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Moving listings and submissions

Listings and submissions (we'll refer to both as "sites" in this document) need to be moved between categories for all kinds of reasons. Many public suggestions arrive at a category that isn't quite right (wrong topic, wrong language, regional vs. topical, etc.). Listed sites may need to be moved when the topic of the site changes, or when a category is being reorganized or subcategorized.

This document provides some tips on how to move sites around, as well as some guidance about when to conduct moves yourself, and when (and how) to ask for help.

How to move

Both the URL editing form and the unreviewed editing form contain two fields that allow sites to be moved to a different category. The first field is a drop-down selection populated with all the categories that are related to the current category: each of the ancestor categories, each of the child categories, any categories referred to in @links or related category links defined in the category, and the closest matches to the current category in all other languages defined in DMOZ. The second field is a text input, allowing you to enter an entirely different category. We'll talk about both fields in more detail below.
But first let's understand what happens when you use these fields:

When you make a selection or type text into either of the move-to fields, the site will be moved to the new category as part of the editing operation. All the other editing operations, such as changes to URL, title, or description, are completed at the same time as the move. The action specified by the radio-button selection at the bottom of the editing form ("update", "delete", "move to unreviewed") is also carried out, so you can simultaneously move and publish a suggested URL, or move and unreview a listed site that needs editor attention in the new category.

But there is one important exception. If you move a site into a category where you do not have editing privileges, the site will arrive in unreviewed, even if it was previously listed. Something else to be aware of is that a new listing will overwrite any previous listings of the same URL in the same category, so it is a good idea to make sure the URL isn't already listed there before making the move. This is easy to do when the URL is not changed as part of the editing operation. The categories in which the site is listed appear at the top of the editing page. If you change the URL, make sure to click the "find listings" link to see if the new URL is already listed somewhere.

The selection drop-down field contains all the related categories, as described above. The equivalent category in other languages is determined according to the language groups that have been defined for the current category and its parent categories up the tree. For some languages, there may be an exact fit. For example, Home: Gardening: Plants has an exact match in German (World: Deutsch: Zuhause: Garten: Pflanze). For other languages, especially those with a less developed category structure, only an approximate match is available. For example, the closest Portuguese category is World: Português: Lar: Jardinagem. Approximate matches are marked with an asterisk. If you do not have the language skills to compose a title and description in the different language, it is fine to send the site to the approximately matching category in the other language branch where local editors can edit and publish it.

The selection field only lists the direct child categories. If you need to move the site to a deeper category (e.g., from Home: Gardening: Plants to Home: Gardening: Plants: P: Primula), you will need to use the text input box to specify the move-to category. You can type a category or paste the category URL in this field. Alternatively, you can use the navigation controls to select the category. The input field will always start with the current category. From there, you can move up the tree using the green left arrow icon, and down the tree using the drop-down selection to its right. This is convenient when sorting down sites to lower levels as in the Primula example above.

When to move

It is our goal to keep DMOZ comprehensive and to keep valid sites listed rather than delete them or move them to unreviewed. If the site is listed, but would be better in another category that you can edit, simply move it (select or type the destination category and use the update option).

If the site is listed, but should be moved to be a category outside your area of permissions, you need to use the forum threads dedicated to this purpose so that an editor with permissions can make the move for you. There are suitable editor forum threads with titles such as "Rename-Delete-Move-Sort-Altlang-Relcat-@Link Requests", usually near the top of each forum topic.

If the site is unreviewed, there is no need to request someone's help. Simply use the pull-down list or the category selector to put the destination category into the form and use the "Keep in Unreviewed" option.

If the site is fine where it is listed, but it could be listed in an additional category, you can use the forward a copy link for the listing on the category edit page to send an additional copy to the second category – either to unreviewed or as a published listing (if you have the necessary editing privileges).

Tips

• When working with misplaced unreviewed sites, selecting the exact destination category can be difficult. Getting the suggestion to the right area of the directory is already a good start, for which the pull-down list is usually best.
• When the destination category is nearby, the category selection box enables switching the category easily. In other cases, you can search for and copy/paste a category directly into this box.
• Correcting the suggested titles and/or descriptions of the unreviewed sites you move is helpful and appreciated by other editors, as is leaving an editor note to explain the move, particularly when the reason may not be obvious to all editors.
• Listings and unreviewed sites should never be moved from the live directory into either Bookmarks or Test categories as they are then not reachable by most editors. Copy the sites instead.
• Changing the destination category in both the pull-down list and the category selector will cause an error. Use one or the other, not both.
• To identify the language of a site, there is a collection of resources in Test: Tools for Editors: Translation Tools: Language Guessing
• If the site is not listable anywhere in the directory, simply delete it with a brief editor note explaining why.