How to suggest a site to the Open Directory
The Open Directory Project is a web directory of Internet resources. A web directory is something akin to a huge reference library. The directory is hierarchically arranged by subject - from broad to specific. The ODP is maintained by community editors who evaluate sites for inclusion in the directory. They are our experts, and all submissions are subject to editor evaluation.
We care a great deal about the quality of the ODP. We aren't a search engine and pride ourselves on being highly selective. We don't accept all sites, so please don't take it personally should the site not be accepted. Our goal is to make the directory as useful as possible for our users, not to have the directory include all (or even most) of the sites that could possibly be listed or serve as a promotional tool for the entities listed.
To keep the ODP running smoothly and to assist us in exercising our editorial discretion, we have set up policies for submitting sites for our consideration. We may reject, delete, or edit submissions that violate these policies or that we otherwise believe, in our sole discretion, should not be included in the directory. We may also reject, delete, or block other sites that we believe to be associated with a user who has violated these policies.
You should take a few moments to understand these policies and the steps to suggest a site before you begin. Failure to understand and follow these instructions generally will result in the rejection of a suggestion.
Step One
Determine whether a site is appropriate for submission to the ODP:
- Do not suggest mirror sites. Mirror sites are sites that contain identical content, but have altogether different URLs.
- Do not suggest URLs that contain only the same or similar content as other sites you may have listed in the directory. Sites with overlapping and repetitive content are not helpful to users of the directory. Multiple suggestions of the same or related sites may result in the exclusion and/or deletion of those and all affiliated sites.
- Do not disguise your suggestion and suggest the same content more than once.
Example: http://www.dmoz.org and http://www.dmoz.org/index.html - Do not suggest any site with an address that redirects to another address.
- The Open Directory has a policy against the inclusion of sites with illegal content. Examples of illegal material include child pornography; libel; material that infringes any intellectual property right; and material that specifically advocates, solicits or abets illegal activity (such as fraud or violence).
- Do not suggest sites "under construction". Wait until a site is complete before suggesting it. Sites that are incomplete, contain "Under Construction" notices, or contain broken graphics or links aren't good candidates for the directory.
- Suggest pornographic sites to the appropriate category under Adult.
- Suggest non-English sites to the appropriate category under World.
- Don't suggest sites consisting largely of affiliate links.
Step Two
Do a quick search in the directory at www.dmoz.org (the home of the Open Directory) to be sure the site isn't already listed. This saves everyone time.
Step Three
Identify the single best category for the site. The Open Directory has an enormous array of subjects to choose from. You should suggest a site to the single most relevant category. Sites suggested to inappropriate or unrelated categories may be rejected or removed.
Note: Some categories do not have "suggest URL" or "update URL" links. These categories don't accept suggestions, so you should find a more specific category for the site.
Step Four
Once you've selected the best category for the site, go directly to that category on www.dmoz.org and then click "suggest URL." Follow the instructions on the suggestion form carefully. Descriptions of sites should describe the content of the site concisely and accurately. They should not be promotional in nature. Suggesting a promotional description rather than an objective, well written description may significantly delay the site from being listed or prevent it from being listed at all. Auto-submission software is (and always has been) a violation of this procedure. Sites suggested automatically are flagged and deleted after the suggestion is accepted, without notification. Persistent automated suggestions may force us to ban you from the directory, so we can provide resources to real human beings.
Procedure After Your Site is Suggested
An ODP editor will review your suggestion to determine whether to include it in the directory. Depending on factors such as the volume of suggestions to the particular category, it may take from several weeks to years before your suggestion is reviewed. Please only suggest a URL to the Open Directory once. Again, multiple suggestions of the same or related sites may result in the exclusion and/or deletion of those and all affiliated sites. Disguising and suggesting the same URL more than once is not permitted.
Updating a Site
If a site has been accepted for inclusion in the directory but you are dissatisfied with how the site is described or titled, you may go to the category where it is listed, and fill out the "update URL" form. If you are dissatisfied with the category in which the site is listed, explain the reasons why, and mention the category you believe the site should be listed in, using the form. Be polite and civil -- threatening or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.
Getting Your Site Into Portals and Search Engines Using ODP Data
If your site has been accepted into the Open Directory, it may take anywhere from 2 weeks to several months for your site to be listed on partner sites which use the Open Directory data, such as AOL Search, Google, Netscape Search, Yahoo Search, and hundreds of other sites. We make updates of the data available weekly, but each partner has their own update schedule.
Editorial Discretion
Please recognize that making the ODP a useful resource requires us to exercise broad editorial discretion in determining the content and structure of the directory. That discretion extends (but is not limited) to what sites to include, where in the directory sites are placed, whether and when to include more than one link to a site, when deep linking is appropriate, and the content of the title and description of the site. In addition, a site's placement in the directory is subject to change or deletion at any time at our sole discretion. You should not rely on any aspect of a site's inclusion in the directory. Please understand that an editor's exercise of discretion may not always treat all suggestions equally. You may not always agree with our choices, but we hope you recognize that we do our best to make fair and reasonable decisions.
The Open Directory team welcomes comments and feedback about the directory generally. Please let us know what you think, and how we can improve the service. Thanks!
Proceed to the Open Directory home at www.dmoz.org - Start here to find a category to suggest to.