FAQ - Dmoz/Society

Archive-name:dmoz.org/Society
Posting-Frequency:none
Last-modified:2004-03-10 10:06:57
URL:http://dmoz.org/Society/faq.html
Category:Society

Table of Contents

Hi there!
     1.1  Where do I start?
     1.2  Other Guidelines
          1.2.1  Society
          1.2.2  Society/Activism
          1.2.3  Society/Advice
          1.2.4  Society/Disabled
          1.2.5  Society/Gay,_Lesbian,_and_Bisexual
          1.2.6  Society/Geneology
          1.2.7  Society/Holidays
          1.2.8  Society/Issues
          1.2.9  Society/Law
          1.2.10  Society/Organizations
          1.2.11  Society/People
          1.2.12  Society/Philosophy
          1.2.13  Society/Politics
          1.2.14  Society/Relationships
          1.2.15  Society/Religion_and_Spirituality
          1.2.16  Society/Sexuality
          1.2.17  Society/Transgendered
Getting Help
     2.1  New Editors Forum
     2.2  Mentors
     2.3  Editalls and Top Level Editors
     2.4  Catmods and Metas
Re-Organizations
     3.1  Current Re-Orgs
     3.2  Finding Re-Org Information
          3.2.1  Search the Forums
          3.2.2  Contact Other Editors
Credit


1   Hi there!
Welcome to the Society branch of ODP. Hopefully, this FAQ will help answer most of your questions about editing here.
1.1   Q: Where do I start?
A: The first thing you should do is read the guidelines for the directory. These guidelines contain most of the information you will need as you begin editing the category you are now responsible for.

As you edit, you should continue to review these guidelines. There is a lot of information there and no one is expected to take it all in at once. Some parts of the guidelines that won't be clear at first will begin to make sense as you edit.
by tschild at 2004-03-10 10:06:57
1.2   Other Guidelines
Beside the directory-wide guidelines, each top level category (Society is a top level category) has it's own set of guidelines that define the types of sites that go into that category.

The best way to find category specific guidelines is to look through the description for the category. Do this by going to the public side of Dmoz.org (http://dmoz.org/), surf to the category you want, and then click on "Description", which you will find just below the search box on the right hand side of the page. If the link "Description" doesn't appear there, that means a description has not been written for that category.

In the description, you will also find descriptions and submission guidelines for the subcategories, if they exist. The colored boxes contain the submission guidelines. It might also contain the link "more information (editors only)", which often contains important information and guidelines for editors.

Certain sections of Society also have more specific guidelines. A list of those guidelines appears below.

That's a lot of guidelines to learn! But there will be a lot of help while you're learning them, so don't dispair. To find out how to get that help, keep reading.
1.2.1   Q: Society
A: Description
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:02:14
1.2.2   Q: Society/Activism
A: Description

Also important, Activism/In_Daily_Life charter
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:02:35
1.2.3   Q: Society/Advice
A: Charter

Also see:
Advice/Commercial Charter
Advice/Email_Advice Charter
Advice/Members_Only Charter
Advice/Personal_Pages Charter
Advice/Syndicated Charter
Advice/Web_Columns Charter
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:02:46
1.2.4   Q: Society/Disabled
A: Description
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:03:05
1.2.5   Q: Society/Gay,_Lesbian,_and_Bisexual
A: FAQ
GLB just underwent some major reorganization. You can read about it here.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:03:21
1.2.6   Q: Society/Geneology
A: /Personal_Pages Charter
/Surnames Charter
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:03:30
1.2.7   Q: Society/Holidays
A: Description
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:03:41
1.2.8   Q: Society/Issues
A: Description

Often a very controversial category, there is generally at least one or two threads running about this group of categories.

Some of the recent ones are:
Child Abuse
Soc/Issues/Census, IP, and Global
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:03:47
1.2.9   Q: Society/Law
A: Description
Take note of Lawyers_and_Law_Firms charter.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:04:00
1.2.10   Q: Society/Organizations
A: Description

Specifically, see The ODP Fraternal Sorting Flowchart
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:04:21
1.2.11   Q: Society/People
A: Description

Almost always the topic of some kind of discussion. Contains a WIDE array of sites.
Recently added Youth subcat, and the discussion preceeding it.
Personal Homepages (or PHP) is often called the "dumping ground" of the ODP. It does get lots of submissions, but it can be a lot of fun to edit. Read the FAQ for specific editing instructions. And check out the ongoing discussion thread.


Other documents:
Society/People/Furry FAQ
Society/People/Otherkin/Vampires FAQ

by tschild at 2003-12-29 08:17:18
1.2.12   Q: Society/Philosophy
A: Description
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:04:42
1.2.13   Q: Society/Politics
A: Specifically, Campaigns_and_Elections.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:04:53
1.2.14   Q: Society/Relationships
A: Description

Relationships/Weddings FAQ
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:05:04
1.2.15   Q: Society/Religion_and_Spirituality
A: Commonly refered to as R&S, this category covers any and all religious paths editors can think of. The FAQ is quite extensive.

