Shopping Category Questions

I realize from reading through posts on this forum that the Shopping Category is not a favorite subject, but I would appreciate your indulgence. A few months ago I suggested my web site, but I feel I did not submit to the best category. We sell custom made blinds and shades and I submitted to Shopping: Home_and_Garden: Windows: Window_Coverings: Blinds. I apparently wasn't paying close attention because it looks like I should have submitted to the immediate parent category Shopping: Home_and_Garden: Windows: Window_Coverings.

Should I resubmit to the parent category or leave it to the editor? I tried to use the "update" feature to suggest the correction, but it apparently only works with sites that have been listed.

Also, I noticed a problem with the site suggestion form for the "Window Coverings" category (Shopping: Home_and_Garden: Windows: Window_Coverings). The following note appears, which is the same note that appears in the sub-category "Blinds", where it seems more appropriate. And further, the supplied link is invalid.

This category is for websites that mainly or only sell window blinds. If the site sells blinds and other types of window coverings, please submit the listing to Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings.

Click to expand...

The description page seems to have the same error: http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings/desc.html.

Where can I report these errors? I've seen reference to "feedback" but I'm not sure where to submit it.

Thanks,
Mike

So, how can you best help the editor find the right category for a site you suggest?--given that you made a mistake once before?

Well, suggest the site again.

Won't two suggestions breach the submitters' guidelines? No. The guidelines DO allow for ONE follow-up suggestion.

And if you put a note to the editor [say, in brackets like this at the end of the suggested description] saying: "I also suggested this site to category xxx by mistake" -- the editor will know just what to do to clean up the mess (and it's a very small mess!).

From this point of view, the guidelines are both much more restrictive than often suspected, and much more lenient than often allowed. If your suggestion helps, and is obviously NOT intended to break the "suggest to the ONE BEST category" rule, no editor will resent it. We all make mistakes, and other volunteers clean them up. If you don't make an ostentatious habit of persistent mistake-making, the other volunteers will be happy to clean yours up also.

Very helpful, thank you.

Mike

Thanks also for mentioning the issues with the category description. After our server crash in late '06, that happened in a number of categories throughout the directory: the description from a subcategory ended up copied into the parent category as well.

I've deleted the errant description.

Great, much better.

But also note that their are several links that are bad within those description notes.

The text "Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings" and "submission guidelines" on the following pages lead to "Page Not Found" errors.

http://www.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/add.cgi?where=Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings/Blinds

http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings/Blinds/desc.html

Mike

Sorry, I'd just fixed the parent category description. I've corrected the links in the Blinds category description now. Thanks.

Not to be a pest, but the very first "submission guidelines" link on this page is still bad:

http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings/desc.html

as well as on this page (although I assume it pulls from the same description):

http://www.dmoz.org/cgi-bin/add.cgi?where=Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Windows/Window_Coverings

Mike

Finding real problems isn't being a "pest". It's being a "quality assurance volunteer."