ODP Guidelines

Editing Basics

Getting Started

Submitted Sites
You can edit sites that have been submitted to your category by clicking on "5. Unreviewed sites" on the edit screen for your category. On the edit screen you will be able to edit the title and description. To view the site, click on the word "URL" in the upper left hand part of the screen to bring the site up in your current window or click on "new" to view the site in a new window.  The directory should include only sites that actually exist and that relate directly to the category to which it was submitted.  The site should have useful content; while it is important to increase the number of listings in the directory, it is also necessary to ensure that they are quality listings.

Adding New Sites
New sites can be added to the directory from the editor interface by typing the URL into the field beside "1. Add new site." The interface fills in information about the web site gathered from the title of the site and the description meta tag or first few lines of text on the site. You will be able to edit both the title and description using this interface. The interface will also tell you if the site already exists in another category in the directory. 

To Include or Not to Include

• Does the site contain useful content? Is it content-rich?
• Are the site's contents not currently covered in the category?
• Is the site current? Does it appear to be well-maintained?
• Does the site appeal to a broad range of users? Does it provide diversity to the category?

Site Specific Guidelines

Affiliate Links
Affiliate links are links to a commercial site that usually, but not always,  include an affiliate or referral ID in the URL, such as AffiliateID=19555&ProductID=508.  The person whose ID is in the link gets a commission from anyone who buys from the site after following that link.  A site that lists affiliate links in addition to other content (such as a fan site for a singer that has interviews and photos and links to buy the singer's CDs) might be an  acceptable submission to the directory.  Sites that consist primarily of links to buy books or CDs, etc. and/or provide no unique content are not appropriate for inclusion in the directory. 

Mirror Sites
Mirror sites are sites that contain the same content but are accessed from different URLs.  In general, mirror sites should not be listed in the ODP.  Mirror sites are often used a means for spamming the directory.  The section on Spamming contains further details on our Spam policies. 

Example: http://www.dmoz.org
                 http://directory.mozilla.org

Each site/representative must disclose the name of the company they represent so that they can be listed appropriately. Each representative is allowed one listing per company represented.  In order to assure one listing per representative, only sites listing the name of the representative will be listed. 

Sites for "pyramid schemes," "chain letters," or "money games" should not be listed as they may violate the U.S. Postal Lottery Statute (18 U.S.C. § 1302).  The World Federation of Direct Selling Associations defines a pyramid scheme as being a "scheme in which a recruit pays (an entry fee) for the opportunity to receive future benefits (money or privileges) which are primarily derived from that recruit's (and/or subsequent recruits') introduction of additional participants in the scheme, rather than from the sale of products to consumer.”  Please see the WFDSA site for more details.

Non English Sites
Sites in languages other than English should be listed in the most precise equivalent category under World.  A non-English listing in a category outside of World should be moved to the appropriate World category.  For example, a Spanish language site in the Arts/Music/Bands&Artists Unreviewed category should be forwarded to the World/Español/Artes/Música/Bandas_y_Artistas Unreviewed category.  If you can't determine which category a site should be sent to, you can send it to the appropriate top World/(Language) Unreviewed category with a note in the ODP Note field notifying the World editors of the move. 

It is acceptable for a subject to include a Related Category that links to a corresponding World category.  If the number of related links becomes unmanageable, then a subject may contain a category for Non-English that is populated with @links to the appropriate World categories but no site listings. 

Adult Sites
The Adult category has PICS tags to prevent child safe browsers from accessing that part of the directory. The Adult category does not show up on the main ODP page and it won't show up in searches unless a user employs an "Adult only" keyword with a search or uses the advanced search.  All sexually explicit sites should be listed in the Adult category.  If you find sites with adult content listed in your category, or receive submission of adult sites to your category, move them to the appropriate adult category.   See the official Adult Guidelines, as well as the Adult FAQ for more details regarding adult content.

Illegal Sites
Sites with unlawful content should not be listed in the directory, particularly those intent and substantially focused on making available and distributing illegal materials. Examples of content that is illegal in most jurisdictions include child pornography, material that infringes on intellectual property rights; material that advocates, solicits or abets illegal activity (such as fraud or violence) in specific instances; and material that is libelous. Factual and how-to information is generally NOT abetting illegal conduct unless its intent is to facilitate the immediate commission of a crime in a specific situation.

