Editing Guidelines
What is a Human Edited Web Directory ?
A web directory is a web search tool compiled manually by human editors. Once websites are submitted with information such as a Title and Description, they are assessed by an editor and, if deemed suitable for addition, will be listed under one or more subject categories.
See example:
Listing of a Single Category Submission:
Users can search across a directory using keywords or phrases in the search box, or browse through the subject hierarchy for listed web sites. Best examples of a directory are the Yahoo Directory, Alive Web Directory and Aviva Web Directory.
Making A Submission:
A submission to a directory should briefly tell what a person will see when they click on the link. A description should actually describe the website. It should not be a simple set of keywords.
• Always use the correct title of the website or the business it represents, a couple of extra words in the title is fine, but make sure you include the proper title.
• A description should be written using complete sentences and proper punctuation. Capitalize the first letter of the sentence and end with a
period. The first sentence should tell what the website is about. Follow up by telling what a visitor can expect to see on the website.
Also tell about some Special Features. Remember, the description is the first thing a visitor to a directory will see about your website when browsing
through a directory. A well written description will help a visitor know that he has found the site he needs and get him to click on your listing.
Editing a Directory:
If you own a directory the first thing you need to keep in mind is that the most important part of any directory is its listings. A directory without listings is as worthless as an empty paper bag. When building your directory you may not have enough quality submissions in certain categories. When that happens, do not let the category sit empty! Go find a few good websites to list in those categories ! When you get submissions, deal with them promptly. Review each submission manually before accepting it into your directory. Make sure each site is listed using the basic rules above. Often this means you will have to edit the submission. It’s your directory so just do it, but always make it better so the person who submitted it won’t be offended. Remember that Editorial Integrity is what makes a web directory stand out from the crowd.
• Look at the website. Try to look at every page and see whether there are unquestionable words, sentences, links, affiliates, doorway pages, illegal sites, etc. as most of these are often hidden or are very small written.
• Check the title. Does it contain the name of the website or business ? If not add it using title case, meaning the first letter of each word is capitalized. If you have to remove words that were improperly
submitted in the title field, use those words in the description.
• Use the submitted description as is if it’s well written and describes the site, if not you will have to rewrite it.
• Use an online Dictionary or Thesaurus for references in case and also for far more better word descriptions.
• Use complete sentences and proper punctuation. The first sentence should tell what the website is about. Then write one or more sentences telling the user what they will find on the website. Mention any special features. Don’t worry about keeping a description short. If the submitter has given a short description, add to it, but do it right. Keep in mind that a well written description with more words will add valuable content to your directory while giving the submitter the best service possible.
• Take time to review a submission and always give ample time. Usually it takes some 24 to as much as 72 hours for some web directories to do this. Reviewing a website widens your understanding of what are the contents and what is actually the site is offering. These may used further as personal preferences, learning or basis for future submissions of what to expect.
• Be creative and use the ability to create a well descriptive format.
Complied and written by:
Dirsensei Web Directory Staff
June 18th, 2007 at 7:37 am
[…] respect member in digitalpoint Jude of Dirsensei Web Directory has written a excellent article on Editing Guidelines which define what exactly is a ‘Human Edited Web Directory’. The article is a must for […]
June 18th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Nice read and good guidelines, reminds me a lot of an article I wrote a few years back about how to submit to dmoz correctly.
July 5th, 2007 at 5:16 pm
This is exactly what I expected to find out after reading the title Editing Guidelines. Thanks for informative article