Comparison with existing listed sites isn't a good guide. Next time some maintenance is performed on the category sites that don't reach current standards might be removed.
For our site there is original content about Guam attractions and cities and we are building more original content.
Not that I noticed when I briefly looked so maybe you have to try and push those original aspects more to the fore. An editor might spend a minute or two and if they can't immediately see something to hold their interest they may well move on. Original content that is not "in your face" is easily missed. If the site improves and an editor can easily see the improvements you can always re-suggest, making a note in the description to say that it has changed (or it may not get a proper re-review).
Directory links - yes a directory contains links and that makes it hard to pass the ODP original content criteria. We are a directory so if you don't offer something substantially different to us then we wouldn't see the point of sending a user from us to you to look at more or less the same thing. Maybe the difference is in the information provided with the link or in how it is described. Maybe it is in functionality. Maybe it lists businesses etc. that don't have websites but is substantially more than a phone book. It is a tough one to jump - most directories I see now don't make it, there are too many doing exactly the same thing, usually poorly. Those that do get listed nowadays usually have either a totally unique approach to the structure and functionality and/or lots of high quality original material surrounding it. As I said, your classifieds section which should be a credit towards original material was dead when I tried it.
