Question about closed categories

Hi,

I would like to list my site in this category as my competitors are already listed here:

http://dmoz.org/Computers/Companies/Software_Development/

This category does not have a Suggest URL link (only update listing).

Can anyone tell me why this is the case? BTW, this category has been in this state for over a year. If there is some migration to another category going on, I don't understand why it would take this long to convert?

The appearance is that anyone new is locked out, protecting current turf.

Thanks

Suggestions to that category are closed. I assume that, in the future, most, if not all of the sites in this category will be moved to more appropriate subcats.

You would need to suggest your site to the subcat that best represents the nature of your company.

Thanks for the reply.

Since this category hasn't been migrated for over a year, I can safely conclude that the best possible category for my site has been locked, giving my competition a serious advantage. It is great for them, right?

LOL

BTW, I already submitted my site to a much less advantageous category (lower page rank, hard to find, etc.) over 1 year ago and didn't get listed either.

Bottom line: there is nothing "open" about Open Directory Project.

Open has nothing to do with us accepting and listing sites. Open means that we make it available free of charge to those who want to use our information.

This was not done to keep your listing out and your competition in. When a catgeory is created and becomes populated, we most often create subcats to make the listing vs category more relevant, and to make the directory easier to use. While I will not go into details, the number of companies that would desire to be in this category would cause it to be unusable and unmanagable. There are a large number of sucats available that, I am sure, you could find that your company fits into.

But if that is the case, why weren't the existing sites migrated to the sub categories? I mean, if it was done to make the directory more useful, why not move the existing sites to those same sub categories?

If it looks, smells, and tastes like bull****...

Actually I don't see that many listings in this category. There are many more in other related categories.

The really funny thing is that:

a. I have no idea if my site was every reviewed.
b. I cannot know who reviewed it, to see if there was a conflict.
c. I was given no reason why my site may have been rejected.
d. Maybe my site was banned. No way of knowing.

Considering the open and transparent nature of the Internet today, I would have to say this level of contempt for the companies that Open Directory relies on for content is unheard of.

But many people have said this, and I'm sure this will fall on deaf ears as well.

If there is some migration to another category going on, I don't understand why it would take this long to convert?

Click to expand...

Taxonomy discussions within the directory can take months...or even years.

Actually I don't see that many listings in this category. There are many more in other related categories.

Click to expand...

That is likely why the top category is closed to suggestions. If and when someone gets around to listing your site (assuming it's listable), they will list it in the top category if they feel it belongs there.

a. I have no idea if my site was every reviewed.

Click to expand...

If your site is listable (i.e. it doesn't fall into any of the categories of sites that we don't list), then the fact that it isn't listed can be taken as a sign that it hasn't been reviewed. If the site isn't listable, then its review status is irrelevant.

b. I cannot know who reviewed it, to see if there was a conflict.

Click to expand...

See my comment above. The usual answer to the question "Why isn't my site listed yet?" is "No one has gotten around to reviewing it." Conflict of interest and abuse is uncommon.

c. I was given no reason why my site may have been rejected.

Click to expand...

Per my answer to point (a), if your site is listable, then there is no reason to think that it was rejected at all.

d. Maybe my site was banned. No way of knowing.

Click to expand...

Sites are not banned lightly. If your site was banned, you'd likely have an idea that you'd done something wrong. Again, in all likelyhood, the site just hasn't been reviewed by anyone.

Considering the open and transparent nature of the Internet today, I would have to say this level of contempt for the companies that Open Directory relies on for content is unheard of.

Click to expand...

It's not contempt. We are humans and each of us has a finite amount of time and energy to devote to the ODP. If no one has decided that this category--and more specifically the unreviewed pool in this category--is where they want to spend that time and energy, then it can take a long time for a suggested site to be reviewed. It's not contempt, it's just the way things work. This particular category receives a massive amount of suggestions and the number of people who will have the urge to slog through those is likely fairly small, which furthers extends the time it can take for a suggested site to be reviewed there. For example, the chances of me ever decided that I have to edit there are slim to none because the topic just doesn't interest me. So none of the 20+ hours I will spend on the ODP this week will likely be there.

If your company has an actual physical presence somewhere (as opposed to being strictly online), you might consider also suggesting it to the locality category where the office is physically located. Regional categories frequently have shorter review times.

It sounds like you need to take a deep breath and repeat - they are not after me.

There is nowhere in any of my comments to even infer that the ODP (or myself) has any contempt for companies suggesting their sites for inclusion. You asked a question about the category being closed for suggestions, and I gave you the answer. The answer again is - that category is closed for suggestions as we feel that it is best served by being broken up into relevant subcategories.

There is no guaranty of a listing in the ODP. It has been that way since the ODP was founded, and it will be that way forever. We are not a listing service for SEOs, we are a service for the users of our directory.

>If there is some migration to another category going on, I don't understand why it would take this long to convert?

Neither do I. In fact, I don't think anyone CAN understand why some things seem to happen instantly and some things seem to take forever.

All anyone can say is, "someone must have really been interested in getting that done" or "everyody must have something more important than that to work on."

There's no Illuminated Cabal Of Website Review Prioritizers. There are only individual humans, defining their own priorities and working at their own pace. The result is not predictable or manipulable.

But why should the ODP be any different than other similar projects? Why is Wikipedia's Albert Barnes article so much shorter than the David Lipscomb article, although Barnes is much better known? Why is the English Hymnal going through Distributed Proofreaders so slowly, although it's the single most influential hymnal of its century?

I don't know. I can't know, even though I participate in one of those projects. It just depends on what people are interested in doing first.