Guest homealarms Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Hello, Can you please let me know the status of my site. I submitted it a few months ago. Website: http://www.HomeAlarmSecuritySystems.com Submitted to: http://dmoz.org/Business/Business_Services/Security/Alarm_Systems/ and http://dmoz.org/Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Emergency_Supplies/Security/
motsa Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Because you aren't actually selling the systems from your web site (i.e. you don't have a catalog or prices), you don't qualify for a Shopping listing. Also, as nothing more than a lead generator for a group of ADT dealers, the site really isn't eligible for listing anywhere else.
Guest homealarms Posted February 13, 2003 Posted February 13, 2003 Thanks for replying <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" /> Our site provides a valuable service to our visitors. People come to us looking for an alarm system and we direct them to a dealer in their area. People are extremely happy with what we provide. We have received many emails from our visitors thanking us for our services. I do not understand why our site would not be "eligible" for a listing in the open directory. Can you please explain? Thank you!
Meta hutcheson Posted February 13, 2003 Meta Posted February 13, 2003 We list sites based on "information flow". Editors review sites looking for what "unique contribution to the sum of human knowledge" they offer, and then categorize and describe that content. One kind of "unique content" is "information" in the traditional sense -- science, history, etc. What is under discussion here is "information about commerce." The fact that I can go to 123 Park Street, Podunk, Maine, and buy a lawn mower; or mail-order a Model T car kit from Sears Roebuck in Chicago; or hire Johnkrushna Doenanda in Bangladore to build you a webpage: these are all bits of commercial information, and we can easily check whether they are unique on the web. But a "lead generator" is completely different. It doesn't give out information [although it claims that that information is available somewhere.] It takes in information. There's nothing unique about that--zillions of sites want to collect your e-mail address, mostly for predatory reasons. So, that simply doesn't count as "content" for our purposes. And (precisely because there are so many e-mail predators out there) this is one case where we simply cannot accept claims, either made on the website or otherwise. We have to review. If you want to get credit for database content (whether it's stores or anything else), you should allow the visitor (and editor/reviewer) to browse it. That way they can judge whether it's unique or valuable.
Guest homealarms Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 Hi hutcheson, Yes our site collects information just like any other ecommerce website. Yes we may be a "lead generator". The bottom line is we provide a valuable service to our visitors. There are only a few ADT dealers in the country who offer free systems. If you want a free system we will have a dealer contact you in your area that can offer that. Go to adt.com... they don't even offers free systems. What's not unique about that? Instead of slamming the door on lead generating sites why not create another category? We are a business just like any other sites out there and don't deserve to be treated like the scum of the earth. People come to us looking for more information and we offer them just that. Also, a home alarm system is something that can't be purchase like a new VCR. There is no point click and order with home alarm systems. Our dealers will have to come out to your home... sit down and talk to you... and discuss what is the best system for your specific home. Everyone is going to need something a little different. Lastly, at least 10% of the sites listed in: http://dmoz.org/Business/Business_Services/Security/Alarm_Systems/ Are sites just like ours. Why are they listed and we have been banned? Example: Home Alert - Home security systems to Los Angeles County residents (http://www.freeburglaralarms.com) Please reconsider listing our web site <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" /> Thanks again!
Meta hutcheson Posted February 14, 2003 Meta Posted February 14, 2003 >The bottom line is we provide a valuable service to our visitors. That's fine. Put whatever you want on the site, and promote it however you wish. The ODP isn't and can't be a monopoly; the ODP doesn't and can't list every website. The ODP bottom line is that there is no unique information to review on the site, and therefore it will not be possible to find a reason to list it. A desire for more profit is not a relevant reason, nor is a history of past profit. Even the presence of invisible content (which you say is the case here) can't be a reason, although (as mentioned before) if we could have seen it, it could have been a reason. We don't keep the ODP editing guidelines secret, so you know what it takes to have the ODP as a customer. But the final choice is yours.
