How is a submission removed?

[Marcia]

I submitted a site (checked someplace and it's in the queue), but the site needs to be changed and I need to cancel the submission. It will qualify again in a couple of months, but will not be qualifying now for a while.

How is that done if there's no editor for the specific category to write to?

[dmorison]

Assuming you're talking about DMOZ, wouldn't you just go up the tree to the first level _with_ an editor and contact them?

[John_Caius]

Or you could visit the ODP public forum and raise the issue there. Even if you do nothing, if the site's not (yet) eligible for listing then it won't get added anyway. If the editor decides that even now it has useful and unique content, you might get a link earlier than you planned but that will remain valid with the improved site.

[Marcia]

Thanks, it's a little ecom site and for some very good reasons I decided to terminate the relationship with the shipper.

To not have to take the site down altogether and start again from scratch, it's being temporarily populated with some affiliate links before adding more content and while arranging for a new shipper arrangement.

I *KNOW* it's not eligible for sure now and don't want to get tagged as ..ummm... one of *those" ...ummm..errr.. you know what I mean. ;)

[g1smd]

Put up a note to ODP editors that the site is "on hold".

Put the note *on* the *site* so that the editors can see that the site *owner* really is the one saying it.

[hutcheson]

Don't communicate with an editor for something like this. It's not necessary, and it's not all that likely to be effective. How were you going to find an editor who's both currently active in the ODP (that is, has plenty of OTHER ODP work on his plate and wants to do it), and willing to take on this bit of cleanup (that is, has enough time to spare for that?)

Just resubmit: exactly the same URL and in the same category. In the suggested description, say in brackets, "[this submittal is no longer operative. please delete it. It will be resubmitted when ready]"

Then do exactly the same thing again when it's ready, except put the real suggested description back.

The newer submittals will (nearly always) overwrite the old submittals. No fuss, no muss, no early reviews of missing site to prejudice later reviews, no unnecessary bother to the editor.

Caveat: another editor may give you different advice, but wouldn't have (I believe) if they had thought of this.

[ambivalenthysteria]

hutcheson: It's already been taken care of through the public forum.

[hutcheson]

This is a generally useful technique: no harm repeating it, as it may save all of us unnecessary work.