ODP, or, Dmoz, Feedback I've Received.

In this post I'll go over some of the feedback, or, e-mail, I've received from submitters. Now, I don't receive much e-mail, but I do read, and sometimes respond, to e-mail from the public. Here is just a sample of some of the public feedback I've received and my response, if any, to them. These messages are not word-for-word from the e-mails I've received, but are instead a summary of them. My comments are after the fact.

1) Did I submit to the correct category?
---No. Your site's not in English, but here's a link to the proper category in World.
My comments: I think he was secretly asking for me to list his site, but there wasn't even an English version for it. I'm online most of the time so I responded to him within minutes. In fact, the subject line of the e-mail was "please add turkish (türkçe)".

2.1) Dear editor, I'm checking the status of my submission. I submitted an update request and just want to know if it was sent to this category (Health/...) since the content has changed and is waiting there.
---Dear sir, according to Dmoz guidelines sites have to have unique content and unfortunately your site no longer meet those guidelines. Oh, and here's a link to resource-zone.com in case you need further explanation of unique content.
My Comments: Why in the hell did I refer him to Resource-zone? Ah, never mind. It took about 5-10 minutes to find out his content wasn't original, but was instead stolen from more official health sites. I took 5-10 minutes verifying just to make sure I was making the correct decision before deleting his site. He didn't even bother to cite the stolen content, so hence my use of the word stolen. He responded to my e-mail, so read 2.2.

2.2)Dear editor, thank you for your response and I understand what you mean. Had I known that my site would have been removed then I would have never submitted the update request in the first place. Please consider relisting my site [link and proposed description]. Thanks for your time.
---No response.
My Comments: Now, I did take a peek at the site again. He had added the previous content back plus the stolen content. I wasn't going to relist the site because over half was still stolen content from other sites. Plus, the part I highlighted is what tipped me off that after I re-add the site then he might change it back to having only the stolen health information. So, I intentionally sat on it for a few months then checked it again, and, viola, he changed the site back to the stolen content. He did resubmit the site after the major server crash and I promptly deleted it with the same message as before - stolen content from several health sites.

3.1)Hi, I submitted my site in your category [link].
---Your site is already listed in the above category [link to above category].
My Comments: I went to my favorite message board and begged people to submit their sites to the category or to at least post the links in the thread I created because I needed sites to add to the category. Now, most people probably posted a link to their site in the thread. I never promised a listing, but that I would review it and add it if possible. Most of the sites were recently created message boards with nearly no content and couldn't be added anyway. She responded, so read 3.2.

3.2) Yes, I know its listed, but we just added a section dedicated to this topic. Please consider adding it.
---No response
My Comments: I thought it over. There were other sites in the subcategories that were listed in the above category, so why not this one I thought. Most of those deep links were listed before I became the active editor of that category. Unfortunately, the big server crash wiped out the suggestion and I had a lot of time to think about the suggestion through the server restore and eventually decided not to list the deep link. Unfair? Maybe - but it wasn't anything personal against the webmaster because I'd never communicated with her before she sent the e-mail. Also, keep in mind it was already listed and she wanted it deep linked in an immediate subcategory.

4) Dear editor, I submitted my site last year and its not listed. Is there something wrong with my site?
---No response.
My Comments: (Uncontrollable laughter) That is probably the oldest ploy to get a site reviewed/listed - but it worked! Dmoz had just come off the major server crash and anyone who submitted sites before the crash had to resubmit, and that's still true in present time. So the guy mentioned he had submitted last year so his site is most likely no longer in review. Even though I wasn't actively editing at that time the e-mail did pique my interest and I took a look at the site. I was actually a pretty good site, so I added it along with some sites on the links page. No response needed.

5) Hi, I've been trying to get my site listed in your category. Is there anything I can do to speed up the review? Possibly for other sites?
---No response.
My Comments: Subtle bribe request. Lets just say that his domain will never be listed in the directory. I did look at the site and I did check and verify that it was in the category. Too bad, because at the rate in which I was editing and with the types of categories I was interested in his site would have eventually been added on its own merit. Patience is a virtue.

