Status of http://www.wholesaledeals.co.uk

wdeals · Feb 14, 2005

Hi fellas,

I was wondering if you had any news about the status of the http://www.wholesaledeals.co.uk submission in http://dmoz.org/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Business_and_Economy/Industries/Wholesale/

It was submitted some time last year, I think around September.

Best regards,

SC

aero7 · Feb 14, 2005

It's awaiting to review since 25.06.2004 in this category.

wdeals · Feb 14, 2005

Thanks,

is this is the normal waiting time? I know it is against your policy but we have a site launching in less than a month which we believe should belong to the same category, should we submit it?

Best regards,

SC

EDIT: stupid question I know, I am just wondering how long it normally takes to be lsited in a category like ours provided the listing is accepted.

hutcheson · Feb 14, 2005

It normally takes forever.

It normally takes 5 minutes or less.

It normally happens before you submit.

All times are normal.

And ... submittal time is totally irrelevant.

But ... If you have a site which you think belongs in the same category, don't EVER EVER submit it.

Just link to it from your other site. (Or not, as you choose. Makes no difference to us. It's your site.)

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

Not quite sure what your reply is about (for example what's the meaning of "it normally happens before you submit" and what do you mean by "submittal time is totally irrelevant") anyway the other site is completely different, why shouldn't I submit it? I didn't read anywhere that ownership is a criteria for not submitting two different sites in the same category.

Please clarify,

SC

jimnoble · Feb 15, 2005

If two 'sites' in the same ownership belong in the same category, we consider that to be one site spread over multiple URLs. Please don't do it or we might list neither.

Instead, add links from each section to the other. (If you don't want to link to your own pages, please don't expect us to.)

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

Hi Jim,

thanks for your reply, the fact is one is our wholesale site (we are wholesalers), the other is a sourcing service for the whole of the UK, where suppliers from all over the country gather to sell to buyers.

If it is the case that, even if the sites are completely different they cannot be listed in the same category when they are owned by the same person, how do I go about changing the details of my previous submission to the new site? I would like to avoid having to resubmit since I have been in the queue for over 6 months now

Best regards,

SC

jimnoble · Feb 15, 2005

Our editors will rewrite the description if they feel the need to. A guidelines compliant resubmission by you would make that unneccessary.

There isn't a queue that's processed in suggestion date order. Editor can do them in any order they wish. I usually cherry pick the guidelines compliant ones first and do the rest later - if I have time.

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

I see, I understand now the previous post. I thought I read the guidelines thoroughlly, guess not. How can I edit a previous submission to improve my chances of being listed?

spectregunner · Feb 15, 2005

You cannot.

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

ok, in that case, since I would like the other site to be considered instead, can you delete my June 2004 request?

SC

jimnoble · Feb 15, 2005

We don't delete site listing suggestions on the request of forum participants because we have absolutely no idea what connection they have with the websites.

The only ways to prevent a site from being listed are to take it down, redirect it elsewhere or make it entirely useless to the surfer.

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

I feel stuck here, I have:

1) One site that has been waiting for 6 months to be listed, followed the guidelines but seems not to be adhering to them as it has not been listed yet. The submission cannot be edited/deleted, is there a way I can prove my identity to the editor?

2) A second site completely unrelated to the first one that cannot be listed because it is owned by the same person (wonder if the rule applies to Bill Gates too

... )

What are my options except waiting for the first submission to be considered?

SC

oneeye · Feb 15, 2005

1. Wait for the first one to be reviewed and listed (if it is accepted)
2. Add a note somewhere on the listed site (it does not have to be prominent or even accessible to the public as long as it is on the same domain name) to confirm your wish to have the alternative considered as a replacement
3. Submit an Update URL request from the category page telling the editor where they can find confirmation on the original site.
4. Come back here a month later to confirm the request has been received.
5. An editor will consider the request but there is no guarantee they will accept it.

wdeals · Feb 15, 2005

Hi Oneeye,

thanks, that seems reasonable. I have one very last question. Since I posted this thread, which is my first ever since submitting in 2004, some editor must have seen my submission and considered it.

