How do you verify directory submissions?

[funkypilchard]

How do you verify directory submissions as genuine and not spammers?

Spammers can make fake email addresses and if they are paid to add to directories... surely they will do it.

Some directories send you an email for you to confirm that you want yourwebsite.com to be listed in their directory or not, this (I should imagine?) is to try and eliminate haters from listing someone they have a grievance against in a dodgy category like porn or alike, and to stop spammers.

The obvious flaw is that you can give any email address (only a couple state that you cannot give hotmail or that it should be an address linked to the domain your are submitting), I made a non traceable email address in hotmail so that all the spam I will receive (it has started already) from certain directories doesn't effect my normal email address.

I even had one that admitted that I would initially receive many emails as soon as I submitted my email address, I have received about 9 emails from one of their affiliates in 48 hours, at least they warned me.

One or two directories accept the submissions immediately and you can see it online.

Others say the submissions will be reviewed in x days/weeks/months and do not guarantee listings but pay x $$ and you'll have it up in 48 hours.

Some require you to set up a free account to add a url, these ones usually ask if you want to become an editor as well.

Most just thank you for the submission and they will physically review it a.s.a.p. and send you an email if it's accepted.

 

[temi]

I can think of about one hundred reasons to verify a submission manually before approving it, especially of its a free submission, apart from potential hatters etc, it will be paradise for spammers, some idiots actually submit every single pages on their website into different categories amongst other things.

 

[rakib]

I completely agree with Temi.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

There are plenty of ways, getting an email bounced back is a classic way to simply remove a listing regardless of content.

Free directories get mountains of crap, I simply look at the title, if they have not followed the guidelines, it is rejected regardless. If the email comes back as undeliverable it is automatically removed from the index.

There are plenty of ways to sort the wheat from the chaff, but I doubt you will get directory owners posting a 'how to beat my spam systems' type post

 

[temi]

This is exactly how I have been editing my free directory too, you submit in the wrong category, I won't even mother moving it to the righ category, just hit the reject link.