Example: an anti-abortion site listing the names of abortion doctors may be ok; but an anti-abortion site listing the names and address of abortion doctors in a context that amounted to an implicit threat against them would not be listed. (e.g. showing travel routes and work schedules, home phone numbers, names of children and spouses)

Following these guidelines, editors should not use terms for subcategory names that would incorrectly suggest a category contains links to illegal content (e.g., "Warez" or "Bootlegs") or advocacy of illegal activity. Similarly, ODP descriptions should not suggest that a listed site will help users commit illegal acts or obtain illegal content (e.g., pirated software or music), as such descriptions could incorrectly suggest an intent by an individual editor or the ODP to promote the commission of such acts or distribution of such materials.

The evaluation of the potential illegality of a given site is often difficult and requires case-by-case review. Editors should feel
free to consult with ODP staff about such issues. The ODP staff reserves the right to delete or modify site listings at their discretion. ODP Staff are preparing an official FAQ about Illegal Sites and other illegal issues.  A link will be provided here when these are ready. In the meantime, please contact ODP staff with any questions or concerns you have have about (real or potenial) illegal sites. 

Site Listings as Notices 
Site listings should not include notes or messages meant for editors or submitters - be they official or personal. Though well intentioned, these notices are compiled into the ODP RDF dump, which is used by many different search companies. Notices lose their meaning and context with downstream data users, and thus only confuse the searcher.

Example of Note to Avoid:
CATEGORY NOTICE - Please do not submit sites to this category.

Product Listings
Individual product page listings should not be added to the ODP.   The purpose of the ODP is not to replicate the individual listings of an online shopping catalog.  Sites devoted to the distribution of a single product should be avoided, particularly if they are affiliate sites or if the site is merely a distributor for a manufacturer already listed in the Directory. 

Multiple Listings of an URL
In most cases a site need only be listed in one Open Directory category. However, there are a few occasions on which a site could be listed in more than one category. These sites should be limited to those that have true research value and/or cover a number of different subjects to such a degree that one category isn't sufficient in describing the site's contents. There are also some instances in which a site might be listed in both a subject category and a regional category, such as a site about a professional sports team. But multiple listings should be the exception, not the rule.  Some examples of sites that might be listed more than once include the following: 

Infoplease Kids Almanac - A large reference site just for kids. Find homework help and facts on thousands of subjects, including sports, entertainment, geography, history, biography, education and health.

Homefair.com - Relocation information covering a variety of topics. Includes a salary calculator for cost-of-living comparisons, first-time homebuyer calculators to determine what you can afford, and a moving calculator for calculating the cost of interstate shipment of household goods.

Deeplinking is the process of adding links to sub-pages within a site.  In the vast majority of categories and branches, deeplinking is the exception rather than the rule. Deeplinks should offer content that is unique and extremely useful to a particular category. There are no strict rules regarding the type of site that should or should not be deeplinked. Providing deeplinks, in a uniform way, to sites that offer extremely useful and unique content can add value to the directory in a few cases (e.g. categories with very limited content, and where the meat of the available web content is typically buried within web sites).  However, editors should be very judicious when adding deeplinks of a particular URL.  If you are uncertain about adding deeplinks, ask an experienced editor, such as a meta or an editall for advice or guidance.  Ultimately, all deeplinking decisions are subject to staff approval.

Describing Sites

Titles
The title should be both informative and concise.  If the derived title does not adequately describe the site, alternatives might include the title that appears when viewing the site or the root domain.  Here are some additional guidelines. 

• The first letter of each word in the title should be capitalized, except for articles, prepositions or conjunctions unless they begin the site title. Note: This guideline does not necessarily apply to all World categories. 
• Titles should not be capitalized in their entirety and should not end with an exclamation mark or any other unnecessary punctuation. 
• Titles should not include unnecessary symbols and letters. Listings are, in some cases, sorted alphabetically and sometimes people try to get to the top of the list unfairly.  If "aaa Website" is the submitted title, but the website is really called "Website," the best title is "Website." 
• Titles should not include words and phrases such as "Welcome to," "Online" and "Homepage." 

