Types of Editors
- Category Editors
- Greenbusters
- Administrators
- Meta Editors
- Editall Editors
- Editall/Catmv Editors
- Category Moderators
- Category Editalls
Category Editors
Category Editors are those who only edit a finite set of categories. This group of editors makes up the majority of the DMOZ community. Category Editors can only edit in the categories which have been granted to them. These guidelines cover everything that a category editor can do. All new editors join DMOZ to edit one category. As they get some editing experience, they may be granted additional categories by filling out the New Category Request Form. A link to this form resides on the editor dashboard. All category requests are reviewed by Meta Editors, Category Moderators, and Admins. Consult the Guidelines for New Permissions for tips and advice on requesting new categories to edit.
Greenbusters
This permission gives category editors the ability to edit unreviewed queues in very broad areas of the directory. It gives editors the opportunity to expand their editing abilities by taking on limited permissions in very large categories to which they normally would not be granted full editing privileges due to lack of experience.
The goals of the Greenbuster permission are to:
- Give editors more opportunities to expand their editing abilities.
- Enhance the directory's quality and scope.
- Get as many good editors editing across the directory as possible.
- Scale the editorial model to more quickly and efficiently handle the ever growing rate of new suggestions.
- Reduce the backlogs of unreviewed sites.
The greenbuster permission is perfectly suited for a relatively new editor who wants to edit a wider range of topics and subjects, but may not have enough edits to be granted broader categories. Greenbusters provides a way to quickly demonstrate your abilities. Greenbuster editors may be granted full category privileges if they show they can do a good job at selecting quality sites with good annotations. For example, if you edited a category like Sports: Baseball: Minor League: Leagues: Independent, you might consider requesting greenbusting permissions for the Minor League or Baseball parent categories. Alternatively, you could apply to greenbust a related Baseball category in another part of the directory, such as Shopping: Sports: Baseball or some other area of interest.
The unusual name of this type of permission comes from the way unreviewed counts appear on the editor dashboard. The number of unreviewed in a given category is rendered in green text. As a result, editors refer to unreviewed sites as 'greens'. The permission was introduced as a way to purge backlogged unreviewed pools -- 'busting' them of 'greens'.
Use the New Category Request Form to request greenbuster permissions.
Admins
The administrators oversee project management of the directory, including all aspects of DMOZ, with the exception of legal matters, operational, hardware, hosting issues and management of staff, which are the responsibility of AOL/Netscape staff members.
Meta Editors
The meta permission is highest level of permission granted. Meta editors are the leaders and community managers for the entire directory. As a group, the Metas form the governing body of DMOZ. They work with admins and the community to set directory guidelines and shape its growth. They review new editor applications and new category requests from existing editors. They can also reinstate and revoke accounts and permissions. Removal of accounts is a group process requiring a consensus vote following a careful and thorough review of editor activity within DMOZ. Metas have the same privileges as editall and catmv editors, and are able to perform the vast majority of directory maintenance tasks. Meta permissions are granted only to seasoned editors who have shown superior editing, leadership and communication skills, as well as solid understanding of, and support for the directory's higher purpose and mission.
Editall Editors
An editall can edit in every category without being listed as an editor, 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. When they create a new subcategory, editalls can also specify a single editor to be automatically assigned as the editor of that category.
Editalls play a vital role in DMOZ as they oversee content quality, and are champions of editorial integrity. Editall privileges are granted to experienced editors who have exhibited a solid grasp of the DMOZ guidelines and good editing skills in diverse areas of the directory. We encourage all editors to aim for editall permissions. The more quality editors we have with access to edit broad areas of the directory, the better.
Editall/Catmv Editors
Catmv editors are editalls who 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.
The focus of an Editall/Catmv is on building clean and intuitive taxonomies and quality content listings across all directory categories.
Category Moderators
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, Computers, 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 applications and 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.
Category Editalls
The category editall permission has features of category moderator and editall. In addition to standard category editor functionality, Category Editalls can move categories and @links, power review edit, change search strings, and edit all categories in the given node. Category Editall is granted for top-level categories (e.g. Sports), World/<language> categories (e.g. World/Svenska), and World/<language>/<topic> categories (e.g. World/Nederlands/Spellen).
Where the main emphasis of a Category Moderator is on the community and peer review activities within a specific node, the focus of a Category Editall is on building clean and intuitive taxonomies and quality content listings within the node.