Thread: DMOZ: The Great Pumpkin

Originally Posted by Mia

I wonder if there is any money in selling DMOZ listed domains, now that you mention it. I could make a killing if people wanted to pay just to have a domain listed in DMOZ.

FreshDrop lets you search for expired GoDaddy domains that are DMOZ listed.

I see these three DMOZ-listed domains listed right now:

• AUBERGEDESQUATRESAISONS.COM
• BIG-BROTHER-8-LIVE.COM
• BRIANGOULET.COM

You could do a more comprehensive search by crawling DMOZ.

aubergedesquatresaisons.com could be a good one to redirect to a ski lodge.

Originally Posted by javanx3d

Will,
Nice post. I think your previous comments on DMOZ maintaining the customer service level of Google (ie none to minimal) on feedback for submissions (and relevance) still hold true unless AOL "forces" the community to better interact with site submitters.

Even something like an auto-rejection email with a reason code selected by the editor (one, maybe two more clicks when they reject) would do a lot on this front.
Cheers,
James

You seem not to have read the bit of Bob's article which says that we never were and still are not a listing service for webmasters, so how can they be our customers. Our customers are people who use the directory to search for information in a categorised way.

Bob has been known not to always see what editors can see and one of the biggest problems about advising those who suggest sites that a site is rejected is the heat it would generate. We already get accused of corruption when certain sites are not listed how much more when a site owner who thinks their site is the bees knees, who doesn't, isn't being listed. Unless we then enter into detailed conversation about why it has not been listed we shall be accused even more of corruption. And the article highlighted that we do not have enough editors how much editor time would have to be given to that heated conversation?

Do a search for "geocities"... They are now defunct, gone, kaput!!!

Mia knows very well from other forums that all geocities sites are deleted from DMOZ and that it takes a little while for Search to catch up. Remember you are using a website that does not earn its keep, we do not take money for listing, we do not use adverts and AOL funds it from their profits. So when somethings don't work then bare in mind the circumstances under which the directory presently exists. We all hope that there will be a new directory before too long, but we as editors, more than any of you, know that at present there are issues with the site. Try editing and see. We have part of the internal forum dealing with bugs and it takes too much valuable editing time at present.

Great that many people complain about the lack of editors but none of them want to volunteer to give their time to join. It also takes a long time for a new editor to be able to work in some areas and it takes a certain sort of nut to want to stay around and work at filtering, listing and colatting web sites as a hobby. I know that I could never collect stamps, tried it drove me mad, nor sports, gave them up years ago every persons choice of hobby is different unless we can recruit a zillion and have an editor for every category as their sole domain. But recruiting and training would be interesting to say the least.

Don't believe that one can buy a listed domain, change it and it stays in, some do by mistake, but we also locate many. If the site remains good quality and it has the same focus, it does remain, but I will never move a website that has changed hands and content into a new category.

Interesting too that the article seemed to want us to list almost any site anytime, again we were not set up to do that, I think that we are likely as up to date on swine flu as most directories and many of those will have paid editors.

But web masters do not have to submit sites, so if you think we are over, fine don't bother. That would save many hours of editing time not clicking through unlistable sites. But don't worry editing is not just about looking into the suggestions pool, we find our own sites a good deal of the time.

Paid editing keeps rearing its head. If one wants to be paid then BOTW do that, they openly tout for DMOZ editors, some have gone, some do both, many that remain would not take any money for editing and indeed if payment happens in DMOZ it will be without at least one editall, me.

I am a DMOZ voluntary editor and any views I express are my own and do not reflect the directory, AOL or other editors opinions.

Originally Posted by Will.Spencer

FreshDrop lets you search for expired GoDaddy domains that are DMOZ listed.

I see these three DMOZ-listed domains listed right now:

• AUBERGEDESQUATRESAISONS.COM
• BIG-BROTHER-8-LIVE.COM
• BRIANGOULET.COM

You could do a more comprehensive search by crawling DMOZ.

Maybe the Editors at DMOZ could use them to help clean their directory and purge it of dead links?

