Site with Deep Content - Multiple Submissions

Hi:

I am the webmaster of a site that has a LOT of deep content. Well over 40,000 pages, non-comercial, but has banners on it. All in all, a pretty, quality site (but all webmasters say that, don't we <img src="/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> )

Anyway, I did some BG reading on submissions, and to my way of reading the submission guidelines, multiple submissions of different, unique content are allowed from the same site. That is correct, right?

Anyway, that is the way I read it. So, I submitted pages targeted to specific topics to highly appropriate categories about 4 weeks ago. I submitted probably 20 pages or so. I wrote individual descriptions (not just a blanket one for all, as each were different topics!), and included my real e-mail address. I tried to do everything above board and on the level, no disguising the fact they were all from me, or from the same site or anything.

So, after about 20 submissions, I thought I would stop, wait a couple weeks and see what happened. If I did wrong, I did not want to go any further.... but if I got a positive response, I would add more.

So it has been 4 weeks. I am in a quandry what to do...

Did I submit appropriately? Have I upset someone? Did my 20 submissions get me labeled as a bad spammer? Are things still in process? Should I continue to wait? Should I submit more pages in the meantime? Do my submission dissapear from the queue after 20 days, and I should resubmit?

The bottom line is I want to be listed, and I think I can add some good material- and a LOT of material (if that is acceptable), but I do NOT want to be labled a SPAMMER, either! (Here, on the outside, it is hard to know how you will be taken!) So, I talked to a friend on the webmasterworld forum, and he suggested I take my questions here. I am not asking for someone to go in and just OK all my submissions.... but to give me some guidance that I am OK in doing this (or delete my submissions if I submitted wrongly).

Oh, I should add that this area of DMOZ has no editor, so I cannot just e-mail that person- there is no one there! I imagine this might have a lot to do with this to. But- again, from the outside looking in- I do not know. If the submissions have been dissalowed or are not appropriate, I just do not know.

OK, 'nuff talk, I think you understand. Thank you for your help and guidance!

dave

We'll need to know which pages you submitted, and to which categories. Clickable links will make it all much easier.

dfy:

Happy to. Was not sure if that was appropriate to start with- figured I'd wait until someone asked...

Here is an example or two:

My pages:

http://www.bcdb.com/pages/Hanna-Barbera/index.html
http://www.bcdb.com/pages/Hanna-Barbera/D-F/The_Flintstones/index.html

Dmoz cats:

http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Studios/Hanna-Barbera/
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Cartoons/Titles/F/Flintstones,_The/

thaks!

dave

Well I've only looked at the Flintstones page, and I have mixed feelings about it. The layout is good in that the content is easy to find and the adverts that are there are clearly marked and not overwhelming. However the content is not really unique. http://i-flintstones.tripod.com/ which is already listed in the category has a much better organised list with more information. Taking a closer look at the two sites shows that the text on yours bears a suspicious similarity the to text on the other site.

Overall I'd say that that page adds nothing unique to the category. I don't want to completely discourage you from submitting, but you need to be adding unique content in order to get a deep-link listed. Try checking through the categories in future to see if you can already find the same information on another site already listed. If you can, you're not adding anything and your submission will probably be deleted.

dfy:

Thank you for your candid response. I would be lying if I said I was not somewhat dissapointed in your view, but oh well, that is what I asked for- an honest assesment! I had not noticed that specific site you mentioned (although there is another site listed in that category that I did use as a credited source (with permission) for some of my information.) To be blunt, I would love to argue this (in a freindly manner, of course!) with you, but I do not think this forum is the time or place for that!

In any case, I probably picked a bad example... let me throw out another which is ideed a bit more unique...

My page:

http://www.bcdb.com/pages/Other_Studios/B/Blue_Sky_Studios/index.html

Cat Submitted to:

http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Studios/Blue_Sky_Studios,_Inc./

This really brings me back to my original question... In instances more like this second example, can I (or should I) be submitting pages like mine to categories such as I have?

Your point of original content raises a second question for me... I had only been submitting sites the categories that had a DIRECT connection... like the above Flintstones into the Flintstones category. However, there are OTHER Flintstones shows that are not specifically categorized or represented. Should pages such as this:

Flintstone Kids
The Flintstones Show
The Flintstones Comedy Hour

Be submitted... or am I spamming?

Again, thank you for your help, and I do appreciate your bluntness, too! In fact, I prefer it. You do not offend me with your honesty (and I hope I do not to you!)

Thanks!

dave

Hmm, this one's a bit more interesting. Blue Sky's own site is listed in the category, and it carries far more useful information on two of their productions, however it doesn't mention the other four that are on your site. To be honest, the two future features you have are a bit pointless. There are no details on the films (presumably because no details are known), so they don't really add anything. This means that your unique content boils down to short details on one feature and one short produced by the company.

Whether or not to list this site is a difficult decision, but I can definitely say that you won't be penalised for submitting it.

In case it isn't clear from my previous post, what I'm saying is that the sub-sites you are submitting would not be considered as spam. They may be thought to be light on content, or not unique, but they wouldn't be considered inappropriate.

I should warn you though that we have seen sites like yours in the past that have lots of pages that get submitted to various categories and accepted. Once those sites got popular, they started to increase the amount of advertising and added affiliate links to take advatge of their increased traffic. Then one day a senior editor came along and thought "This site doesn't really offer much, it looks more like an excuse for advertising than a genuine resource", and all of the listings got removed. Be careful how you develop your site.

I would think that http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Studios/Blue_Sky_Studios,_Inc./ was meant for sites about the studio and not just a list of the cartoons they publish. In my opinion none of these pages have enough content, unique or not, to warrant individual listings. All are easy enough to find from the main page should a user what the info offered.

Just my two cents
old crone

dfy:

Thanks for your input. I have learned a lot from your posts, and I appreciate you taking the time to go a bit in depth to your thought process, so I can understand it a bit better. Let me see if I can boil this down:

1) The site itself is fine.

2) Deep linking is really a very discressionary practice, and the rules are a LOT tougher, and a lot more stringently applied. As I read between the lines, I think it is a lot more impoertant for me as a submitter to check the category submitted to for similar content, and to be a lot more selective in my submissions (just because I have a part of my site that may fit in a category, it is useless to DMOZ unless it is substancially different that any other sites in that cat.)

I have learned a lot from these responses, and I will try to make any future submissions only when they are truely something not currently represented in that cat!

Great resourse, and I am glad that editors take the time to help!

dave

PS thanks for the advice on the future of the site, too. I think I know who you mean, BTW! It is a fine line to walk.... a webmaster has to pay for his/her site, but you do not want to be annoying, either.