One year later, more than two years waiting... and nothing changes

Unfair situation: 2 years and no answer

Hello!

I'm the owner of a site. I've been trying to add it to the DMOZ project for 2 years (I think I submitted it about 4 times in those 2 years, and maybe 2 more time in different categories, just to check if this was the problem) with no success.

I've read everything about the submission process, and I've checked several times that I'm picking up the right category. The quality of the site is, of course, subjective -I would say that it's a very good quality site- but since it's a commercial site of an active company, I think there's nothing against the quality standards of DMOZ.

Besides that, I've seen many other sites from different companies in my region, which are actually my direct competition, listed in this same category. You can even find old companies that are no longer working or that has moved to a different market.

Given that the DMOZ listing is a very important point to get a place in the market, being accepted makes a difference. However, I can't get any feedback from the directory, there's no way I can find out the problem, and finally I can just assume this category has been abandoned. This seems unfair to me, and as I say, if we take in consideration the importance of being listed in some contexts, my opinion is that DMOZ should not allow situations like mine.

Cheers,

Antonio

> I've been trying to add it to the DMOZ project for 2 years
That is very strange. You can not add a site to DMOZ at all. Only editors can. Maybe you meant that you suggested your website. And that is all it is "a suggestion" nothing more.

> (I think I submitted it about 4 times in those 2 years, and maybe 2 more time in different categories, just to check if this was
> the problem) with no success.
That might be the problem. Why do you think the guidelines request you to suggest a website only ONCE to the ONE best category. A second suggestion to the same category is no problem. Any more suggestions are either a waste if (your) time (suggest it to the same category) or spam (suggest it to other categories.

> I've read everything about the submission process,
Seems you have missed the most important things.

DMOZ IS NOT A LISTING SERVICE

> Given that the DMOZ listing is a very important point to get a place in the market
A rumour spread by so called SEO and Marketing experts that is nothing more than a rumour. It is not true.

> I can't get any feedback from the directory,
Correct. We do not send feedback to people who suggest websites.

> there's no way I can find out the problem
There is no problem. Except for the imaginary one in your mind.

DMOZ allows situations like yours. It says so right in the submittal policies. "No site is guaranteed a listing." DMOZ was specifically designed around the certainty that most sites should not be listed.

I'm not sure what kind of feedback you think we could give, that could help you in any honest way. Any problem we spot with your suggestion, we can fix. Any problem we spot with a site, isn't our business--we have to assume the site owner did what he wanted with it. And any site not worth listing, isn't a problem: it's simply that the site owner and the DMOZ site owner have different goals.

And it's a big web, there's room for lots of different goals.

Well, when you wait long enough to see that your submission has been rejected, I guess it's normal to try it again.

I can just think that maybe the first time there where a problem with the server, a massive problem on Internet (it sometimes happens when a backbone goes down) or even a punctual problem regarding the browser version the DMOZ reviewer was using...

If after trying twice the web is "blacklisted" and automatically rejected, of course there is an unfair situation.

I guess it's normal to try it again.

Click to expand...

Nine times to a total of 6 categories isn't normal, it's abuse.

Our suggestion guidelines at http://www.dmoz.org/add.html require that a website be suggested just once to the one best category: You acknowledged that you'd read and agreed them on each occasion. Your actions have added to the workload of our editors, thus contributing to lengthier response times for everybody.

Now that's unfair.

There is no need to re-suggest a website and doing so is counter-productive because a later suggestion overwrites any earlier one. You have been your own enemy.

Now that's funny.

<added> It's been less than ten months by the way, not 2 years. </added>

There can be server or internet problems. That's why the policies envision two suggestions of the site, separated by months.

Beyond that point, the chances of a suggestion "correcting some kind of problem" are far lower than the chances it's a time-wasting duplicate.

Hence the policy, which is makes things work most smoothly for everyone. Also hence the penalties, which adopt the extremely fair approach of penalizing people only for their own actions that (they could have known by reading the policy) waste other people's time.

But there are no "automatic" penalties, ever. The penalties are there simply to keep the editors from having any more time wasted unnecessarily, and they're applied based on editor judgment: the first penalty isn't "sudden death forever". Minor violations of the policies wouldn't result any "penalty", much less "blacklisting".

But remember, the point of the penalty is to protect the editors, not to punish anyone. So penalties are better than "fair", they're "good

Just to clarify, the website that othermore has been promoting has not (yet) been banned from being listed.

othermore said:

Well, when you wait long enough to see that your submission has been rejected, I guess it's normal to try it again.

Click to expand...

And how do you know it has been rejected.
You can only know that a site will be rejected by looking at the DMOZ guidelines.
And if you know that a site will be rejected suggesting that site is in breach with the DMOZ guidelines.
That is either stupid or malicious.
On the other hand if a site is listable and it is not listed yet than there can only be one explanation: the website has not been reviewed yet.
Suggesting such a site again is either stupid or malicious.
And as jim wrote "Nine times to a total of 6 categories isn't normal, it's abuse."

jimnoble said:

Nine times to a total of 6 categories isn't normal, it's abuse.

Click to expand...

It was 6 times in two categories....


(ADDED)

OK, it seems that you've been looking in the DB. I'm pretty sure I did not submit the site more than 6 times... but maybe some other person in my company did... You might have a point that I've been my worst enemy if this is the way it works, but with no guide about the time we have to wait, it's normal after a few months to try it again... since there's no way to check if your submission has been reviewed.

Thank you for the feed back... I'll be patient and I hope I'll be listed sooner or later.

Cheers

Hi guys!

About one year ago, I posted in this forum my situation: http://www.resource-zone.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=51403&st=0&p=274202&hl=othermore&fromsearch=1&#entry274202

The people in the forum told me then that I had been trying to submit the same site every now and then, and this caused the delay. Back then, I gave orders in my company to avoid submitting our website again...

It's been a year now, and, according to the information provided then, it's a total of almost 2 years in the waiting list. How do I know if my website has been rejected or I'm still in the waiting list? I've checked the category I sent my suggestion and I'm not listed yet... Could someone please give me some information?

Thanks!

Threads merged so as to keep the whole saga together.

Could someone please give me some information?

Click to expand...

We have nothing to add to what's already been said in this thread.

Thank you Jimnoble....

What I understood from the thread one year ago was that I shouldn't try to re-suggest the site because it push the suggestion back to the bottom of the queue. But it's been almost 2 years since then and I've got nothing. I'd really like to know what's wrong with my website to make it not valid for DMOZ and solve it, because I really would like to be in the directory. But, again, I understand that you just can't help me...

Anyway, do you recommend me to keep waiting, or to try and suggest the site again?

Thanks you,

If your website is listable (self check), it's in one of three states.
- It's listed.
- It's awaiting evaluation.
- It's been moved to a better category for further evaluation.
In no case, is there any point re-suggesting it.

If your website isn't listable, we aren't going to list it. Don't suggest it all.