Are you Getting Stale?
by artson

Everybody edits in the Open Directory Project for different reasons.

We have The Collector, who has transferred his passion for collecting match book covers into collecting web sites on one arcane subject. The collector finds the site, investigates it to ensure that it is indeed a site about left-handed blue widgets of the Edwardian Era. He searches out every nuance of the web site and carefully crafts a description, then places the site with care into his collection, er category. Gloat, gloat gloat. Welcome to the ODP. We can use your talents.

We have The Hunter who carefully tracks through Google and Alta Vista in search of their elusive quarry - there's one - gotcha, ya little varmint. Into the bag you go. Welcome to the ODP.

We have the Hotel Maid who comes into the category, looks around and says, "Just look at this mess! The descriptions are all wrong, they haven't been checked in a year and this category structure certainly isn't in accordance with the guidelines. It'll take me weeks to straighten this place out."

Welcome to the ODP.

Not to belabour the point overmuch with awkward examples, but we all obtain satisfaction from editing in the Directory for our own reasons, and for so long as the ODP meets our needs, we are effective editors. There comes a time in an intermediate-level editor's sojourn with the Directory when things start to seem a bit the same. If you edit in a Topical category, after a certain number of edits it becomes almost impossible to add anything new to:

"A nonprofit, community-based organization providing group and individual speech-language treatment, caregiver's groups, and recreational classes for individuals with aphasia following stroke."

You go back and read what you wrote, and sure, it's a good enough description, meets the guidelines, tells no lies, accurately describes the Aphasia Center of California and what one would find on their website. You look and it does indeed fit exactly in the category where you've put it. Why is it you can't bring yourself to go out and do the whole thing again with another center that assists people with Communication Disorders: Language and Speech: Aphasia - Sigh.

I write and edit in Regional. Here we go, Dawdleburgh, New Brunswick. Population 320 with assorted dogs, cats and budgerigars. Two web sites: The Bideawee Bit Bed & Breakfast. Hmm original name. Ed's Garage, Tires Fixed Fast - We serve the Nackawick Region!!! Yawn, I wonder if there are any nice new commercials on TV? I had reached that point. I knew the categories I edited, could write a description in my sleep, knew how to turn orange print on a red background into white on blue so I could read the web site, and I knew precisely where to put every web site I found. That was the problem.

For me, the solution was to find a new category. I looked at the category; sure enough, they could use a man of my talents. I checked out a few search engines to see what potential the category had for growth.. I went to the forum for that category and searched back a way for threads on it. Gee, Golf/Courses looked pretty good. I checked out the web sites of the provincial and state golf associations, and read up a bit. Then I found these three web sites and wrote a description for them... Now I can go back to Dawdleburgh and write up the Bideawee Bit Bed & Breakfast with fresh eyes and a joyful heart, 'cause when I get bored - I just go golfing!

You see, everybody edits in the Directory for different reasons, and maybe editor Chasm, who approved my application to go golfing, hunts unsuspecting editors, who are getting just a bit bored...

- artson