What should I do now?

Sent to: sweetcake

After 11 years as web designer, programmer and Webmaster I thought I know what I am doing... that is before I was told one of my sites need "more content and functionality".

To put everything in perspective, I am talking here about www.hostspy.net Directory of over 5.000 web-hosting, domain registration and web design companies.

Now, if my site rejected on grounds of content and functionality, then at the very least 2 dozens of listed in this category sites should be removed from it immediately.

What should I do now?

Is your site browser or platform dependent? I'm not seeing anything even close to 50 companies, let alone 5000 (I'm guessing you meant 5,000 and not 5.000 which is 5). The browsing categories just have ads in them (the same 3 ads), no directory listings. A search (presumably using the "Search Wizard" since I can't see any other reasonable search option) on all platforms, all prices, and all space turns up less than 40 results.

>> What should I do now?

Add content. Improve functionality. Check out whatever might be preventing people from seeing all 5000+ of these companies you say you list if you actually have that much content. Maybe get the site critiqued in one of the webmaster forums (like http://webmasterworld.com or http://www.cre8asiteforums.com ) that are everywhere.

>> Now, if my site rejected on grounds of content and functionality, then at the very least 2 dozens of listed in this category sites should be removed from it immediately.

Seriously, the other sites in the category really aren't your concern.

Let just say - forget about everything you see on index page, go to top "Find" search box and enter hosting, domain or design and you will find all 5,000 sites listed in Directory.

Whatever you see now on index page, I developed and added to this site as a site enhancement to provide hosting companies with better exposure and not as main feature. Without this addition there has been only 3 categories, and let me tell you - it looked bad. So, I wrote the program.

If I remove it, then it will be just another Directory and in this case "more content" will become “less content” or not enough content and because page will have only that site name and search box, “more functionality”.

Do you think I should do that, eh?

I'm guessing you meant 5,000 and not 5.000 which is 5

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motsa - that's actually different in different parts of the world. In this here part, 5,000 is 5 and 5.000 is 5000!

Just a bit of unsolicited information

In my part of the world when someone made typo and some wise crack
can't resist ignoring it, then we transform the typo to this ..I..

>> Do you think I should do that, eh?

Hey, I'm just trying to give you an idea of why an editor would have deemed the site to have insufficient content. Given all the other stuff on the main page (including other search boxes) and a lack of instructions pointing specifically to that search box, it isn't surprising that someone isn't going to see it or realize that that is the meat of your site.

>> nea wrote: motsa - that's actually different in different parts of the world. In this here part, 5,000 is 5 and 5.000 is 5000!

I realize that but hostpy.com isn't in your part of the world.

I'm just trying to give you an idea
and believe me sister, I appreciate that a lot.

it isn't surprising that someone isn't going to see it
It maybe the case but the Editor could tell me that and I would make necessary cosmetic changes. However, to say this site is underdeveloped... give me a brake.

I am working now with 3 Directories whereas one of them ranked by Alexa in top 50 and in ODP it listed in category only few privileged to be listed and I know my job too well to be told that I brought to ODP half baked potato.

My problem is that this is commercial site and wait another 6 month to be listed may put on the street couple nice people.
So, what should I do now?

If an ODP listing is going to make or break you, there's something really wrong.

>> It maybe the case but the Editor could tell me that and I would make necessary cosmetic changes.

Why would they do that if they couldn't find the content at all? They're not going to presume that the content is there but they just can't find it.

>> So, what should I do now?

Well, you could always resubmit it and put an explanation in the description of how to find the content. Mind you, it could and probably will take months for the site to be reviewed again and there is still no guarantee that the site will be accepted. I would really recommend that you make the actual directory content of the site easier to find and less like an afterthought.

motsa

It won't break me but my bosses may ask me to let them go

As to your advice (resubmit), frankly I thought you're smarter than that. But thank you anyway because you at least took your time to converse with me. Just to let you know, I am looking for more constructive advise e.g. how to get the original editor to reverse his decision based on changes I made to that site etc.

I think you have received the best advice that you are going to get. I would recommend fixing up this site so that it is obvious that there are more than 3 sites being featured. And then resubmit the site to the appropriate category and wait for it to be reviewed. Personally I wouldn't have used the Search feature either, as it isn't really featured as prominantly as the other links under the Showcase header.

you will find all 5,000 sites listed in Directory

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I was just taking a look through your site again and realized that your search functionality is just using TurboSeek. Their site http://www.focalmedia.net/ is already listed in the ODP, and if you take a look at our guidelines you'll see that we do not list sites that are just affiliates. Besides the Turboseek listings and the three listings in your Showcase area, what makes your site interesting enough for us to want to list it? What makes it unique?