Guest homealarms Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 hutcheson, Thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions. What about the sites already listed offering the same service as us? I would expect to see them removed if you are not going to list our site. Also, I do not see anywhere in the guidelines stating not to list "lead generating" sites. Is this a new guideline?? How can I get our site listed? I do feel that our site offers something unique and valuable but what I think doesn't matter. What can make our site more unique? Adding articles, etc... Is there just no place in the ODP for our website???
dfy Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 >> I do not see anywhere in the guidelines stating not to list "lead generating" sites. Is this a new guideline? << Very new. It's still being discussed at the moment, so we don't know what the final outcome will be. What we have already decided is that sites like yours will not be listed. Sorry. >> What about the sites already listed offering the same service as us? << As I say, it's a very recent change, so there are bound to be lots of sites listed under the old regulations that no longer fit our revised guidelines. We won't however be making any changes until the discussion is completed. >> How can I get our site listed? << You can't. Sorry. >> Is there just no place in the ODP for our website? << We went through an excercise some time back where we listed lots of multi level marketing sites in their own category. I'm afraid it didn't work, the effort required to maintain and police it was just too much for editors to bear. When you consider that most of the sites were worthless anyway, there just didn't seem to be any point. We won't be making a category for lead generating sites. The ODP's purpose is to provide information to our users. Lead generating sites do not provide information. The customer may get the information eventually, but it isn't *on* the site, and therefore there's no point in us listing them.
Guest homealarms Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 Well I'm sorry you all feel this way. Our site provides a valuable service to our visitors. You are denying ODP users a value resource to help them find a home security system at an affordable price. >>>The ODP's purpose is to provide information to our users. Lead generating sites do not provide information. The customer may get the information eventually, but it isn't *on* the site, and therefore there's no point in us listing them. Anyone who fills out an information request form is contact by a dealer in their area within a few hours. This is not an MLM site or an affiliate site... Why not give reputable lead generating sites a category. We have something to offer the ODP!
dfy Posted February 14, 2003 Posted February 14, 2003 >> Anyone who fills out an information request form is contact by a dealer in their area within a few hours << Maybe that's true, but it wouldn't matter if they were contacted within seconds and given all the information they could ever want. The point is that the information is not *on* the site, therefore *the site* offfers no information and won't be listed.
Guest homealarms Posted March 1, 2003 Posted March 1, 2003 Hello I'm fine with my site not being allowed in the open directory but I find it very fustrating that my competitors are listed. They are in the exact same business as us and they are listed but we aren't. Please explain why they are still listed if you changed your policy regarding lead generating sites. If you had the time to go and ban my site they you could have deleted my competitors sites. EX: Category: http://dmoz.org/Business/Business_Services/Security/Alarm_Systems/ Sites: Belair Patrol - Alarm systems and monitoring in the California Area. (http://www.belairpatrol.com) Home Alert - Home security systems to Los Angeles County residents. (http://www.freeburglaralarms.com)
Meta enarra Posted March 1, 2003 Meta Posted March 1, 2003 You have to bear in mind that the directory is edited by an ever changing group of volunteer editors. While experienced editors like those who have replied here are aware of issues like this some newer editors are possibly not. It is possible for sites which do not follow our guidelines to be listed. Obviously we try to correct problems was soon as they are noticed. I've removed belair already, I'll check the other as well. If you notice other similar sites please do let us know.
Guest homealarms Posted March 1, 2003 Posted March 1, 2003 Sure.... here is another: Category: http://dmoz.org/Business/Business_Services/Security/Products_and_Equipment/Access_Control/ Site: Securehomenow.com - Offers home security systems and monitoring from ADT (http://www.securehomenow.com)
Meta enarra Posted March 1, 2003 Meta Posted March 1, 2003 Thanks. By the way, point of interest, one of the editors who was listing most of these sites (I found a couple more) was removed for abuse a couple years ago. We just didn't catch all of the naughty things he was doing. Happens sometimes, no matter how hard we try there are over 3 million sites, it's hard to make sure they're all kosher. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />
Guest homealarms Posted March 16, 2003 Posted March 16, 2003 belairpatrol.com is back in another category. http://dmoz.org/Regional/North_America/United_States/California/Localities/L/Los_Angeles/Business_and_Economy/Home_and_Garden/ Bel Air Patrol - Provides home security systems. View FAQs and pricing.
Guest homealarms Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Hello Again, Sorry to bring this thread back from the dead. Can someone please revisit our site and reconsider it for inclusion? We've been adding articles on a monthly basis to provide more content for our visitors. Our articles can be viewed here http://www.homealarmsecuritysystems.com/home-security-articles.html There will be another 10 articles added in a few weeks. Our copywriter is working on them now. Thank you!
thehelper Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Please include a clickable link to the dmoz.org category you submitted to. We can only do submission status checks if we have that information. Thanks.
Guest homealarms Posted January 7, 2004 Posted January 7, 2004 Hi thehelper, Thanks for replying! The original category I submitted to was http://dmoz.org/Business/Business_Services/Security/Alarm_Systems/ I haven't submitted again.
thehelper Posted January 8, 2004 Posted January 8, 2004 It appears that we have declined to list the site. Please check the submission guidelines for possible reasons why.
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