines for site placement, you have to search around a bit to locate, say, all sites for bowling alleys in your area. They are likely to be listed in different localities, and depending on how many sites are listed in that locality, they may be listed at various levels in the topical hierarchy for the locality.
Recent improvements in our data infrastructure have allowed us to come up with a new way to present the data in our regional categories. We call this new presentation Regional Trees, and have rolled it out in a few corners of our Regional branches, to see how it works out. Take a look at a few examples:
- Libraries in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area
- Hostels in Nova Scotia
- Outdoor activities in Cyprus
- Automotive businesses in Liechtenstein
- Schools in Bursa (Turkey)
Creating a tree view for a regional structure does take extra work on the part of our editors, who must go through our existing listings and assign a specific topic to each one. So we're trying it out on a small scale first. Visit our Regional Trees category for an up-to-date list of the regional areas that are already participating.
When you visit a category that's part of a Regional Tree, you'll see the
We hope you find our new feature useful! If you'd like to contribute to a Regional Tree in your own neck of the woods, apply to become an editor! Soon, you could be adding and organizing sites in your favorite area, and helping your neighbors find the sites of deserving local organizations and businesses.
Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Continue reading...
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