Status: http://www.richmayerhomes.com

richmayer · Jan 20, 2005

Please let me know the status of http://www.richmayerhomes.com, submitted to http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/North_...s_and_Economy/Real_Estate/Residential/Agents/

In checking with my website developer, I just learned that he submitted my site on or about December 10, 2004. However, I submitted a couple of weeks ago, before I learned of his submittal. Oops!

Topping it off, I followed what I thought I read about entering the title, using my actual website title: Rich Mayer - Naperville Illinois Real Estate - Naperville Homes.

I now believe I should have used the following as a title: Rich Mayer - Coldwell Banker (as our license law requires an agent to specify the broker who holds his/her license).

If you're still with me, I will deeply appreciate your help.

Sincerely,

Rich Mayer

motsa · Jan 20, 2005

You should come back to this thread 1 full month after your last submission and we'd be happy to let you know the status of it at that time.

Don't worry about the title you suggested -- we will correct it as needed at the time the site is reviewed.

hutcheson · Jan 20, 2005

And don't worry about two submittals to the same category in the same timeframe...we've seen much worse than that, even from real estate agents. And we correct that as needed also: the big red delete key works just fine, without even invoking the "counterfire for effect" option.

arubin · Jan 21, 2005

I should add that your legal requirements for advertising a site do not effect us; however, our guidelines also require that agents be listed as "Agent Name" - "Brokerage Name", so that your site will be listed (if listed at all) as you specified later, regardless of how you submitted it.

richmayer · Jan 21, 2005

motsa said:
You should come back to this thread 1 full month after your last submission and we'd be happy to let you know the status of it at that time.

Don't worry about the title you suggested -- we will correct it as needed at the time the site is reviewed.

Thank you for your reassurance. I'll come back to the forum after a month from my last submittal, if that's even necessary.

Rich Mayer
REALTOR

richmayer · Jan 21, 2005

hutcheson said:
And don't worry about two submittals to the same category in the same timeframe...we've seen much worse than that, even from real estate agents. And we correct that as needed also: the big red delete key works just fine, without even invoking the "counterfire for effect" option.

Thanks for your quick reply. I don't wish to make more work for you--by the looks of the thread activity level, you certainly don't need it.

Sincerely,
Rich Mayer
REALTOR

richmayer · Jan 21, 2005

arubin]I should add that [b]your[/b] legal requirements for advertising a site do not effect [i]us[/i]; however said:
guidelines also require that agents be listed as "Agent Name" - "Brokerage Name", so that your site will be listed (if listed at all) as you specified later, regardless of how you submitted it.

Thank you for your help. It seems that the "system" will take care of my individual naivete and shortcomings. If not, I'll hold my request for at least one month from my last submittal.

Sincerely,
Rich Mayer
REALTOR

richmayer · Feb 1, 2005

It has now been 30 days since my last submittal, give or take 1-3 days. Please advise status. It's not your problem, but I'm dying from lack of search engine exposure. Your help is greatly appreciated.

oneeye · Feb 1, 2005

No information yet - are you sure of your dates as regards the last time it was suggested? Give it another couple of weeks to filter through and if it isn't there by then we'll tell you to submit again.

richmayer · Feb 11, 2005

It's now been more than one month since my last submittal, and somewhat over 60 days since my website developer's submittal on my behalf. Should I resubmit? I hate to do so if my prior submittals are about to filter through. Thanks, Rich Mayer

oneeye · Feb 11, 2005

Give it another 3 or 4 days - if we have no information by then you should suggest again but that is a last resort as it does you no favours.

richmayer · Feb 19, 2005

At your suggestion, I have now given it another 8 days since your last reply. It seemed like such a straightforward submittal, to get on the list with the 65 or so other Realtors in Naperville who are listed. I've been waiting since early December, the time of my website developer's first submittal.

You intimated that a resubmittal "does me no favours." May I ask, then, what am I to do to have my original submittal considered, and then accepted? And how long should I expect to wait before receiving a decision?

oneeye · Feb 19, 2005

Your site was last submitted 14 January, previous submission(s) having been overwritten in the process. That is what happens when a site already in the system is resubmitted so if an editor chooses to deal with unreviewed suggestions in date order, yours will always be at the bottom of their priorities.

Your current suggestion will be reviewed by an editor when they are able to do so. That might be tomorrow, or next year, maybe the year after. There is no way to predict such things - the FAQ section on this site explains why this is the case. As to acceptance that is a decision for the editor who does the review and the only thing that influences their decision is the ability to find sufficient quantities of good quality original material of interest to our users. You won't receive a decision - it will be listed or rejected. If the former then it will appear in the category. If the latter then an editor here will tell you in response to an update request which can be obtained at not less than 6 month intervals. You know we have your suggestion and all you can do now is to focus on other marketing activities.

