Please remove my listing

Please remove the listing for my company, Britecorp:
http://www.britecorp.co.uk

which can be found here:
http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/Uni...ters_and_Internet/Web_Design_and_Development/

The reason is because of the description provided:

Includes service details, webmaster articles, and contact details

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is being used by Google to describe my website, and can only be damaging in that there is no attempt to even began to describe the fact that it is an internet marketing services website.

Your cooperation in this matter is much appreciated.

I'm sorry, but as long as britecorp.co.uk is a functioning web site without illegal content it should not be removed from the directory. Feel free to submit update requests of the description, but do take care to ensure that the suggested description does conform to the editor guidelines - otherwise it's unlikely to be considered at all.

I'm sorry, nea, but I really don't see any reason why my reasonable request should not be complied with.

We neither list nor delist sites on demand. As nea said, you may submit an update request but we don't remove functioning sites that meet our guidelines.

If you really feel that the site should be listed in DMOZ, then you are welcome to consider the request I made to the relevant marketing section almost 2 years ago, and assign a proper descriptive title to it.

However, I do not accept that I have to accept a regional listing with a third-rate description, nor that it is my responsibility to submit a request to edit that listing when it bears no resemblance to my original submission description in the first place.

I am asking politely that the regional listing be removed. I find it hard to understand why DMOZ editors think they should ignore this request.

We do not remove listings on request.

However, I do not accept that I have to accept a regional listing with a third-rate description, nor that it is my responsibility to submit a request to edit that listing when it bears no resemblance to my original submission description in the first place.

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We are under no obligation to use the title and/or description that you used when you suggested the site (and, in fact, rarely are the suggested title/description acceptable according to our guidelines).

Note: A listing in Regional does not preclude a listing in Topical in many cases so there is no need to remove one to make way for the other.

Brian, if you wish to have your listing changed, then it is your responsibility to request it. Making demands on a forum like this will not trigger this process.

While you may not like the current description or category, I would suggest that it is factually correct - you fall under the ODP definition of those offering web design and development services (which includes SEO, and other internet marketing), amongst other things. Your website shows the services you offer, articles of interest to webmasters, and contact details. (I notice that your address on the site is now Menstrie in Clackmannanshire - did you move?)

I understand that it may not be optimal for you when it comes to Google search terms, but I would strongly suggest you contact Google on this issue, as it was their decision to use the ODP description that caused you to post to this forum.

As motsa says, you are welcome to submit the URL to a non-Regional category that best describes what you do. Maybe you already have, and the suggestion awaits review, I don't know, because I haven't looked at it.

I understand your frustration, but I really strongly suggest that you take a look at the terms of submitting to the ODP before making what seem like strong demands of the editors.

Cheers.

Hi motsa, and I appreciate that DMOZ is under no obligation to use any suggested description, and I did mean to use a smiley face after the reference to the other category.

However, I consider the existing title to be damaging to my company, and consider that while the site remains listed in DMOZ, there is further opportunity for damage to my company.

I therefore think it is quite reasonable to request that it be removed entirely from DMOZ.

I believe most ISPs would have some means by which to ensure such requests are complied with. I am perplexed that DMOZ staff consider such a request unreasonable and refuse to comply with it.

I said:

However, I consider the existing title to be damaging to my company, and consider that while the site remains listed in DMOZ, there is further opportunity for damage to my company.

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Damaging? Does it say anything that is factually incorrect? (Except perhaps where the business is located, of course). I believe that it could only be considered damagaing if it says somehting that is actually incorrect.

I believe most ISPs would have some means by which to ensure such requests are complied with. I am perplexed that DMOZ staff consider such a request unreasonable and refuse to comply with it.

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Nitpick: You haven't heard from ODP staff - this forum and the people posting here are all volunteer editors and not paid staff.

The publicly-available documents state very clearly that the ODP can use whatever terms it feels appropriate to classify and describe sites.

Hi Alucard, and thank you for your reply/

Alucard said:

Brian, if you wish to have your listing changed, then it is your responsibility to request it. Making demands on a forum like this will not trigger this process.

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I attempted to make a request to remove the listing using the update information form, but it does seem very well geared towards delisting.

Also, I am aware that the Resource Zone is a place to communicate with DMOZ staff, and so seemed an appropriate place to raise the issue, and see if it is possible to be resolved.

Alucard said:

While you may not like the current description or category, I would suggest that it is factually correct - you fall under the ODP definition of those offering web design and development services (which includes SEO, and other internet marketing), amongst other things. Your website shows the services you offer, articles of interest to webmasters, and contact details.

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The standard of the description is very poor and as I've said, potentially damaging to my company.

Alucard said:

I understand that it may not be optimal for you when it comes to Google search terms, but I would strongly suggest you contact Google on this issue, as it was their decision to use the ODP description that caused you to post to this forum.

