I’ve not done a DMOZ Directory submission for some time, but this morning I needed to do one for a client, so headed over to the directory, found the required category and started the submission process.
I’m happily filling in the boxes when I get to the description box which required a 25-30 word description of the website being submitted. I had a 50 word description, so pasted that into the box and started deleting sentences so that I could make sure I didn’t break the submission guidelines.
5 minutes of deleting and re-phrasing and I’m happy with the abbreviated description. So far so good! Completed the rest of the form and doubled checked, then triple checked everything as DMOZ is a pretty tough cookie to crack. Hit the submit button and……what is this…..
Please verify the text in the image
The text in the image and the text you submit in the input field must match.
If you cannot read the text, refresh the submission form.Please go back in your browser if you need to resubmit the form.
I click the back button and find a nice blank submission form waiting for me! Arghhhhhhhh, all my entries are gone and the nice concise description I created is just a memory hanging on for dear life. So I fill it all in again, but this time copy the important bits to a notepad file just incase the same thing happens again.
The second submission attempt was successful, as expected, but when things like this happen it’s always an annoying waste of time. My little tip is therefore to make sure you take a copy of anything important you might type into a submission form that cannot be found elsewhere if something were to go wrong.
Another little tip for DMOZ is always check the directory first to make sure you are not already listed. They don’t like duplicate submissions.