shopping directories and affiliate links

I run a uk shopping directory and held back from submitting to dmoz because it has around 70% affiliate links. This goes against the submittal guidelines. However by its very nature a shopping directory links to shops! you would be rather stupid not to earn a little cash whilst providing your service.
I did submit in the end (though I expect to be denied) i submitted because, after browsing the other entries in the shopping directories category(ies), the majority of the sites are ofcourse full of affiliate links (may i say some are damn right ugly).

What is your policy on shopping directories?

This is something which has bugged me for a while so i'd like some feedback.


thanks
paul <img src="/images/icons/confused.gif" alt="" />

http://www.uk-online-shops.co.uk


<img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" /> i've just been told that my site was rejected. As i thought would happen, so what makes a worthy shopping directory?

oh i could sit here typing away - rambling my case for inclusion...why...why... or i could just go to bed.

thankyou odp for your time............zzz

Well, the ODP is a directory, so basically in order to be unique you should offer something that the ODP doesn't (and couldn't even if they copied your links.)

It should be apparent that this is not easy, and as the standards get higher, you should expect to see more "directory" sites REMOVED from the ODP (for no longer presenting unique content) than you'll see new ones added.

A newly submitted site should be _significantly_ better than the poorest site in the category (which, of course, would probably be removed if it _were_ re-reviewed today) as well as significantly better than what the ODP category could be within the "expected review time" (that is, the next six months or so.)

A generic shopping category without a very large staff simply will not be able to put together something like this. The only way for a small project to meet the current standards is to focus tightly on some topic not well served by the ODP or other directories. (The first copy of something is "unique", the next isn't.)