• Make clear what makes a site different from the rest 
• Do not include any promotional language 
• Do not make reference to illegally obtained content (e.g., pirated versions of software and  music)
• Concisely summarize the contents of a site in one or two lines 
• Do not repeat the title of the site or the category 
• Do not repeat the city, state, country or other geographic region in the description if it appears as part of the title or the category path name.
• Do not contain sentences starting with: "This site is..." 
• Do not use emphatic punctuation (e.g., “!!!” ), all caps to denote emphasis, ampersands ( “&” ) or ellipses ( “...” ) 
• Do not include: street/mailing and e-mail addresses, nearest intersection/highway exit, telephone/fax numbers, instructions for use of answering systems, hours of operation, prices, or other URLs
• Use logical sentence or phrase structure and proper punctuation, starting with a capital letter and ending with a period 
• Are in the third person and do not include pronouns such as "we," "us," "our," "I," "me," and the like 
• May include limited quotations from a site (such as a brief quotation from a site's about page or similar informational areas) if paraphrasing proves too difficult 
• Do not include any spelling errors (a spell check tool is readily available to help prevent spelling errors). 

Date Field
The date field may be used for media references such as articles and reviews or time limited events such as conferences. Items with a date are sorted by this date (not alphabetically). They are placed together at the bottom of the page, below listings that don't have a date. A site with a date cannot be marked cool. 

The date field is not for entering the date the listing was last edited or marking entries as being in some way worse than others. 
 

General Editing Guidelines

Inappropriate Content
The ODP will be useful only if sites are placed in the most appropriate category.  It is critical that this determination be as objective as possible.  To ensure objectivity, editors often have found it useful to consult other editors about whether or not a site is appropriate for their category.  If there is a more appropriate category for that site, then an editor can send the site to that category with adequate editor notes explaining the reason for doing so. 

Cool Sites
A site that stands out among the other sites in the category or is the most definitive site on a subject can be marked as a "Cool Site." 
Ideally, since the cool site is the best site in the category, there should only be one. However, two cool sites may be appropriate in some circumstances. 

It is contrary to ODP policy for editors to cool their own sites or any sites with which they are affiliated.  Doing so is grounds for removal. 

Note: Please utilize the cool site award as opposed to creating categories entitled "Editor's Picks."

Category Basics

Introduction

No editor owns his or her category. Even if you are the only editor listed in a category, there will be other editors who will be able to edit and add sites to your category. These editors include parent category editors and editalls. 

Editors have learned from experience that communication (e.g., by e-mail or by posing proposed changes in the appropriate editor forum) is critical to a successful editing process.  When you make changes to your category such as creating subcategories, or moving sites between categories, you should communicate these changes to other editors before making these changes. Even if you are the sole editor of a category, you should communicate changes to parent category editors. 
 

Subcategories

Of course, it is not always possible to sub-divide a category.  For example, the category Shopping/Home_and_Garden/Garden_Accessories/Gifts/ contains 50+ links to stores selling gardening oriented gifts. It is difficult to break this category up into topical subdivisions based on the type of product, since all stores seem to carry various types of products.

Choosing Subcategory Name
The ODP currently does not use a prescribed thesaurus for assigning subcategory names. However, the following guidelines may be useful in assigning names that will ensure consistency across the ODP and prevent duplication of categories.  For Edtiors in the Regional branch:  Regional editors have developed their own prescribed and recommended list of subject subcategories to be used under geographic locations in the Regional branch only.  Please see the Regional Guidelines for more information.

