How long does it take to get listed on Open Directory?

[phillypleez]

How long does it usually take to get indexed on OD and is it ok to submit like every month if you are not getting listed? If I am not getting listed what are some possible problems that might be present? I submitted my site about twice within 2-3 months.

[caine]

phillypleez,

it takes roughly two months, don't resub at all, their is no need, make sure you are subbing to the right cat, and let the editor get to you. Resubbing will only pee- him/her off. Patience is a virtue and the ODP requires patience.

[Crazy_Fool]

The time taken to get listed in the ODP will depend entirely on the editor for the category you submit to. If it is a small category, the editor might log in only once a fortnight, but the editor of a larger category might log in on an almost daily basis and if you're lucky, you could be listed the same day as you submit.

Make sure you submit to the correct category. You may be allowed to submit to two categories, one in the main categories, one in the Regional categories. Check the category descriptions before submitting to make sure you submit to the correct category in the first place.

If you submit to the wrong category, the editor of that category may decide that your site belongs elsewhere in the ODP and move your site to another category. It will then sit there until it gets reviewed by another editor. Submitting to incorrect categories wastes editor time and prevents your site from being listed quickly.

Some categories have no editors listed. This will obviously mean that your site may take longer to be accepted. Editors of higher level categories will occassionally visit those editor-less categories and add sites as and when they have the time. If the category you submit to has no editor, try applying to become the editor of that category.

Plenty more information is available in the submissions guidelines and the category descriptions.

[bufferzone]

>>has no editor, try applying to become the editor of that category<<

I have tried that twice and not gotten accepted. Any insight as to how to do this :(

[Crazy_Fool]

did they say why you were rejected ?
one possible reason is that you applied to edit a large category. ODP staff are wary of new editors taking on large categories and making a complete mess of things.

try applying for a small category (under 100 listings) to start with to get a bit of editing experience. once you have "proved yourself" you should be ok to apply to take on a larger category. if the category you want to edit is very large, then you may keep getting refused until you have fairly considerable experience.

when applying to take on larger categories, the ODP staff will examine your editing of the smaller category and the frequency of your log-ins. this will play a big part in their decision as to whether to accept you as an editor of a larger category.

remember that some categories may only show 100 sites, but they may have over 1000 unreviewed sites, and this will be considered too large for a new editor to deal with. don't give up, keep applying.

[bufferzone]

The last time I tried to apply fore a small category and I was sent a list of resons why an application could be rejected, no specefic pointer to why I was rejected

[cowboy]

If you want to be an editor of the ODP you have to make sure that your application is perfect. Treat it like a job application. Make sure that all you have included the 3 URLs requested, that your titles and descriptions have perfect spelling, punctuation, and are not filled with a bunch of hype.

Read the ODP guidelines

[dmoz.org...]

Make sure your URL submissions, your titles, and your descriptions conform to these guidelines.

Be patient, be persistent, be honest on your application, and if you ever have any questions please feel free to post in this forum and ask them. Keep trying, there is no limit how many times you can apply to be an editor, just as long as you have only one application in at a time.