Becoming An Open Directory Project Editor
Submitted By: Sumantra Roy
Wordcount: 2258


itle and the Description that have been used are appropriate for the Open Directory. If they are not, edit them so that they meet the Open Directory guidelines. Sometimes, you may be at a loss to understand whether or not a particular site should be in the category. If you are not feelin.comfortable about adding a site, don`t add it. There is no harm in not adding a site which is applicable. However, if you add a site which is not applicable, you will be at a disadvantage when you apply to become the editor of the category which is applicable for your site.

Also, browse through all the sites which are already present in the category. Edit the Title and Description of any site if it does not meet the Open Directory guidelines. If you feel that a particular site that is listed in the category does not belong to the category, post a message in the Editor Forum and ask the other editors of the Open Directory as to whether the site belongs to the category. If they say that the site does not belong to the category, delete the site.

4) Within 2 or 3 weeks from the time that you are accepted as an editor, you should have cleaned up the category. By this, I mean that your category should not have any unreviewed sites, and should not contain any site which does not belong to the category. Also, the Title and the Description of all the sites present in the category should follow the Open Directory guidelines.

Now, it is time to apply to the category which is applicable for your site. Click on the "Bookmarks" link in the main Editor page, scroll down and click on the "[Add @link]" link. In the "Category to link to:" text box, type in th.complete path to the category which is applicable for your site. For instance, for th.computers: Consultants: Business Systems category, I would type in "Computers/Consultants/Business Systems". In the "Link name:" text box, type in a word or phrase which describes this category.

The Open Directory will now display a link to the category in your Bookmarks section. It will also display the number of sites which are present in the category and the number of new (unreviewed) sites. Note down the figure for the number of unreviewed sites. If the category does not contain any unreviewed sites, the Open Directory will only display the number of sites present in the category.

Now, go to the category which you want to apply to and browse through all the sites. Generally, there will be some sites for which the Title and/or the Description does not meet the Open Directory guidelines. Make a note of these sites. Also note whether that category already has an editor.

Once you have gone through all the sites, scroll down to the bottom of the category and click on the "edit" link. When you are asked to explain why you want to apply to the category, mention the number of unreviewed sites which are present in the category (assuming that the category does have some unreviewed sites). Also, mention the fact that the Title and the Description for some of the sites are inappropriate for the Open Directory. Give examples of a few such sites. If that category does not already have an editor, mention that fact too.

Use the same methods discussed earlier to fill up the remaining fields and click on the Submit button.

5) After applying to the new category, log in as an editor every day or so, until you find that you are listed as an editor of that category. Then, add your site to this category, or, if your site is already listed but does not have an optimum description, change the description.

Wrapping things up:

Remember that other editors who edit higher level categories will be looking at your category from time to time and may change your site`s description if it is not found to be appropriate. Hence, while you should try to give your site an optimum description, you should not violate any of the Open Directory guidelines.

Also, the Open Directory allows editors to cool certain sites if they feel that these sites are the best in that category. If a site is cooled, it is listed at the top of the category, even though its alphabetical placement may have been a lot lower. Avoid the temptation to cool your own site. Because so many editors try to cool their own sites, the Open Directory keeps a sharp look-out for this practice. Cooling your own site will simply draw attention towards you.


Article by Sumantra Roy. Sumantra is one of the most respected and recognized search engine positioning specialists on the Internet. For more articles on search engine placement, subscribe to his 1st Search Ranking Newsletter by sending a blank email to mailto:1stSearchRanking.999.99@optinpro.com or by going to
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