Thanks for the suggestion.

richmayer · Feb 21, 2005

Thanks for your prompt reply. Too bad an actual decision could take until "next year or perhaps the year after." Forgive me if I can only conclude from the tone that all requests, no matter how innocuous or courteous, must be heartily discouraged.

Taking your suggestion, other marketing activities will have to suffice--like "buying" my way to the top of several search engines. I'd be lying if I said I was not disappointed.

oneeye · Feb 21, 2005

Forgive me if I can only conclude from the tone that all requests, no matter how innocuous or courteous, must be heartily discouraged.

You conclude correctly. If it were possible to ask an editor to expedite a review of any site that would lead to everyone making such requests and those who wait patiently would be disadvantaged. The only time I review sites as a consequence of a post here it is because a single second's glance tells me the site is unlistable beyond redemption and it is therefore not worth wasting everyone's time by asking the person to return in 6 months. So you can take it as a big plus that it hasn't been instantly reviewed!

hutcheson · Feb 21, 2005

>Taking your suggestion, other marketing activities will have to suffice--like "buying" my way to the top of several search engines.

Yes! Yes! The ODP is not a marketing tool! (And if it were, it'd be a very bad one.) It's a surfing tool, a very different thing altogether.

>I'd be lying if I said I was not disappointed.

Reality has a way of doing that. Thanks for submitting the site, though: it will help our surfers (at some point), and I'm glad we finally got the confusion cleared up.

richmayer · Feb 22, 2005

Reply

oneeye said:
So you can take it as a big plus that it hasn't been instantly reviewed!

I do. Thanks for the smilie face as well.

richmayer · Feb 22, 2005

I don't believe there ever was confusion in my mind as to the purpose of the submittal. I do recognize the value of the ODP as a surfing tool, have simply been frustrated by the time it takes to be reviewed. I'll get used to it.

richmayer · Apr 29, 2005

oneeye said:
. . . If it were possible to ask an editor to expedite a review of any site that would lead to everyone making such requests and those who wait patiently would be disadvantaged. . .

You wrote those remarks back in February. It is now two days from the beginning of May. Take it from me. Those who wait patiently are clearly already disadvantaged.

If "expediting" is an unfair strain on the system of review for a quite straightforward real estate agent site, then what sort of wasteland is it for ANY OTHER legitimate interests that would benefit from your review and a favorable outcome?

I have now waited an additional two months beyond the prior 2+ months. Shame on your insular community, professing the dmoz ethic of volunteerism while wielding your considerable influence like a whip, threatening anyone who dares to resubmit or in any other significant way challenge your absolute authority.

If your mission is both laudable and, at the same time overwhelming, then how about proposing and supporting a system that involves the financial support of the search engines who benefit from your services? I don't know the people who could make a difference. Perhaps you do, since I am under the impression that many of you volunteers are also employees of Netscape.

If this has been tried unsuccessfully, then a pox on the houses of the search engine executives too greedy to invest cooperatively in an effective, fully sponsored system for such review and directory listing!

In the absence of such a sponsored system, when might a non-expedited review of a site such as mine be completed? You might as well say "when the cows come home" or "perhaps not before the Internet as it is configured and used today is no longer relevant."

Please keep in mind that, in the time it would take to respond thoughtfully to my remarks and proposal, you could perhaps review my site, if you were so inclined.

Respectfully,

Your Unwilling Servant,

Rich Mayer
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
967 W. 75th Street
Naperville, IL 60565
630-428-5536
Rich@RichMayerHomes.com

bobrat · Apr 29, 2005

There are only a handfull of paid employees. the other 5000 or so are total volunteers. The paid employees are for the most part doing hardware support.

As far as money being handed over by major search engines in order to pay more editors to review sites - it won't happen since it is against the charter of the ODP. In fact if someone decided to start paying editors [and ignore the charter] I would expect that at least 90% of the volunteer editors would quit, and ODP would cease to exist.

In the time required to respond to this question, I can't review your site since I have no permission to do so. And even if I could, since I'm a volunteer I decide how I wish to spend my time, no-one tells me when I have to review or what I have to review and that's why there are so many volunteers.

But I would point out that real estate sites, due to the massive amount of spam and redirection found in the industry take considerably more effort than other sites to review. And that is why to some extent, a lot of editors would just as soon not volunteer to review them.

Status: http://www.richmayerhomes.com

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