As much as I wanted to support the Open Directory Project in the past, I learned that it was impossible when they simply don’t accept help from qualified netizens. My applications were rejected twice with no explanation given either time. This suprised me to no end, especially considering that the subject had rusted for so long that half the links didn’t work.

Most editors just register so they can list their own sites deny competitors then vanish never to be seen again and let the category rot.

I’ve witnessed corruption myself first hand. Blatant, blatant stuff. Vague description:

We had 2 listings. 1 for our site, 1 for our forums. 1 in category A, 1 in category B. His site was listed in category A, as well. He removed our site from category B and added his site to category B. So, now we have 1 listing and he has 2. If we can’t have 2 listings, cool. But, why can he?

It’s been reported. Talked to an editor. No one seems to care.

I’ve heard a lot about this. Thank goodness it’s not valued by Google as much as before.

I must agree also, I tried getting listed as an editor 4 times and finally got in on the 4th and then after improving my section, i got sacked. Well I am looking for some good editors to help me with a regional directory, so if anyone is interested please drop me a line as i need around 6 to 10 people. Email me - philipz85 at hotmail dot com with the subject ‘Directory Editors’.

I’m editor of the Dutch computer programming category, and I think you’re giving a wrong image here. You’re making it sound as if all editors are corrupted. This is far from the truth. DMOZ has very strict rules. If you want to be an editor, you’ll have to prove some expertise, and you have to give a list of all YOUR websites and online articles. If you want to remove a site from the DMOZ listing, you have to give a valid reason. Break the rules, and they’ll kick you out without mercy.

Nobody is saying that they are all corrupt, but that there is a lot of them out there…

Good for you Tommy, but I think DMOZ is a lost cause if you are seriously trying to do something good, corrupt people like that have changed people’s views of DMOZ and that cannot be changed…

DMOZ is a lost cause. Unless they bring in cooperative editing for say 2 or 3 editors per category. Its a lot harder for 2 people to be corrupted, if they don’t know who the other author is!

This has been going on for a long time now. I thought the reason why DMOZ was slipping in ratings was because of this.

My site is there at least, but ya, this DMOZ thing is getting way of hand.

Dmoz sucks big time. sooner or later dmoz will collapse from the weight of the huge egos of its retarded editors.

I am a DMOZ editor and am surprised and annoyed at the amount of flack the ODP has been copping over the issue of corrupt editors, and new listing latency. It’s easy to spot inproprietory within the directory, and if you started deleting sites without giving a good reason, you’d be raising alarm bells all over the place.

I’d say it’s a fair bet that most people who apply to be editors are doing so because they want to get their site listed, and don’t care about anything else. I suspect that if they manage to get approved, they add their own site and then disappear off the face of the planet. The categories within the directory are quite strict, and if you’re applying to be an editor you’ve got to think very carefully about what you put on your application. If DMOZ editors wrote feedback to every unsuccessful editing applicant it would serve to assist those with ill intentions and would take valuable, volunteered time away from the process of editing.

If you’ve tried to become an editor and been rejected, of if you’ve tried to submit a site to the directory, it’s quite likely your submission had basic errors, and you were probably submitting sites to the wrong category. I’ve watched seasoned web professionals try and submit sites to DMOZ and have absolutely no idea what the right category is. They then go off and complain that the editors are corrupt.

Is there corruption in DMOZ? Of course, there’s corruption, even on a minor level in almost anything - a local cop getting free donuts is a very basic level of corruption, but within DMOZ, it’s an awful lot harder to be corrupt and not get noticed than most people realise.

People claiming a high level in incompetence in the ODP should put up some decent evidence, or shut up. And on that note, I visited the dmozsucks.org website (referred to in the previous post), and couldn’t help but notice that the forums are almost empty.

And, incidentally, I can’t help but notice that autopictures.com is not listed in any of the categories shown in the screen shot example at the beginning of this article. The http://dmoz.org/Recreation/Autos/Makes_and_Models/Chevrolet/Beretta/ category was edited on December 27 and on January 25, and none of those edits show a listing for autopictures.com.

All i have to say is Dmoz sucks.

It seems nothing changes with dmoz.

Do all the dmoz volunteers realise that the actions of the minority undermine the whole principle of dmoz and that as soon as a viable alternative comes along then dmoz is sunk?

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