I definitely agree with all the editors who have weighed in. This is not about your competance as a web designer or programmer. It's just complete lack of unique content.

Admittedly, some sites in that category have LESS CONTENT than yours. There are several reasons why they should stay, and yours should not.

Uniqueness. "A poor directory, but my own."
Chronological precedence. "You should have seen the competition when that site was first reviewed."
Standards Inflation. "We get dozens of classified ad sites for hosts now, and we can afford to pick the best."
Hysteresis. "It takes more content to get into the directory than it does to stay in." This is a good thing for the stability of the directory, and allows editors to focus on the up-and-coming new sites rather than obsessing about whether older classified ads sites had dropped one too many advertisements to still be eligible for listing.

"Directory" sites are in a particularly invidious position: with the ODP's size and growth rate, other directories constantly become less and less useful to ODP surfers -- we often have more and better listings that new commercial directories, so it's really not worth while for us to waste our time reviewing them.

My advice would be to find or create unique content, rather than recycling affiliate content like the rest of the fifty-thousand-lemming swarm.

<>using TurboSeek
What’s wrong with that? We bought their software (that is paid money) and I don’t see what their listing in ODP have to do and how it’s effecting us.

<>what makes your site interesting
it has animations.

<>What makes it unique?
What makes you unique?

<>It's just complete lack of unique content.
If I follow your logic then there is no place in ODP for any other Directory as well, after all, why would we need another one if we already have ODP.

Why do we need to have millions of listed sites (or create more of them) if we can have one site per subject? What are you going to tell people tomorrow: - "We won't add your sites because you're using the same blue color or font type others use, please come with something different, unique"

We can have 1000th sites but the consumer still going to use and buy from only one of them. (and here you can guess - which one of them will made sale).
Can't guess? OK, I give you a hint - the one that have the "nicest animations".

You sound like intelligent gentleman, why don’t you give lady a hand and tell me what unique there is left in this online world that someone never covered yet.
Can you?

<>using TurboSeek
What’s wrong with that?

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Actually there is nothing wrong with using Turboseek. I assumed, incorrectly I think, that the data was being pulled from a common Turboseek database, but now I see that it isn't. I wonder where you are getting your data though. Your database seems to have jumped up to 10,000 listings today. You've been busy

why don’t you give lady a hand and tell me what unique there is left in this online world that someone never covered yet.
Can you?

Click to expand...

No we probably can't. But that's not what we're here for. We just list web sites

I just realized that those listings from the database are just repackaged ODP listings. When I search for any of these companies in ODP I am seeing the same descriptions, some of which I wrote. Definitely not unique information if it's coming right out of our database

Well, if that is the case, then all they need to do is add the proper attribution and they would qualify in the Sites that use ODP Data category. Right now I guess they would be in the other one

<>No we probably can't
I thought so, and not because "We just list web sites" but because no matter what you suggest, I will throw at you a dozens of sites already listed in ODP without any uniqueness what so ever.

What really surprised me that you still can't see uniqueness of Host Spy. If you don't mind, please visit it again and take a look at right site top box named "Smart Tools". After that scroll to the bottom and check some more tools.
After you have done, show me one Hosting Directory site that ODP lists and that cover spectrum Host Spy does.

Let me put for you shopping list
1. Directory with active 10000 sites (I forgot to activate 5000 of them)
2. Comprehensive Database of hosting companies (50, but DB in there only for 2 month)
3. Spy on Host Tools.

Now. The unique concept of Host Spy is to provide buyer with opportunity to glance at the potential hosts and to see what they can to expect before they buy their services

Now, if this is not unique enough for you, then pigs can fly.

What really surprised me that you still can't see uniqueness of Host Spy. If you don't mind, please visit it again and take a look at right site top box named "Smart Tools". After that scroll to the bottom and check some more tools.

Click to expand...

I'm not seeing anything called "Smart Tools" on the top right of the page. I *am* seeing something called "SMART WHOIS" which is just a link to someone else's content -- is that what you were talking about? And all the tools at the bottom of the page are also someone else's content.

2. Comprehensive Database of hosting companies (50, but DB in there only for 2 month)

Click to expand...

50 companies isn't "comprehensive" by any stretch of the imagination. We can't judge (or list) sites based on content they might have at some point in the future.

1. Directory with active 10000 sites (I forgot to activate 5000 of them)

Click to expand...

As has already been pointed out, your "directory" appears to be a copy of the relevent ODP categories (without proper attribution which makes you in violation of the license agreement) and thus isn't even close to being anything unique.

In short, I'd say a whole herd of pigs are winging their way overhead as I type. Pulling together a lot of other people's content in one place does not make for unique.

I don't even know why I'm wasting my time with you guys.
What I do know, that it wasn't pigs flying over your head
but rather snakes swarming on top of it.