Submitting A inner page (because it's rellevant)

Hi mods,

I have submitted the following:

Removed URL

to

Business: Investing: Chats and Forums

It is very rellevant, however, I fear that it may not be included as it is not the root page?

The reason I have submitted this page is that it is intended to be a website within a website and therefore stands alone.

Will this be okay? - As I have seen ' Some ' inner pages on the ODP.

Our guidelines ask you not to suggest deeplinks (inner pages as you call them).

An editor can decide to list a deeplink if it adds significant content to the category.

Think of it this way. There is no mechanism, none at all, to "request a listing in the ODP." And none is needed.

There IS a mechanism to "suggest a site". Now, obviously, everyone hopes that a suggestion will turn into a listing: visitors don't suggest anything they don't want to see listed, and editors wouldn't look at a suggestion unless they thought it would help them find a good site to list.

But still, a suggestion doesn't mean "please list this URL here": it really means "I think this website has unique information and so far as I can tell, it most closely fits this category: please REVIEW THIS WEBSITE (and list it wherever you think it's appropriate).

When the editor reviews the website, he might not list it at all, he might list it one or more times, he might pass suggestions to other editors. For "extraordinary sites" he might even list deeplinks.

But obviously we can't ever anyone whether his own site is extraordinary: EVERYONE thinks his own site is extraordinary--and nearly everyone is wrong! So the submittal and editors' policies are both based on the principle "never do anything based on your belief that your site is extraordinary."

Okay, so basically it's completely based on the editors' discretion.

That's cool because that's what the Open Directory Project is all about!

However, does that mean that unless a site is completely unique; it will not be feaured in the DMOZ.org?

Because, if I look at "ANY" category, I simply see (very rellevant) but similar (In many if not all ways) websites.

So if the inner pages of a site represent a mini site (like the one I have "suggested") are quite unique to the open directory (which my link is) then they will be, or are likely to be, accepted?

Thanks

Craig

In addition, my suggestion would be completely unique as my suggestion would be the ONLY "UK finance community forum".

If that isn't unique and niche, please, please explain to me what is?

Thanks.

my suggestion would be the ONLY "UK finance community forum".

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Really? Try Googling for uk finance forum. There seem to be several in the first 10 hits .

jimnoble said:

Really? Try Googling for uk finance forum. There seem to be several in the first 10 hits .

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I don't disagree with you - you are quite right.

However, I meant that my suggestion will be niche and unique to the ODP.

I haven't seen your site, but a forum must also be content-rich to be listed. It should have a large and active community and posts.

gloria said:

I haven't seen your site, but a forum must also be content-rich to be listed. It should have a large and active community and posts.

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I don't understand why that is fair, I am trying and I will maintain this forum.

I am trying to gain awareness and interest, of whihc there will be lots of in the comming years.

I am a qualified financial advisor and I wish to give my unbiast advice and share my knowledge. I believe the Switch Finance forum will give poeple that and I will be able to help people in the finacial difficulties with independent advice.

I also have 2 other members who are also, indeed qualified financial advisors in their own right'.

The Underwriter is a qualified accountant too! - Therefore the advice we offer would be completely unbiast.

gloria said:

...a forum must also be content-rich to be listed.

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That's also a good point, however, isn't the ODP all about good quality websites?

Does that not also mean potential great future websites?

...I remember <url removed> being listed in the ODP back in 1999. They were hardly known back then, just like our website, does that mean that since our site is brand new in 2008 that the general principle and rules have changed from the fundamental purpose of the ODP?

avera said:

Based on this, in the category I have suggested to, have links listed, which make up 25% of this category, and are what you may refer to as "Deep Links".

Therefore, based on the fact that my suggestion is completely unique and niche; I see no reason for my suggestion to be rejected for inclusion in the ODP.

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As I wrote before.
An editor will decide if a deeplink is worth listing.
Our guidelines ask you not to suggest such deeplinks.
But as it has already happened, if and when an editor will review your suggestion he/she will decide if it will be listed.
When this review will happen is something nobody knows. It can be tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, it can even take several years.

avera said:

That's also a good point, however, isn't the ODP all about good quality websites?

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Not in the way most people think about 'quality'
DMOZ only cares about content. Enough Unique content.
Any other aspect of a website is not relevant for us.

Does that not also mean potential great future websites?

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As we can not see in the future we can not review a website on what it might be in the future. We look at the now and decide to list it based on the current content.

When this review will happen is something nobody knows. It can be tomorrow, or next week, or next month, or next year, it can even take several years.

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Well, I am afraid I simply do not believe this! - Several years! - Come on...

I know that technology has moved on from such a manual process, and I am confident that the ODP has some kind of automated "Rejection" routine or macro for each category, but...

I know, before you guys say "It's a human edited directory", that's what it is.

There is still a great deal of discretion from you guys, the editors, and that discretion can be exercised.

If this is the case then the editor, who I will contact, of that category should see that my application is founded and very relevant?

Would you not agree?

No, I would not agree.

