dmoz 500

dmoz is entangled with its internal server error

[mnm_pistha]

i created a new site to be included into dmoz...i've been trying and trying but everytime i just get the same 500 internal error...as i read in the posts i even tried in the less busy off peak hrs (usa time) but no use..i know that many of u have got the same type of error in the past few days....has this type of internal server errors for (3 and more days) happened before...how long do u think this will continue...i am loosing my patience

[John_Caius]

Keep trying. Whilst you're waiting, build some more content. Chances are that if you really have "built a new site to be included in dmoz" it won't have enough content to merit a listing. Remember that a dmoz listing is by no means the be all and end all of marketing a website.

It's been going on for the last few weeks but people are getting through. The problem may continue for weeks or maybe a few months depending on how fast the hardware upgrades progress.

Hope that helps. :)

[kctipton]

>>i am loosing my patience<<

Sorry. You aren't alone -- lots and lots and lots of threads about this subject have already been started.

[decstar]

I just managed to get a submission form to DMOZ to go through without an error. I have been trying for about 3 weeks, only took about 5 attempts.

(PS I have just joined, have been lurking for about 2 months though)

[g1smd]

Thousands of submissions are being received per day, so it isn't broken for everyone all of the time.

Try again at a different time of day. If you get an error, then come back in an hour or two.

I assume that you did keep a copy of the submssion in a text editor, to make it easy to try again?

[enuff]

I've been trying for 3 months.. varied times of day, varied days of week, with different browsers all with no success.

[mack]

decstar,
Glad you managed to get your submission through ok. And glad you finaly decided to leave the ranks of "lurker". Welcome to the boards

Mack.

[Mohamed_E]

On Monday, at around 8AM US EDT (Atlantic coast is US) I was able to submit a site on the second try (a few minutes apart).

Now 8 AM EDT is high noon in Europe, but still early on the East Coast of the States and even earlier farther west.

[Laisha]

Welcome, enuff [webmasterworld.com].

Patience pays off. So does looking for alternatives while you wait, though. :)

[Will Spencer]

I've tried probably 50 times over the last week with no success.

All I ever see is:

Internal Server Error

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator, [e-mail] and inform them of the time the error occurred, and anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.

[rfgdxm1]

How come they always go through for me? I just made a test submission from the public side, and it went through the first time.

[cornwall]

>>How come they always go through for me? I just made a test submission from the public side, and it went through the first time. <<

I think you are wrong to imply that submitters are lying/incompetent/stupid/exaggerating.

I make a number of submissions per week to DMOZ (quite legitimate, not spamming and they virtually all get accepted) and I would agree that with anyone who says that submitting is difficult.

It can be done off peak US, but otherwise an hour can be par for the course to get a submission to take (personally after a couple of such problems a month or so ago I always submit off peak now.)

If Dmoz want to maintain credibility it must accept that there is a submission problem (to be fair the metas do accept this)

It is pointless shooting the messanger ;)

And...Will Spencer welcome to the rough old world of WebmasterWorld!

[rfgdxm1]

>I think you are wrong to imply that submitters are lying/incompetent/stupid/exaggerating.

I never wrote any such thing. I was just making a comment that for whatever strange reason, every time I do a test it works. Maybe the server likes my IP range or something. ;)

[globalseo]

I now only submit after midnight east coast time and the submissions are received 100% of the time. Any other time it is hit and miss like most are experiencing.

From my expereince of getting pages in and updates to others made, it seems the form is working and posts are being received.

[Digimon]

I've been trying to submit during the last four days and I haven't got anything (different moments of day, more than 120 attempts). That 505 Internal Server Error looks pretty ugly. Could be legitimate send the url to category's editor explaining the subimission problem?

[rfgdxm1]

I'd advise against trying to submit by directly contacting the editor. Be patient, and keep trying. And, try at off peak times, like around 0800 UTC.

[GodLikeLotus]

Got a site through this morning 12.30pm GMT and it only took 3 attempts. I uess you guys and gals in the states need to get up in the middle of the night.

[RFranzen]

People are managing to make submissions even during the daytime. As an editor, I see them arrive into my "unreviewed" dirctories. There have been several new submissions into my categories since this morning.

