Suggesting a URL multiple times

Hi all,

If you suggest a URL multiple times, it will have a negative effect on the suggestion of that site. But imagine competitors try to add each others site several times, that would be totally unfair right? Or am I missing something here?

Thanks,

Dave

Off topic: Hi everyone, I've been a lurker for quite a while. But I had to register to send an important prive message. I hope I can add some interesting threads to the forum.

Daves said:

If you suggest a URL multiple times, it will have a negative effect on the suggestion of that site.

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Not WILL have but CAN have. In most instances the effect is small.

But imagine competitors try to add each others site several times, that would be totally unfair right? Or am I missing something here?

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There are more people concerned about this. But don't worry. It almost never happens and it always backfires.
The point you are missing is that it needs a lot of time to hinder 1 website using this tactic. But what will you gain if all other compititers still het listed. You would need to hinder all of your competiters hoping to get some postive effect for yourself. Is that worth the enormous amount of time and is it worth being detected and get your own websites banned for ever.

>If you suggest a URL multiple times, it will have a negative effect on the suggestion of that site.

Here's where what some people call "opacity" helps everyone. You see, we don't guarantee that multiple suggestions of a URL will have a negative effect, because we don't guarantee that we'll even notice them.

And secondly, a negative effect on the suggestion of a site doesn't necessarily have a negative effect on reviews of that site--again, because the editor might come in from a different direction and not even notice.

The "negative effects" are just protecting the editors from pests, and only applied if needed.

For spammers, that "opacity" is a real danger, they don't know if they're hurting or helping. And if they were hurting, they don't know that they're no longer hurting simply because nobody cares about them anymore.

I suspect the "spam helps" mentality is so deeply engrained in spammers that they can't wrap their subsentient neural clusters around the concept of "spam hurts, therefore I can hurt someone else by creating spam coming from them." In practice, this problem seems the rarest problem ever seen.
s

I am glad to see this thread started. This is one of a few question's I've had for sometime now. My website was listed in the directory, and it seems when I submitted it, it was listed quickly (the estimate time was 2003). Later, when I went with a non-free domain, I did what was suggested of me, and updated my information. Sadly, I never did see my listing again. I figured I had to let my domain age a bit to become trustworthy to be considered (as my original listing was two years on the free-host). Later, when I noticed the listing was never updated, I tried my best to recommend under the category I thought best after reading the guide. I keep records of the date, URL, Title, Description, and the category I submit to. I did not see any listing after a nine month wait. Later, I tried again. This time I double checked everything from my notes, reviewed, and made changes that may have caused an issue, noted my changes, and waited. I believe a year went by for that wait. Then again I tried ... same thing as earlier.

Would this be considered as suggesting multiple times within a reasonable time frame, or just straight up wrong?


I have taken great care to review the category where I have tried in the past, to see what others site topics are listed there, and I see a large mix of dead or super old links, and of course very helpful good links. I figured my 4 yr old site (not considering the 2 yrs on a free-host), I work on 7 days a week, 11 hrs a day would show some interest... considering my original submission with the free-host was just child's play (hobby like), and the current website is far better, and recognized.

One more thing I would like to add to my post.
Is it common that a directory could go without an editor for over 3 1/2 yrs? I've tried to submit and just assumed there was no editor. Maybe my assumptions are very wrong, and I'm willing to learn and understand more, but just a little confused. Hopeful to receive some help on what I might be doing wrong?

I hope I asked the questions in the correct area, and it is my sincere interest to understand.

Thank you for your time... truly.

> I figured I had to let my domain age a bit to become trustworthy to be considered
That is certainly not the reason. Editors do not look at the age of a website / domain. We only look at (visible) content.

> Later, when I noticed the listing was never updated,
We only change the url of a listed website if the old website has either a clear reference to the new url of if the old url does not exist anymore and it is clear that the new url is its replacement. If the old url still shows the website and no reference to the new url we will not update the listing. This is a protection against dishonest people trying to hyjack a listing (and yes, that has happened)

From the rest of your text it is not clear to me if you made several update requests (they must have been rejected as we do not have such request older than a few weeks - atleast not at this moment) or that you made several suggestions to list a website (these can still be waiting review).

> Is it common that a directory could go without an editor for over 3 1/2 yrs?
I suspect you mean category. DMOZ is 1 directory with a large number of categories.
No category is without editors (see also our FAQ, link at the top of this page).

We only change the url of a listed website if the old website has either a clear reference to the new url of if the old url does not exist anymore and it is clear that the new url is its replacement.

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Yes, that is what I meant. It asked to update the information and that is just what I did. I can assure you it was not the case of a dishonest person that time.

From the rest of your text it is not clear to me if you made several update requests

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Yes, I made one update and awaited the update. I made a few suggestions over a period of 4 yrs. to get my link listed again. The link was not updated, it was removed. I did not request it to be removed, I simply updated it, but I may have made a mistake at that time (do not see how I could though, it is not that difficult to update the information)

I suspect you mean category. DMOZ is 1 directory with a large number of categories.

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Yes, that is exactly what I meant. "categories" within the entire directory. I went through the categories and located the best suited category for the website listing. Took great care to write the description according to terms.

or that you made several suggestions to list a website (these can still be waiting review).

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I made 3 suggestions in a 4 yr period. Okay, so then it is possible that a suggestion can sit in waiting for over 3 1/2 yrs?

After my own review I see that my website was indeed at the new URL for at least three weeks, and I then made the update URL request. It is a family friendly website with regards to a major graphic design software title, and the site has been published in official graphic design magazines, and more. I am bewildered ... that is all.

Yes, I am fully aware there is no guarantee here, and I have enough PR (and could honestly care less.. that is not my intention or interest). I'm more interested in knowing some of the answers asked above, and yes I have my assumptions, but that is why I ask first

I made 3 suggestions in a 4 yr period. Okay, so then it is possible that a suggestion can sit in waiting for over 3 1/2 yrs?

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No, it has only been "waiting" since the last time you send a request. Previous requests (to the same category) are overwritten and lost. That is why we ask people to suggest a website only once.
BTW editors do not review suggestions on a fifo (first in first out) base. And as a result a younger suggestion can be reviewed before an older one.

Hellow Dave,
Yes, same thing happened to me. i sugesseted my web site (url removed) too many times and it just disappeared into thin air

angeloslk said:

i sugesseted my web site (url removed) too many times and it just disappeared into thin air

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Whow. You claim that by suggesting your website too many times to DMOZ that same website disappeared into thin air.
I have seen make people all kind of claims about the power of DMOZ but this is realy big.