6) I've been submitting my family's site to the directory for awhile. Is there anything you can do to help?
---No response.
My Comments: I can't remember if I checked to see if the site was in the category or not, but I did take a look at it with no intention of reviewing it for a listing. I just wanted to make sure it was listable because if not then I'd delete it from the category. No response needed. This is a category where, like e-mail #5, some people might ask for bribes, so I'm not really interested in reviewing sites for this category when I receive an e-mail. Plus, you never know when the person has offered a bribe on a site you don't know about then e-mails you asking for help getting listed (with or minus the bribe offer).

7.1)Hi there. Why was my site removed? I was an editor for several years for a few subcats and I added the site myself. The site is better than most of the sites in the category. The category no longer exists but my site wasn't moved into the upper category with the rest. Why not? [link to Google directory where site is listed]. Ignore this if you didn't remove my site. And to whom did remove my site, Google is now updating their directory and my site won't be included for another few months or years. Thanks for nothing.
---No response.
My Comments: She sent me another e-mail a couple of hours after this, read 7.2. I'll say that she's lucky I read the second e-mail before I read this one. I don't know if it's luck that she picked me as the editor that removed her site or if she sent an angry e-mail to other editors, too. Funniest part of this e-mail: 'I know my site is one of the best in the category'. If you know which category it is then that alone will make you laugh, but the biggest laughter came after I looked at the site. Sorry, but don't we all think our sites are the best there is, the best there was, and the best there will ever be? But, anyway, there wasn't anything "better" about her site than the rest in the category. The part that made me angry: 'Thanks for nothing.' I have no obligation to list or review anyone's site. It's that simple. I did re-review it and add it back to the category that same day as the e-mail. Fact is that I was the editor that removed her site when I deleted the category and didn't add it back to the directory. When I quickly glanced at the site its content and Dmoz description didn't match. I didn't have time to re-review it so put it into unreviewed with a message to myself or any editor that happens upon it that the content had changed and it needed a re-review. Most of the time I don't go back and re-review the sites myself. But, the reason why her site was removed from the directory was because the content had changed and I didn't have time, at that time, to give it a re-review. I wouldn't recommend sending an angry e-mail to an editor when you want them to review or list your site.

7.2) Sorry if I was mean in my e-mail. I was pretty mad at the time.
---No response.
My Comments: This is the e-mail I read first when I was on break at work. I couldn't figure out who it was from or why they had sent me an apology. I didn't have time to read the rest of my e-mail until later that day, which, of course, is when I discovered the angry letter. Her site eventually got re-listed that same day, although, as she mentions, it's probably not included in the most recent Google update. Plus, what kind of person would I be if I didn't re-review a site I removed because it needed a re-review? :-D

8) I've submitted my site. Can you check the status.
---It's waiting for review.
My Comments: I spent a few hours searching to see if this person had offered a bribe anywhere. I couldn't find anything. I didn't spend every single minute of those few hours researching this because I like to multi-task. But, eventually, I made the choice to respond with a status check. It was a hastily written e-mail, but it was still readable. So much for my research on this issue because after I responded I found a post by him on a forum asking for a status check. People intentionally skipped over his message, but it's smart to actually ask someone who has the ability to look in the category's unreviewed to make sure your site made it to the category than to ask someone who obviously can't. No harm here; just some curious webmaster who wanted to know the status of his site.

Now you have a glimpse on what an individual editor is thinking when an e-mail is received via public feedback and the types of e-mail that are sent. Some editors don't read them, some editors read them and don't respond, and some editors are like me and don't mind corresponding with the public. It's an editors choice on what they want to do. It is discouraged by other editors though, but I'm capable of making up my own mind regarding these types of matters.

Current editor stats:
3922 [total edits] / 1150 unique adds / 1010 deletes / 721 unreviewed

NOTE: Sorry, again, this post is not proofread. There might be mistakes, but I might have time to correct them later and to make sure things are as clear as possible.