I'm sure the 500 errors do make submission difficult at times -- I know they make editing difficult. The editors would like to see the upgrade be completed just as much or more so than any submitter.

-- Rich

[prplspud]

OK, here's the thing... I've been having horrible problems too. Tonight just getting a new PC up to speed and have yet to install my software firewall. I thought I would try a couple of dmoz submissions and they went through effortlessly.

In the past, I had tried disabling the firewall, but I don't think it ever "completely" shut down. Although I have upgraded to XP ... I still can't help but wonder if it wasn't the software firewall...

I welcome comments (especially validation!) ...

[Digimon]

I'm not using firewalls and still getting the 500 error.II live in Spain and use to work during the morning (GMT) so the most of my attemps are at that time. But, I've also tried in other moments of day and always get the same bothering stuff

[john22]

Hi

I just got this message after trying a third time...

Submit a Site to the Open Directory

Sorry, we cannot accept automated submissions at this time. If you think you have received this message in error, please try submitting the form again. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Please go back in your browser if you need to resubmit the form.

anyone seen this before?
-Martin

[elgumbo]

Yeah I got that 2 days ago. Just the once though.

Every other attempt I get the Infernal ;) Server Error

[olwen]

I'm getting dreadfully frstrated. I've tried different time and it's still not going through :(

[Mozart]

From my own experience I can tell you this: Not all failing submissions really fail!

During the past two months I was submitting a few sites to dmoz/odp, always keeping painstaking records of the text fields to be submitted and when I tried and if it failed or not (very important to keep copies of your submissions or tries!).

Now, one of the sites I tried about four times before giving up for the time being. Later it turned out that what I saw as a submission error actually was received by the category editor and added to the cat within two days! So the submission did go through even though it didn't look like it!

Another thing about dmoz/odp: Never ever loose your patience! Sometimes the submission is successful after a few hours, sometimes you wait for months and nothing happens, sometimes you just don't have a unique enough site!

So my advice: Don't submit too often and relax and build your site during your times of waiting. Even better: Don't wait for dmoz/odp!

Mozart

[dargo21]

Right now, with server upgrades, the ability to apply to be an editor or to submit sites has been turned off. It should be back up sometime next week. Also, editors will not be able to edit, so no sites will be approved etc. until next week.

See: [webmasterworld.com...]

[Dietrich]

I've been to places where it was really submitting the information even though I was getting an error. I got an email chewing me out for spamming. It's good to know that demoz really isn't getting my info if I get an error and I can keep trying. About half the sites I submit to dmoz give me an error. I've just been waiting a few months and if it's not there, trying again.

[g1smd]

Multiple submissions in the same ODP category normally just overwrite each other, so you'll not be accused of spamming unless you are submiting multiple deeplinks, and/or submitting to multiple categories. Some other directories take a very dim view of multiple submissions you have seen.

[mole]

If one of my sites was so overloaded it kept doing 500s when people tried posting, I'd add some text to the submission page along the lines of:
"we're sorry but current demand for use of our submission service is overloading our servers and causing users to experience error messages. Please be patient and try re-submitting, but please wait at least twelve hours between submission attempts."
It would take only minutes to do and would keep thousands of people from tearing their hair out, as they are at the moment.

Just a suggestion.

[g1smd]

The problem is that when there are error messages, users will only to be able to see the error messages and not your carefully crafted explanation.

A lot of work is happening at the moment. You should notice improvements in a few weeks time. In the meantime, the ODP edit functions and *site submission* functions are going offline shortly for essential work, and will be off until probably the end of the month.

[rfgdxm1]

>Multiple submissions in the same ODP category normally just overwrite each other, so you'll not be accused of spamming unless you are submiting multiple deeplinks, and/or submitting to multiple categories. Some other directories take a very dim view of multiple submissions you have seen.

It seems to me more likely they all end up showing in unreviewed. :( Personally, if the multiple submissions are to the same cat I'd assume as an ODP editor that either the ODP software was acting up, user browser problems, etc. However, if the same site is submitted to 12 different categories all in the same day, let's just say this isn't the best strategy to maximize the odds of me quickly adding the site. Probably many ODP editors also find spam displeasing.