I remember that when I submitted in June 2004 I read all your guidelines and also had the page open while writing the listing. I mean I have dealt online for a while and do understand how frustrating it can be to have to deal with incomplete or not-to standard requests. So I think the listing was fair and square with no hanky panky.

My question is, do commercial sites (where by commercial I mean selling products) get a different treatment to that of information sites (like directories or company profile websites etc.)? Or, to be more specific, why am I experiencing such a long delay?

SC

PS: Very last ps question ... Can you explain me the reasoning behind the rule that two completely different sites (not just different urls, essentially different businesses) cannot be listed in the same category if they are owned by the same person?

oneeye · Feb 15, 2005

some editor must have seen my submission and considered it

How do you mean? There is no change - the site awaits review by an editor. If you mean someone has left a trail in your logs then it is meaningless, there are a dozen reasons why that might happen without it being reviewed.

do commercial sites get a different treatment to that of information sites

No, it cannot be divided like that. Editor activity varies from category to category which is why sites in some are reviewed quicker than others but there is no pattern. You are experiencing a delay because an editor has not had the time or inclination to deal with all the suggestions in that category as yet. They may do tomorrow or next year, it is beyond prediction.

Can you explain me the reasoning behind the rule that two completely different sites

Two completely different sites by the same owner in the same category are almost certainly related (if they are in the same category then their content must be quite closely related mustn't it). DMOZ has a prohibition on the submission of related sites regardless of category. Selling teapots on one site and providing advice on knitting needles on another might be sufficiently diverse that ownership would not cause the sites to be deemed related but in that case they are unlikely to be listed in the same category.

hutcheson · Feb 15, 2005

>Two completely different sites by the same owner in the same category

There's no need to bother us with these: and many good reasons for us not to bother with them.

If you have two sites on the same subject, why don't they link to one another? If they link to one another, then they aren't completely different -- they're just one site spread over multiple domains.

No, don't bother US and wait for months everytime you need a link to a new page of yours on the same old subject. If you want something done, do it yourself! If it's not worth YOU doing (and you own the site!), there's no way it can be worth US doing.

wdeals · Feb 16, 2005

Everything so far seems quite reasonable given the size of the info you guys have to deal with. But this thing about ownership is really beyond me. You are creating a directory of what you deem to be useful resources over the net. What does it matter who owns the site if each website is a unique resource, with its unique features. To me it's the same as saying we wouldn't list Lycos because it is the same as Yahoo, which would be an even less striking case than not listing two completely different sites (independently of the category) just because they are owned by the same person.

It might be the case that most people who own two or more sites have some marketing loop going on, but I don't think you can generalise categorically that ownership indicates that two resources are one and the same, and arrive to the point of saying "NEVER EVER submit them".

If this is a term in the editors guidelines, please point me to it as I have been unable to find this info, I will then rest my case and wait for an editor to consider the submission of wholesaledeals.

Regards,

SC

jimnoble · Feb 16, 2005

I'm sure this doesn't apply to you, but it's not unknown for some webmasters to create many sites all selling related products[1] and attempt to get them all listed in the directory in their perpetual quest for SE rankings. The worst one I ever encountered had 73 different domain names, all selling mobile phones and all suggested to the same category area, but I'm sure there are far worse examples than that.

Such past abuses and frequent current attempts by others have made us very inflexible on this topic.

[1]Cabbages and cauliflowers are related[2]. Cabbages and climbing boots are not.
[2]Google blue widgets for more examples.

wdeals · Feb 16, 2005

Hi Jim,

thanks, I can imagine you get a lot of abuse, but surely, since this is not an editorial guideline, if we added a note to the second submission that we are also the owners of wholesaledeals it would at least justify considering the submission without jeopardising either submission, wouldn't you agree on this? After all I am talking about two sites and not 10 or 73.

SC

Status of http://www.wholesaledeals.co.uk

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