1. Duplicate and Related Categories: 

• An effective editor will search and/or browse through the ODP in areas inside and outside his or her top level category to find areas of potential duplication. Questions editors have found useful to consider include the following:  Is my subcategory cross-disciplinary, and if so, what other areas could resources in my subcategory be classified under?  If there is a subcategory in another area of the ODP that is similar to my subcategory, should I create a Related Categories link? Should I create an @link?  (See also @Links below)

• Where a category’s resources are related to one another by their topic (e.g., Civil War sites, Venture Capital sites), a good subcategory name meets the following criteria: :
1. The subject is expressed using an English language term, or English equivalent of a foreign language word, whenever possible and appropriate. For some categories, it is appropriate to use non-English language words, such as scientific sites where the subject may be most commonly identified by a Latin word. 2. Words to describe the topic appear in a subject-specific dictionary or widely used thesaurus or are typically used by the news and media covering the subject area.  The name should use the word(s) by which the topic is most commonly known. (e.g., E-Commerce instead of Electronic Commerce). 
• Where a category’s resources are related to one another by their form (e.g., Chat Rooms and Message Boards, News sites, Directories), a good subcategory name usually uses the word that is used most frequently in other areas in pertinent top category. 

Helpful subcategory names

• Do not use acronyms or abbreviations unless they are commonly understood 
• Do not repeat the name of the parent category

Examples:
Collection of business news sites under Top:Business  
Don't use: Business News
Use: News and Media Collection of TV production company sites under Top: Arts: Television  
Don't use: Television Production Companies
Use: Production Companies
• Are not called "General," "Miscellaneous," "Other Topics," or any other variation that implies a collection of general or unrelated links. Links in these general, or catch-all categories should be placed at the top of the most appropriate topical category or moved to an appropriate topical subcategory.
Example:
The sites in a category such as Recreation: Outdoors: Backpacking: General Sites should all be moved to Recreation: Outdoors: Backpacking. All general backpacking sites should be listed in the upper most relevant category in a subject branch. If there was a site in General Sites that was a site for a backpack manufacturer, then it should be moved to the Recreation: Outdoors: Backpacking: Manufacturers subcategory rather than the main Recreation: Outdoors: Backpacking category. 
• Do not use abbreviations or symbols (such as &, +, `n, or etc.) to represent words. 
Examples:  
Don't Use: Periodicals, magazines, etc.
Use: Magazines

Don't Use: Resources `n Directories
Use: Directories

Don't Use: News + Media
Use: News and Media

• Do not use terms for subcategory names that would incorrectly suggest a category contains links to illegal content (e.g., Warez or Bootlegs)

Directories versus Resources - Several categories in the ODP have been created in order to list sites that are web directories or contain resources covering a particular subject area. The terms resources and directories are at times used interchangeably; however, they should be used to classify two types of sites that are quite different. The following is how the ODP staff define the scope of Directories and Resources categories.

Directories: Use to classify sites that contain alphabetical or classified lists of resources covering a particular subject area.

Resources: Use to classify sites whose purpose is to provide a comprehensive overview of a particular subject area. Resource sites typically include general information about a topic, and provide directories, FAQs, chats and forums, publications etc. Most resource sites should be listed in the main topical category. If the main category gets too large, the sites may be placed in a subcategory called Resources.
http://homepages.go.com/~rdebari/Sunrise2New.html
http://www.siba.fi/Kulttuuripalvelut/music.html
http://www.workspace-resources.com/wr0000.htm
http://www.iemploy.com/main.html
http://www.golf.com/

Regional Subcategories

@Links

Example: Arts/Performing_Arts 
                        Magicians@

This @link leads the user to Arts/Performing Arts/Magic/Magicians. Thus, the Magicians@ category in the example is @linked to Magic/Magicians and Magic/Magicians is @linked from Arts/Performing_Arts.

Tip: You may also simply *copy* the category title like this, "Top:Computers: Internet: WWW: Searching the Web: Directories," and then *paste* that title into the "Category" blank in the form. Most systems will copy text by using the command "ctrl-c" and paste copied text by using the command "ctrl-v."  The software automatically translates colons with spaces to forward slashes and spaces to underscores. This is much quicker and leaves less room for error. The only thing left to do at this point is to exclude the word "Top:" in the link, as the system will not recognize the category string if it is included.

Note: @link requests can be made through editall and meta editors in each subject category should you not have editing rights in a category where you think an @link would be useful. Each category has a forum thread devoted to requests. The thread is usually titled - Rename/Delete/Move/Sort Requests. Please do not create site entries that merely consist of a note suggesting a link be created. Further, we ask that you not insert @links that lead back to your editor bookmarks. The editor bookmarks are personal workspaces and are not meant for the public view. 

