Below are guidelines that directly relate to category features in Kids and Teens. These guidelines will help ensure that material added to DMOZ meets the directory's goals.
Alphabars
DMOZ as a whole tries to use alphabars sparingly. Examples of when alphabars may be useful include collections of links that cannot easily be subcategorized, such as artist names or authors; or as an additional alternative to a complex category structure, such as in Kids and Teens: School Time: Science: Living Things: Animals: . Editors often find it useful to consult with fellow editors to determine if an alphabar is the best choice for categorization of a subcategory.
Sort Priority
Sort priority makes a specific group of subcategories appear in a separate section, above the rest of the subcategories on the public page. A horizontal line separates the groupings. Categories within a grouping are listed in alphabetical order.
Sort Priority is typically used in a category that has many subcategories, particularly when those subcategories can be grouped by some criteria. Sort priority can be used to make navigation easier among numerous subcategories.
Top sort priority is for subcategories about types of people, while the bottom sort priority is for individual people categories.
@Links
Also known as symlinks, @links point to categories that could serve as subcategories of the current category. Symlinks are distinguished with the @ at the end of the category name. There can be many @links in a single category. @links are mixed in with the subcategories. A new subcategory that might duplicate the entries of an already existing category should include an @link to that category. Having more than one category with the same listings means more work for editors and a less useful directory for users.
This @link leads the user to the Kids_and_Teens/Sports_and_Hobbies/Radio/ category. The content of this could be considered a subcategory of Radio; however the category exists in a different branch. Including the Hobbies@ link under Radio gives the appearance to the browser that Hobbies is a subtopic of Radio. Access from the Radio category is facilitated by the use of an @link.
Creating @links
Do not create @links to categories outside the Kids and Teens branch. Though there may be a relationship between a category in Kids and Teens and other branches of DMOZ, it is not acceptable to link to a category outside of the Kids and Teens branch. Remember, we are creating a directory for Kids and Teens, not for their parents. Categories outside of the Kids and Teens branch are not intended, structured, or necessarily appropriate for youth.
Editors should also be aware that the presence of a Kids and Teens category that is parallel to a Classic DMOZ category does not mean that an @link should exist from the Classic category to the one in Kids and Teens. @links of this sort should be discussed on a case-by-case basis with the editor of the Classic category in question or in the appropriate forum.
Related Category Links
Related category links have the opposite function and purpose of @links: they point to categories that are sibling categories in other areas of DMOZ Kids and Teens. Where @links can be considered children of a category, related categories are siblings of the current category, but reside under another category somewhere else in the directory. There should only be a few related categories in each subcategory.
Create related links to categories in the Kids and Teens branch only; do not create related links to categories outside the Kids and Teens branch.
Category Charters and Guidelines
The Category Description section is for editors and Web searchers to learn more about your topic and the scope and purpose of your category. You can view the category description by clicking on the "Description" link on the upper right side of your category's public page.
In addition to the features of a good Classic DMOZ category description, a good Kids and Teens category description:
- Does not provide links to categories outside of the Kids and Teens branch.
The Submission Notice section is for people suggesting sites to the category. This section can be viewed when someone clicks on the "Suggest a site for this category" link on the category page. A good submission notice includes all the aspects of a good category description, meets the basic criteria for a submission notice given in the Classic DMOZ editorial guidelines, plus it:
- Supports, rather than contradicts, the Kids and Teens' general submission policy.
- Reminds users that sales sites, sites not geared toward youth, and inappropriate sites are not listed.
The Category Guidelines section is for editors only. See the section in the Classic DMOZ editorial guidelines for more information.