Please help ~ improper category and description

On your website, you have a link to my "Kambriel" website which is an online clothing and accessories store, described incorrectly as an: "Experiement in digital manipulation and creation, melting the flesh of horror, fantasy, and reality." The link appears here:

http://search.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/search?search=kambriel

and here:

Society: Subcultures: Gothic: Art

Kambriel is an online store for gothic clothing and accessories, and does not match the description you have used at all. We are not a Gothic Art website. Please remove the link to my site from your art directory. I have tried to do this myself, but was not able to. Please work on this right away as this bizarre description has overtaken my legitimate ones on many search engines. As an online business, it is vital that my customers are able to find me through accurate descriptions.

You're looking at old search results. That was fixed on 13/Mar/2005. Look in the category; it is not there.

djdeeds said:

You're looking at old search results. That was fixed on 13/Mar/2005. Look in the category; it is not there.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your response. Does this mean that this description/category will be eliminated from the results soon as well? I was especially concerned because this description comes up first on a google search for "Kambriel", which of course transfers to many various search engines. Do you have any suggestions about getting this fixed on Google?

The answer is a mix of two FAQ questions, I think reading
1) http://resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=odp#faq_search
2) http://resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=odp#faq_google
should clear it. Am I right?

windharp said:

The answer is a mix of two FAQ questions, I think reading
1) http://resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=odp#faq_search
2) http://resource-zone.com/forum/faq.php?faq=odp#faq_google
should clear it. Am I right?

Click to expand...

Thank you for your response, but I am still unclear about the answers to my questions.

1. I see that the search results lag behind what is actually in the category. From the faq, am I to assume this undesirable result for my website should be removed shortly?

2. I know that ODP is not part of Google, but I thought that perhaps the knowledgable people here would have some good suggestions for me. I have attempted different avenues of contacting Google, but I only get automated replies. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

1. I see that the search results lag behind what is actually in the category. From the faq, am I to assume this undesirable result for my website should be removed shortly?

Click to expand...

No, you can't I'm afraid. Normally you can expect ODP search to update in a week, there are some problems that prevent that happening right now. If you read enough posts here, you will find we don't put a high priority on search anyway - it's a directory not a search engine.

2. I know that ODP is not part of Google, but I thought that perhaps the knowledgable people here would have some good suggestions for me. I have attempted different avenues of contacting Google, but I only get automated replies. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Personally I would not waste time trying to contact Google, they will update when they feel like it. We have not control of it, and neither will you. Estimates on when they update range from once a month to once a year. Figure an average of two months after you see a change in ODP. And Google totally ignore ODP search - so that has no effect.

bobrat said:

No, you can't I'm afraid. Normally you can expect ODP search to update in a week, there are some problems that prevent that happening right now. If you read enough posts here, you will find we don't put a high priority on search anyway - it's a directory not a search engine.

Personally I would not waste time trying to contact Google, they will update when they feel like it. We have not control of it, and neither will you. Estimates on when they update range from once a month to once a year. Figure an average of two months after you see a change in ODP. And Google totally ignore ODP search - so that has no effect.

Click to expand...

The reply I have recently received from Google actually said:

"Regarding your request about your site's listing in our Google Directory
feature, please note that the Google Directory is built on work done by
the Open Directory Project, a network of volunteers managed by Netscape.
While we receive many worthwhile suggestions on better ways to organize
the Google Directory, we are not in a position to change it ourselves. If
you would like to offer this suggestion to the ODP, please visit
http://dmoz.org/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi?where=top"

Regards,
The Google Team

So now even google has told me to contact the ODP to get this problem fixed. I do understand that this will take some time for the search engines to get updated, but I just need to know what can be done to get the ball rolling. Is there someone I should check in with regarding the problems in updating (at this time) that you referred to, so I can have this taken care as soon as it is possible? Please let me stress that this description was never on my website, it was created by someone who has absolutely nothing to do with the business. This is my livelihood, so it is very important to me. I appreciate any and all responses.

The listing used to be in Society/Subcultures/Gothic/Art and was there for a couple of years - it was removed only 3 weeks ago. It appears to have been added there by mistake with a description from another site - however I'm not sure why you waited until now to ask for it to be fixed.