Related Categories

Creating Related Categories
To create a related category link go to your category's edit page and click [Add/remove related Open Directory categories] and type in the category names. 

Other Ways to Organize Sites

Creating Alphabet Bars
When creating an alphabet bar, make all of the categories A-Z; when you make the last one, they should split off into a bar by themselves.  Make sure that you have made A through Z all capitals - it won't work otherwise. 

Sort Priority Option
A sort priority makes a specific group of subcategories appear in a separate section, above the rest of the subcategories on the public page. A horizontal line separates the two groupings. Sort Priority is not visible from the editor page. All the categories are listed in alphabetical order. 

Using Sort Priority
Sort Priority can be used to give priority to the "main" subcategories in categories where there are many subcategories. Sort Priority is meant to list the most popular or frequently visited subcategories near the top of the display. It is also used to separate two different aspects of a category.  Sort priority is usually not useful in a category that does not have many subcategories, because splitting them into two groups won’t do much to change the appearance of the category. 

Setting Set Priority
Only editors with editall privileges can set sort priority. If you do not have editall privileges and want to suggest setting sort priority, you can add a message to the thread "Move/Rename/Delete" in your category's top-level forum; the message should specify your category and list the subcategories that you would like above the horizontal line. Use the correct capitalization and underscores so that the editall can copy it directly into the sort priority tool. 

Category Specific Guidelines 

Additional Information

Spamming

Sites that repeatedly or persistently spam the directory will be blocked from submission, and their sites may be removed from the directory. Sites affiliated with known spammers may also be removed from the directory and/or blocked from submission. If you notice repeat spam in your category, you may write to the submitter explaining our policies. You may also direct them to our submission guidelines to clarify any confusion. If you choose to write the submitter, be sure that you are polite and courteous in your mail. Profanity and vulgar language in email to submitters is inappropriate, as are threats. Please be sure you make it clear in your communication that you are not a representative of DMOZ staff. If you are uncomfortable in writing perceived spammers, email staff at staff@dmoz.org with the following subject line - "ODP Spam" - and staff will take care of it. 

In some cases, sites will be deep-linked. In these cases, the deep links should offer content that is extremely useful to a particular category, or the content should be particularly unique. Deeplinking should be the exception rather than the rule. 

Robozilla

Fixing the Errors
To fix an error, the best first step is to click on the link to make sure it is really dead: 

• Often a link may have been down for a short period and is now active again. 
• Sometimes a user will be redirected to a new website and the appropriate course is to change the URL on the record to reflect the new address. 
• Sometimes the URL may be typed incorrectly. 
• If the base server URL itself is responding, it's probably a temporary problem. 
• If the user root doesn't respond, the site may be permanently gone and deleting the link may be appropriate. 

ODP Data Users

Types of Editors

Editall Editors
An editall can edit in every category without being listed, including the Test category. Editalls cannot edit in other editors' bookmarks. They can also delete an empty category even if there are editors still listed in it. Editalls can set sort priority on categories. When they create a new subcategory, editalls can also specify a single editor to be automatically assigned as the editor of that category. 

Catmv Editors
Catmv editors can rename and move categories all at once. They can keep all of the existing editors, editing history, newsgroups, @links and related categories intact. Categories moved by a catmv leave a redirect behind so users attempting to go to the old category will be redirected to the new one. In addition, catmv editors have the same powers as editalls. 

Meta Editors
Meta editors can accept or reject editor applications. They can remove category editing privileges, but cannot inactivate an editor's login. Metas have the same privileges as catmv and editall editors. 