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Whether or not it is Google's decision to use such information, it is DMOZ who are supplying that information, hence why I wished to request DMOZ remove that source of information.

Alucard said:

I understand your frustration, but I really strongly suggest that you take a look at the terms of submitting to the ODP before making what seem like strong demands of the editors.

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I am trying not to sound like I am making "strong demands", as much as a reasonable request.

My points are already stated, but again, I do not feel that the request is being given common-sense consideration. Is such a request really that difficult to comply with?

Alucard said:

Damaging? Does it say anything that is factually incorrect? (Except perhaps where the business is located, of course). I believe that it could only be considered damagaing if it says somehting that is actually incorrect.

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When third parties, such as Google, list the description in context with other internet marketing company descriptions, it puts my site at a potential disadvantage is being unable to describe the company and its services. Hence the listing is potentially damaging, and why I wish to address this.

Alucard said:

Nitpick: You haven't heard from ODP staff - this forum and the people posting here are all volunteer editors and not paid staff.

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Nitpick - staff do not have to be paid to be regarded as "staff":
Definition:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=lang_en&safe=off&oi=defmore&defl=en&q=define:staff

Alucard said:

The publicly-available documents state very clearly that the ODP can use whatever terms it feels appropriate to classify and describe sites.

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While you are welcome to state so, I find the high-handed attitude quite poor. I respectfully asked for my site to be removed from DMOZ, because the DMOZ listing is potentially damaging my business. In reply, I have 3 DMOZ staff effectively telling me that they can do what they want, and have no interest in considering my request. This is not something I would consider very professional.

I believe most ISPs would have some means by which to ensure such requests are complied with. I am perplexed that DMOZ staff consider such a request unreasonable and refuse to comply with it.

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We are not an ISP. And we have a standing policy that states that we will not remove a working, guidelines-compliant listing on demand. Now, you are more than welcome to drop an email to staff@dmoz.org to see if staff (as in the paid staff, not us volunteer flunkies) would like to accomodate your request.

When third parties, such as Google, list the description in context with other internet marketing company descriptions, it puts my site at a potential disadvantage is being unable to describe the company and its services. Hence the listing is potentially damaging, and why I wish to address this.

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You need to address that with Google, though, not us. Your site is listed with us with a factually correct (if not optimal from your SEO point of view) description and the proper title.

Actually, my company is no longer located in Hull so the listing is additionally factually incorrect.

Would that be enough to get the site delisted, and if so, is there a specific procedure I can follow to ensure that the listing is removed over this matter?

No, that isn't enough. The site would be moved over to the new locality, not delisted completely.

I'm moving the listing as I write and will look into the description as I do that. It may well need a new description from our point of view, if it does not go into a Web designer category.

[Added] Yes - as I suspected, there is no such thing as a webdesigner category for Menstrie. In fact there is no category at all for Menstrie, so the site is now listed under Regional: Europe: United Kingdom: Scotland: Clackmannanshire: Business and Economy.

The change may not show immediately on the public side, but should be visible shortly.

[Added] We now do have a category for Menstrie, created by an on-the-ball UK editor.

Hi jeanmanco, and thank you very much for your help.

Apologies if I sounded demanding at first, but I am happy to see the situation resolved in this matter, and I am grateful that you took the time to address the matter as you have done so.

Technically, your initial request to have the site delisted hasn't been accepted (which is what most of this thread has been trying to explain to you). But the site is now listed in the right locality, Menstrie.

I want to stress to anyone who might be viewing this that posting here is not the way to request a change in your description. The proper way to request a description change is to use the "Update a listing" link on the page.

No problem. We don't want sites listed in the wrong place.

For anyone else looking into this thread though - we prefer people to use the 'update listing' feature, rather than post here. It is far more efficient. Only a small percentage of editors read this forum and not all of them have access to every category. By contrast an 'update listing' request will go right to the category and many editors give priority to them.

Delisting is an unusual request. Usually people shout and scream because they aren't listed. Perhaps you could pop over to some of the webmaster forums and tell them how lucky they are not to be listed!

Obviously there are some places where you can decide yourself how your site is described. DMOZ isn't one of them. Neither is Google. They may change their policy tomorrow and change it back the day after. I don't know for sure why Google might choose our description but it would be worth finding out - maybe there is good reason like you have over-SEO'd the site, or there is something a Googlebot can't read. Trawl the webmaster forums and see if you can find out. I'd be interested in knowing the answer. But even if we were able to comply and remove the listing Google doesn't take up new data from us every day and removal of the listing might damage you more unless you know the reason. Like you might disappear altogether.

I said:

When third parties, such as Google, list the description in context with other internet marketing company descriptions, it puts my site at a potential disadvantage is being unable to describe the company and its services. Hence the listing is potentially damaging, and why I wish to address this.

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You could ofcourse solve the problem which caused Google to use the DMOZ description instead of some text directly from your site. As you offer SEO services this shouldn't be a big problem for you.