As I stated it will take time for Google to catch up with the change - their response is a canned response they give to everyone. They fail to mention that they do not update their directory from ODP in a timely manner. As I said - my estimate is that it may take two months for them to make the change.

You should however, be aware that there are many users of ODP data, and some of those users do not update their listings very frequently. I regret there is nothing we can do that will force them to make the changes.

ADDED - it seems that it was not an editors mistake but something you did

I see that your site says Kambriel ® and Atrocities ®

The description that "was incorrect" was for artrocities.com - the URL was changed from kambriel.com to artrocities.com - you must have had "mirrored" sites being submitted

And your site says

"Thank you for your interest in the designs of Kambriel. Ever since the release of our premiere collection
under the Atrocities name in 1994, we have striven to create finely handmade designs with a classically
timeless feel from the most luxurious fabrics and trimmings available.
Enjoy your visit ~ we hope we will offer something wonderful for you!
With wishes to darken the days and prolong the nights,"
~ Kambriel

So you owned both the sites.

------
http://www.gothling.com/mick/january262003.php :: Kambriel (formerly Atrocities) Fantastical Designs Betwixt Today and Timelessness

bobrat said:

The listing used to be in Society/Subcultures/Gothic/Art and was there for a couple of years - it was removed only 3 weeks ago. It appears to have been added there by mistake with a description from another site - however I'm not sure why you waited until now to ask for it to be fixed.

Click to expand...

I was not aware of this inaccurate description until recently as whenever I had searched for "Kambriel" before correct descriptions came up. Now this strange description is above my legitimate ones, and I am asking for help to fix this now that I know this.

bobrat said:

As I stated it will take time for Google to catch up with the change - their response is a canned response they give to everyone. They fail to mention that they do not update their directory from ODP in a timely manner. As I said - my estimate is that it may take two months for them to make the change.

Click to expand...

I know it will take some time to refresh these other directories which is why I am trying to get the ball rolling to fix the problem. All I am asking is that someone go into the dmoz directory and delete the "Experiement..." entry as on the dmoz directory, it comes up first on a "Kambriel" search.

bobrat said:

You should however, be aware that there are many users of ODP data, and some of those users do not update their listings very frequently. I regret there is nothing we can do that will force them to make the changes.

Click to expand...

I can understand that fact, but for those who do I want this problem fixed so it will correct the problem in time. I appreciate your time and any assistance you can offer.

bobrat said:

ADDED - it seems that it was not an editors mistake but something you did

I see that your site says Kambriel ® and Atrocities ®

The description that "was incorrect" was for artrocities.com - the URL was changed from kambriel.com to artrocities.com - you must have had "mirrored" sites being submitted

And your site says

"Thank you for your interest in the designs of Kambriel. Ever since the release of our premiere collection
under the Atrocities name in 1994, we have striven to create finely handmade designs with a classically
timeless feel from the most luxurious fabrics and trimmings available.
Enjoy your visit ~ we hope we will offer something wonderful for you!
With wishes to darken the days and prolong the nights,"
~ Kambriel

So you owned both the sites.

------
http://www.gothling.com/mick/january262003.php :: Kambriel (formerly Atrocities) Fantastical Designs Betwixt Today and Timelessness

Click to expand...

Yes, we do own both sites and Atrocities was the former name for our Clothing Company (our merchandise was the same, just a name change). Once again, this description was never on any of our websites (Meta tags or otherwise) and is not accurate for either.

I'll try to make it simple:

The listing was already removed weeks ago, you now have to wait for search to catch up. As I stated - there are problems with search being up to date, there is nothing more that can be done till it catches up.

bobrat said:

I'll try to make it simple:

The listing was already removed weeks ago, you now have to wait for search to catch up. As I stated - there are problems with search being up to date, there is nothing more that can be done till it catches up.

Click to expand...

Sorry, I am not trying to be a pain. I am just a bit antsy because this is how I make my living, so it is important to me and my family. I will try to be patient. Again, thank you for your input.

Talking of improper categories....


Why is this posted in the Bugs and Features forum, when neither bug nor feature is being discussed?