Communication and Codes of Conduct

Using the Forums
You also can use the forum for the top-level category you edit (example: Arts), to communicate with the other editors in your category. One way to gather feedback from other editors is by creating a forum thread and then emailing your co-editors with the thread's URL, requesting that they to reply in the thread (not by email). This way everyone can participate in the discussion. You may also get some very useful suggestions from editors who don't edit in your specific category, but just happened to be browsing the forums. We strongly encourage editors to email others regarding a forum topic if he/she wishes to solicit a lot of response or if the topic being discussed is a large-scale change that would affect a number of different editors (some editors don't read the forums regularly).  If your post deals with only one top-level category, then post to the top-level forum devoted to that category.  In addition to the top-level category forums, there are seven non-English forums for the World categories and six general purpose forums.  Please note that, although these forums are useful, their content does not necessarily represent official ODP policy. 

Hypertext Links in Forums
If you are referring to a specific category or site include the URL. If you type in anything beginning with "http://", the Forum software will make everything from that until the next space into a hypertext link. Readers can click on the link to see what you are referring to. However, this also means you don't want to type http://dmoz.org, as that comma will be converted into part of the link, and will lead nowhere. Leave a space before and after any hyperlinks before punctuation. .

Email and Forum Privacy
The content of the ODP Editor Forum, Editors' Notes, and Editor-to-Editor email or Feedback are private and intended only for internal use by ODP editors.  Editors may not publish or disclose quotes from these sources to anyone other than other editors or the ODP staff.  Rephrasing is allowed only if the communication as rephrased could not be attributed to a specific editor and disclosure would not violate any editor's expectation of privacy, with the understanding that a diplomatic choice of words is the rephraser's responsibility. It is never appropriate to disclose the identity or e-mail address of an ODP editor without the consent of that editor. 

Violation of ODP email or forum privacy will not be tolerated and is grounds for removal and possible legal action. 

Netscape Communications Corporation may disclose the relevant contents of forum threads, e-mail, editor's notes, and other ODP communications in legal matters involving the ODP. This means that the contents of the forum threads, including the private meta forum, as well as email sent to staff, may be forwarded to legal representatives.

Contacting Submitters
On some occasions it may be necessary to communicate with a submitter about an entry, but in general it is best to keep correspondence with submitters to a minimum unless the submitter has initiated the exchange.  Under no circumstances should you represent in any communication to a submitter that you are speaking for or on behalf of the ODP staff. If there is a problem with a submitter you should contact staff. 

If you are contacted by anyone concerning ODP legal issues, contact staff at staff@dmoz.org.  All legal issues or questions should be handled by staff.

Communication Abuse
All communications related to the ODP -- with other editors, submitters, or DMOZ staff -- should be civil and polite.  Abusive or harassing behavior will not be tolerated.

From time to time, users and editors may contact other editors through avenues outside of the editor feedback function. This is a function of the public nature of the directory, and by using the Open Directory Project, editors are acknowledging that possibility and waiving any claims against the Open Directory Project.  The Open Directory Project does not support such contacts, nor do we require any personal information about our editors.  However, please note that the contents of editor profiles are viewable by other editors and the public.  If you believe that your privacy or personal rights have been violated as a result of your association with the Open Directory Project, please notify the ODP staff and provide a detailed account of the incident(s). While the ODP has no control over such contacts, in some situations we may be able to discourage them. 

Conflicts of Interest

Removal of Editors
The editors represent the heart and soul of this project. On occasion, however, we may remove editors or revoke their editorial privileges (in full or in part) in our sole discretion, for any reason.  Such reasons may include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Failure to comply with the guidelines
• Inability to function well within the Open Directory community
• Poor editing
• Uncivil behavior toward submitters, other editors, or DMOZ Staff 
• Violation of ODP forum and email privacy
• Self-promotion (such as site cooling, and title or description manipulation) 
• Discriminating against or tampering with competitors' listings for the purpose of harming a competitor 
• Spamming the directory

Please note: Inactive accounts expire after four months from the last edit.

Copyright Information 

Nothing in these Guidelines creates a basis for any legal claim against the ODP or Netscape Communications Corp. or any of its affiliates, employees, officers or directors.  In exchange for the opportunity to serve as a volunteer editor, you agree to waive any claim that relates to, arises from, or purports to arise from your status or activities as an editor. 

We exercise broad editorial discretion in determining the content and structure of the directory.  We may reject, delete, or edit submissions at our sole editorial discretion.  We may change these Guidelines and any other ODP policy at any time, with or without notice.