I think the arguments of:
1 - It takes too much time to edit the directories so you get what you get
and
2 - Due to the amount of time it takes to edit directory submissions and fear of hate mail we are not going to provide any feedback to webmasters because the directory is not for them....

make me wonder what role does DMOZ see itself playing in the Web 2.0 world? Are the real customers of the directory the editors? Do you think that Internet users in the 21st century will keep using the directory if the most pertinent information is not listed in a timely fashion?

Simply sending a pre-forma rejection message from a "no-reply" email address from DEMOZ would likely cut down the repeat submissions, garner better submissions to the directory, and result in a useful resource proceeding into the 2010's and beyond...

Originally Posted by javanx3d

I think the arguments of:
1 - It takes too much time to edit the directories so you get what you get

That's what a bot is for. Find the dead stuff first. Then go through it to be sure. Keeping it clean is not that difficult. A tiny bit of effort would be all that is required. And aren't there like over 80,000 plus editors?

Let me see if my math is correct here:

4,519,050 sites - 84,430 editors

So 84k plus into 4.5 million is like 54 or so sites per editor right?

I manage two directories with a ratio of something like 30,000 sites for ONE editor.

How hard could it be? That's a fuck ton of editors btw...

I applied to a city category at the DMOZ that was a mess. There are a couple of cities with similiar names all mixed together. I pointed this out to them as well. I never heard back. The category still doesn't have an editor and it is F'uped as it ever was.

Originally Posted by bogart

I applied to a city category at the DMOZ that was a mess. There are a couple of cities with similiar names all mixed together. I pointed this out to them as well. I never heard back. The category still doesn't have an editor and it is F'uped as it ever was.

The reality here is that there are not 84,000 editors. My experience when I was an editor years ago, was that there were really 4 or 5 key people and the other 84,000 of us were powerless to do anything. We'd edit, we'd review, we'd clean things up, only to be constantly overruled and eventually given the boot.

Originally Posted by Mia

The reality here is that there are not 84,000 editors. My experience when I was an editor years ago, was that there were really 4 or 5 key people and the other 84,000 of us were powerless to do anything. We'd edit, we'd review, we'd clean things up, only to be constantly overruled and eventually given the boot.

The DMOZ is a joke.

Code:

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=53712

Originally Posted by Mia

A tiny bit of effort would be all that is required. And aren't there like over 80,000 plus editors?

Let me see if my math is correct here:

4,519,050 sites - 84,430 editors

So 84k plus into 4.5 million is like 54 or so sites per editor right?

.

The number of editors quoted on the front of the directory is the total number of editors that have made the directory what it is today. So any editor even one who listed only one site ten years ago is included. Sorry that sCrews up your maths quite a bit. Some have even died. We have a fraction of that number editing at the present time. Also the number of editors who might be counted as active gives little away about how much editing they have spare time to do. DMOZ only demands 1 edit every 4 months to be regarded as active. I can predict how many hours I will give to editing next month if you can tell me how many jobs my wife will line up for me to do, how many times my friends will phone and want help and if I will feel like sitting in front of the computer screen instead of watching TV.

Simply sending a pre-forma rejection message from a "no-reply" email address from DEMOZ would likely cut down the repeat submissions, garner better submissions to the directory, and result in a useful resource proceeding into the 2010's and beyond...

Wow that's a quantum leap from sending a rejection slip, how does that garner better submissions. We tried doing status checks at Resource Zone and telling people they had been rejected the heat it generated meant that we stopped doing it.

javanx3d it's easy to be the spectator at a football match, have you noticed the crowds always know better than the players. Yet the players get thousands for their skills and give the ball to many of those who shout loudest and they need to wear brown trousers.

bogart, we always send an acceptance or rejection slip to those who apply to be editors, did you chase that up, perhaps have to do the same as I did with a letter from my bank and check the spam box.

I am always glad when I know that we have high standards for people wanting to become editors because I have spent too much time cleaning up the mess when idiots have been allowed in by accident.