Becoming an ODP / DMOZ editor.

What's the cost in time?

[Newbie]

I applied to become one ages back - never heard back - forgot about it. I later found out a competitor of my resertvations sites was an editor with them (coincidence?). Did my bit with Go (joke) and was amazed at the old kippers that made it through. Even did a spell with an Aussie SE / directory (joke being a limey).

Have several top travel and now prescription medication sites with other directories (hugely sucessful because of my good content - LookSmart took around 50 of my pages) and am fed up with entering them each month with DMOZ to no avail (no editor story of course). What will it cost me time wize and time scale wize to go down this route. And what is the likelyhood of being accepted after I never heard back before?

Their site don't exactly say much about this. Any ideas et all?

[Laisha]

>I later found out a competitor of my resertvations sites was an editor with them (coincidence?).

Yes. That's coincidence. There is a small number of meta editors who actually review applications for new editors, and although one of them could be a competitor, I highly doubt that this would play a part.

A very small percent of applicants actually get approved. Many of our current editors had to submit multiple times before being accepted. I would suggest that you reapply and pay attention to these items:

1. Use your real email address and not a Hotmail or other anonymous address. Although that is not a requirement, there is precious little to go on when reviewing an application, and many metas feel more secure if it is obvious you are not trying to hide something. (Note: You can change your email address once you're approved.)

2. Be truthful on the application. If you have an affiliation with the category -- your site is or could be in the category, your brother-in-law's site is or could be in the category, etc. -- say so. Give the URL in the application.

3. Look at the category you are applying for to get an idea of the "style" that is used in it. Are the titles company names or names of the site? Are there 3 lines in each description or 1? When you submit your sample URLs, follow the style.

4. Fill out all of the sample URL fields completely. This application is like a job application. It's almost all a meta has to go on when deciding whether or not you will be a good editor.

5. Use good grammar and correct spelling.

6. If at first you don't succeed... :)

I hope that helps.

Please also check your StickyMail. I just sent you something.

[Newbie]

Ok, thanks.

Here's some more if you don't mind.

I have absolute top spot with them for "thailand hotels" and pretty much the same with "bali hotels", which is great, and I get loads of visitors because of this, and I don't want to rock that boat. I also have a great listing for my Bali forum site, though as I explained in stickymail, none for my Thai forum site.

I wouldn't mind editing for Asia and they have a spot free. Would my existing lisitngs and the fact I only wanted to get one other of my travel sites (which is a quailty site and gets almost poll position on Yahoo) into ODP count for me? (ie, that I did not have umpteen sites of my own to submit and therefore am a little more earnest than most - after all, my sorum sites are genuinely about helping travellers and get extensively used).

Also, I go on LONG walkabouts - I go to areas of Thailand etc to find great smaller hotels to put on my reservations sites (on which I put my own photos and write-ups - a tad different from every other reservation site). So there would be times I literally could not edit. Do you think that would be a problem?

Also, also. If I was an editor for, say, Asia Travel category. Would I get preference for submitting my prescritpion drug sites (Sorry, have to do these as need to sponsor my travels / travel sites)!?

Also, finally. How many hours a week would I need to commit to ODP do you think if I became an editor?

Thanks, regards and rsvp

Mark

[skibum]

Just my .02 - Mark,

The goal of ODP is to get editors who are there to edit pure and simple. Editors get no special treatment of their own sites, and applying to edit simply to add ones own site is frowned upon.

Would you apply to be an editor in a category which is related to your interests yet is not a category in which your site would be listed? If so, then there might be a fit.

If the goal of becoming an editor is to just tweak personal listings, and ensure that sites one is affiliated with get in and ranked well, while putting up with the necessary grunt work of doing other site reviews, then ODP probably isn't a good place to edit.

As far as time, it takes as much or as little time as you want to put into it.

When it comes to scale, I'm not really sure what it meant by that. It does sound like you may have some good knowledge of the category areas you have mentioned.

[Newbie]

No

I would apply, maybe, to be an editor for a classification for which my sites (except one - which I am proud of, and have no qualms in proposing it) are alrady listed.

As I said, I already have the best possible listings in ODP for my travel sites (except the one that is not listed at all, but should be). So I would only be submitting one (non-commercial) travel site on my own behalf and looking at others as a true Internet user.

I do have other sites I need (and they should be) listed by OPD in prescription drugs (the ones I have are as good as if not a lot better then the ones already listed). And of course, I am interested if becoming an editor helps in this respect.

Are you an ODP editor? If so - Great - But my concern is that there will be times (due to going on walkabout), that I simply would not be able to log in, let alone edit! Are they going to be ok with that?

Regards and rsvp

Mark

[Newbie]

ps

Sorry - do not know what happened to the "Hey Skibum" on my last post (apologies - damn Thai ISP - gotta blame someone!)

[Newbie]

Hi / For Laisha

Did you get my reply e-mail?

My sent box shows nothing!

But I definitely replied both on the board and by sticky mail.

Regards / RSVP

Mark / Newbie

[Laisha]

Yes. I got your StickyMails. And your email. I'm sorry for the delay, but I had some things come up in real life which prevented me from doing much.

Check your SM. :)

[Newbie]

Hi Laisha

Yes, thanks for that!

But I am still interested in looking at becoming an editor for ODP if I am a round peg (with my sites / present lisitngs / need to go disappear a while on walkabout) looking at a round hole - what do you think?

Thanks

Mark (Newbie)

[malcom]

newbie, may i also suggest that if you have a friend or family member who edits on the same computer you do (or in my case someone who homestayed a bit), make sure at least someone knows...they might compare your editing logs and match the ip addresses of the same computer, and remove you. this happened to me, don't let it happen to you (learn from my mistake)

[Newbie]

Thanks

But I do not see what that has to do with becoming an editor :-) Anyway, ODP will never (unless they use subersive tactics like planting some mobile code on my PC, which I doubt) know my PC's IP address. They may know the IP address (or one of them) of the ISP I am using at any given time. And they may have a history on me courtesy of any cookie of theirs I leave on my PC. But they will never know anything more.

As for removing me. I have some pretty contentious sites, but they all have unique material and are worthy of their directory. So why they would want to remove me? I do not know.

But as I say. If you have more insider, please feel free. And thanks for the reply.

:-)

[hello]

oh yeah right, practically every category is going to have that editors websites listed. except for the editors getting paid, or the exceptional person who reaally has nothing better to do and just loves to spend there time on the computer, the average editor is doing it to get there site listed. be real

[Newbie]

I doubt everyone is as mercanary as you make them out to be. But hey, if that's your style - good luck to you. I have plenty of sites earning me $ - But I also get this much because I do a good job with my sites. And I do a good job because I enjoy it. And I would happily edit for this directory, and do it damn well, if they accepted I needed to go walkabout for a while and would not be available sometimes for maybe 2 weeks. And I would do all that because I personally would like to see spammers kept out of the directories, plus ODP is a great asset.

I already have my hotel / travel sites in ODP (so don't need to submit into the sub-directories I am already in and very well so)and would happily edit for them for free for those very (above paragraph) reasons. Sorry you don't believe that!

Sure I have other sites in other areas that I would need to submit to other categories within ODP. But at least I am open / honest about that.

[hello]

good for you. you are one of the few good troopers out there!

[Newbie]

I really like to think so
:-)