If you are editing in the R&S branch, I would strongly recommend exploring all the categories around/above and below you.

There is almost always a thread going about R&S, and the most recent are New Christian Denomination, Reorg in Scientology Sub-Cat, and Unrecognized Apparitions of Mary.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:05:15
1.2.16   Q: Society/Sexuality
A: FAQ
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:07:39
1.2.17   Q: Society/Transgendered
A: FAQ
This category is currently being "cleaned" up, and the discussion can be found here.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:07:56
2   Getting Help
There are several places you can go to get help while learning to apply the guidelines. These are detailed here.
2.1   Q: New Editors Forum
A: If you have questions about editing that aren't really specific to Society, the best place to go is the New Editors Forum. First, browse through the topics there. Set the forum to "Show Last 50 threads" or 100 threads...or if you have a fast connection, all the threads. You will probably find that other new editors have asked, and received answers, for the same question.

But don't be afraid to post your own questions. Not only does that help to clarify the answer for you, but it introduces you to the community, and shows that you are willing to learn.

If your questions have all been answered in other ways, you can still post a "Hello" to introduce yourself, in the New Editors forum, and Society forum thread.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:08:50
2.2   Q: Mentors
A: "This is an informal matching service for newbies who wish to develop themselves in DMOZ. This is, moreover, *not* the place to go if you want to ask a few questions.

Mentors are expected to develop new editors' skills and expand their areas within DMOZ. To this end, they are expected to have a track record of being good editors themselves!

If you do not wish to take advice or follow guidelines this is not for you. If you want to seek help/advice a good place to go is ODP Chat (see http://dmoz.org/forum/threaddisplay.cgi?t=Forum35/HTML/000372.html ) or try one of those listed in Computers/Internet/Searching/Directories/Open_Directory_Project/Tools_for_Editors/Asking_for_Help/ . "
- From Yklaw's document in Mentoring thread

A list of mentors can be found here. There is a continuing thread currently here for mentors to sign-up and for new editors to find a mentor.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:09:19
2.3   Q: Editalls and Top Level Editors
A: An editor can edit in any category "below" one they currently have permission in. For example, an editor with permission to edit in Widgets/Blue, is also able to edit in Widgets/Blue/Kinky and Widgets/Blue/Straight.

From the guidelines: "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"

Generally, editall status is only granted after much hard work on the part of editors. Editors must have shown an understanding of the entire directory, and the ability to "work well with others". There is no timeline - some editors attain this within a few months, and some take years.

Sometimes, Catmv is also granted with Editall status. From the guidelines "Catmv editors are editalls what 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."

Here are the Editall Guidelines, as well as their current projects.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:09:31
2.4   Q: Catmods and Metas
A: Category Moderators, or CatMods, from the guidelines "Category Moderators have a unique set of privileges which combine the aspects of the editall and meta editor permissions, but their scope is limited to one top level category node (e.g. Arts, Society, etc.). Category Moderators can do all the functions of an editall/catmv within their node, as well as limited meta functions, which include the ability to review new category permission requests. Category Moderators lead forum discussions in their subjects, mentor new editors, keep editors on track with reorganizations and current events, and essentially act as experts for their given category."

Generally, an editor must either be granted Editall or CatMod status before moving on to Meta.

"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."

A list of CatMods, Editall, Catmv, and Metas can be found from the link on your dashboard.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:09:47
3   Re-Organizations
From time to time, all the editors in a section of the directory "get together" through the forums, and discuss ways to change the section (hopefully for the better): move and rename categories, re-write or clarify guidelines, or define the relationships to other categories through @links and related categories.

This section lists all the categories that are currently undergoing some form of re-organization. Because this is an ongoing process, this list might not be up to date. But there are also a couple of ways to find out what re-organizations might be occuring in the areas around you.
3.1   Q: Current Re-Orgs
A: Society/Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual
Society/Transgendered
Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Scientology
Society/Organizations/Fraternal/Freemasonry
Society/Subcultures
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:10:49
3.2   Finding Re-Org Information
3.2.1   Q: Search the Forums
A: Most re-orgs are proposed in a thread that references the category. For example, the re-org for the Scientology section started in thread titled "Reorg in Scientology Sub-Cat", but sometimes the thread might just list the category, like "Society/Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual". As the discussion continues, the threads are often continued in a new thread, around 100 posts, so the latest thread might be something like "Society/Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual - Part 4 " (the 4th thread so far).
by brigid23 at 2001-12-27 21:11:15
3.2.2   Q: Contact Other Editors
A: Editors who have been around for a while, editalls and metas who specialize in the area, and the top level editors in the category, will usually be aware of all the re-orgs that may be occuring. You can send one of these editors feedback to find out what may be occuring.
by brigid23 at 2001-12-31 17:23:10
4   Credit
A million, billion thanks to theseeker, as he let me draw heavily from his own Arts FAQ.

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