What does the "star" mean, other questions

but the "higher level" categories are sacroscanct because they have been done by the elders and must never be touched.

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That's not the reason at all. There are various reasons that some categories aer unsuitable for beginners, and most stem from the fact that new editors often make innocent mistakes and cleaning up after them could require a lot of effort. We don't want to let new editors loose on large categories, categories which attract a lot of spam or misplaced submissions, or categories which have complicated rules for what belongs there.

An important part of being an editor is working as part of a team, listening to what other editors have to say, and taking on board what senior editors tell you from their experience. If a meta editor says the category is unsuitable for a beginner, then it's more than likely the case. Not being an editor, it's perfectly understandable that you won't immediately see why. Personally, I think it might be border-line, but then I'm not senior enough to process editor applications, and I accept what a more senior editor (who is) has said.

Eric, I never said that there was anything difficult about ODP- just that it is misleading.

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I was pointing out that there are many things inside the ODP that could be difficult for new editors which is why we like people to start at the ground floor. We cannot predict what, if anything, anyone will find difficult.

On this issue I think every editor is in agreement. Knowledge of a subject helps you decide what to list or not but does not help you write a guidelines compliant description (with American spelling and punctuation), move incorrect submissions to the right place, deal with redirects, apparantly dead sites etc.

There are editors who have joined and been 'promoted' to higher categories very quickly because they have shown that they have the enthusiasm and ability. It is no big deal then to start at the bottom.

Admittedly it can be a problem to find a 'bottom-most' category in some areas particularly where the amount of unrevieweds, invisible to the outsider, is the deciding factor. However there are solutions to this - there is perserverance - try all the sub-cats in turn. Alternatively you could try applying to that topic in a regional category (.../locality/topic) if there is one. No doubt a better solution will spring to mind.

regards

Don't worry guys, I've been rejected anyway:

Dear Rob Gordon,

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Open Directory Project editor!
Although we would like you to join us as a volunteer editor, you have
chosen a category that is already well represented, or is broader than
we typically assign to a new editor. We would encourage you to re-apply
for a category that has fewer editors or is smaller in scope, in order
to increase your chances of being accepted.

Feel free to reapply by submitting an application in another area.
If you wish to re-apply, you must fill out another application.
Please do not reply to this email.

Regards,
The Open Directory Project


I wasted, I think, an hour and a half doing that application, and now I would have to do another complete application- and worse, I would have to "guess" what category you want and hope that I get lucky and pick some category considered to be unimportant enough for a new participant. I am apparently supposed to pick some obscure topic where I have no interest or expertise as DMOZ is not able to suggest a similar category where they might need help.

Who has time for this? I assume most people here are retired? I took an SEO class recently where the instructor said that DMOZ is "totally dead" but is still used by the search engines. I am not saying this to "get a dig in" just to let you know that this system is FAR more bureaucratic then it probably seems from the inside.

As I understand it the process for getting a site included has a somewhat similar process- you have to keep resubmitting applications under different categories (if your original appropriate category doesn't work) and hope that you eventually get lucky?

I'm sorry if this is coming across as harsh, but my original objective was just to help you improve the "international trade directories" section so it could be a good shared resource, i.e. an "official listing" that I could also use on some of my portals. Almost all the discussions here have been about new participants not being good enough to help improve those 14 listings, but you should know that in this area, DMOZ is not up to our quality standards either.

Rob

I am apparently supposed to pick some obscure topic where I have no interest or expertise as DMOZ is not able to suggest a similar category where they might need help.

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Please reread my last post - you could look for a on-topic category in regional. I have pointed out that there is a better solution that can be obtained with a little thought.

As I understand it the process for getting a site included has a somewhat similar process- you have to keep resubmitting applications under different categories (if your original appropriate category doesn't work) and hope that you eventually get lucky?

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I am afraid you do not understand this aspect - the idea (for sites in English) is to submit your site once to the single most appropriate category under its topic and, if it has a bricks-and-mortar address, to the appropriate locality category in Regional. Then forget it and concentrate on promoting your site in other ways. This is covered in many of the threads in the forum as well as the FAQ and is basic knowledge for editors.

Almost all the discussions here have been about new participants not being good enough.

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I am afraid you miss the point again - it is about new participants not having the practical knowledge of the directory tools, protocols etc. As I pointed out, people who find it easy to learn these aspects, show ability and enthusiasm can quickly achieve higher level categories.

Many people believe that the only requirement is the ability to list sites in the directory and fail to understand that there might be other aspects involved despite the fact that many of the forum threads show otherwise.

regards

Who has time for this? I assume most people here are retired?

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Actually, I'd hazard a guess that most editors are juggling family, friends, and full-time jobs. And many of them are also putting it large amounts of time with the ODP.

Who has time for this?

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A bit sad, isn't it, to assume nobody has the time for a hobby? I have the same impression as motsa. Some editors are retired but most aren't.

nea said:

A bit sad, isn't it, to assume nobody has the time for a hobby? I have the same impression as motsa. Some editors are retired but most aren't.

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I sure wish that was the case for me Alas I still have to go to work each morning.

motsa said:

Actually, I'd hazard a guess that most editors are juggling family, friends, and full-time jobs. And many of them are also putting it large amounts of time with the ODP.

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Yep, that pretty much somes up me well leaning heavier on the family part (2 boys under 3 keep you busy) and the rest just rolls with the punches.