Category editors do not even see applications. They are only seen by meta editors and catmods of that general area.

The same standards apply to new applications across ODP. We don't lower or raise them for a specific application depending on the current state of the category. In real life the same applies. I doubt that you's like to see an investment advisor or a doctor who normally wouldn't have been hired, but was hired because they were desperately short. I'm not saying that your application is substandard, I haven't seen it.

And yes, it can take several years before a site is reviewed. We are not, nor have we ever been, a listing service. Although we welcome site suggestions, they are far from the only source of sites. In many categories, the site suggestions are pretty dismal. If I only have an hour to add sites, in some areas it is a much better use of my time to go looking out on the web instead of looking in the unreviewed pool. And there are many activities which an editor needs to do which don't even concern unreviewed.

I don't understand why that is fair, I am trying and I will maintain this forum.

I am trying to gain awareness and interest, of whihc there will be lots of in the comming years.

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It's absolutely fair. We look for unique content. An empty or nearly-empty forum isn't unique content. Forums, like blogs and other similar sites, must have a significant amount of content in order to be listed. And we rarely list both a site and its forums in the same area.

That's also a good point, however, isn't the ODP all about good quality websites?

Does that not also mean potential great future websites?

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Potential is meaningless to us. We don't exist to help you build up your community; your community must exist before we will list it.

If this is the case then the editor, who I will contact, of that category should see that my application is founded and very relevant?

Would you not agree?

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If you mean application to have your forum deeplink added, no, they won't, not if your forum is all potential and little or no content, which seems to be the case from your posts here.

Okay,

So basically I can be waiting to have my application possibly taking 7 or more years to be rejected (or possibly accepted).

I am afraid that if you promote this trend then even Google (who you rely on for credibility) will eventually think...

"Sod this, I've had enough. I can't be bothered for the ODP to make a decision in the next 7 years or so when Yahoo make their decision within 7 working days."

The ODP is clearly becoming less and less of a factor in having a website. I just thought that my having one of my (what will be) a premium website on the ODP advantageous.

So will it be of any advantage to have our forum included in the ODP?

Well, I guess whether we are included or not, we will see...

(maybe 7 years from now!).

Yahoo is a paid directory. We are not.

So will it be of any advantage to have our forum included in the ODP?

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Whether it's an advantage or not is irrelevant since it wouldn't be listed. If you're hoping to become an editor, you need to learn to stop thinking like a site owner, stop thinking about what is in your own best interest, and start thinking like an editor.

avera said:

So basically I can be waiting to have my application possibly taking 7 or more years to be rejected (or possibly accepted).

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Yes.
BTW We use the term "application" for people who apply to become an editor. Websites send to us are called "suggestions". Mixing these two might cause confusion as you can see in one of the previous answers.

I am afraid that if you promote this trend then even Google (who you rely on for credibility) will eventually think...

"Sod this, I've had enough. I can't be bothered for the ODp to make a decision in the next 7 years or so when Yahoo make their decision within 7 working days."

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That would be true if DMOZ is about reviewing and listing suggested websites. But it is not. DMOZ is about building a directory. As long as we keep building the directory following our own guidelines everything is OK. In the process of buidling the directory we might look at the suggested websites, we also might decide not to look at them.

The ODP is clearly becoming less and less of a factor in having a website. I just thought that my having one of my (what will be) a premium website on the ODP advantageous.

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DMOZ has no intention of being advantageous to the owner of a website.
Any advantage a website might get is pure coincidence.

So will it be of any advantage to have our forum included in the ODP?

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Yes, if a wesbite is listed it will be for DMOZ and our visitors.
No, there is no advantage for the website or its owner. Atleast not more than other link to the webiste will give.

If you want to promote your website you will have to find other way to do so. DMOZ is not a tool to promote websites.

avera said:

I just thought that my having one of my (what will be) a premium website on the ODP advantageous.

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pvgool said:

DMOZ has no intention of being advantageous to the owner of a website.
Any advantage a website might get is pure coincidence.

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No, I did mean advantageous to the directory, having a website of interest listed. Especially since there is so little choice in that category.

pvgool said:

BTW We use the term "application" for people who apply to become an editor. Websites send to us are called "suggestions". Mixing these two might cause confusion as you can see in one of the previous answers.

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My apologies for incorrect terminology. I did indeed mean to say "suggestion".

avera said:

...Google (who you rely on for credibility) will eventually think...

"Sod this, I've had enough. I can't be bothered for the ODP to make a decision in the next 7 years or so when Yahoo make their decision within 7 working days."

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Just to be clear with what I meant with this:

Google (by their own admission on the website) loves fresh, new content. If the ODP content never, or hardly ever changes and good old Google isn't seeing any significant new listings "to crawl" in the ODP then they **might** consider looking elsewhere for credible content such as... Say the Yahoo Directory.

Whether the Yahoo Directory is a paid directory or not, it's still an active source for Google's crawler and the indexing robots do also use the Yahoo Directory descriptions as well as the ODP descriptions.