I just wanted to alert everyone that someone has submitted Soundsnap.com to OpenDNS as an "Internet radio" site.

OpenDNS is a DNS service for people and institutions who want to filter out certain types of web sites (or actually web domains) from being accessible from their own home and business networks. It is actually a good service, as by default it only blocks phishing sites.

But recently they started allowing their members to submit any domain to be inserted in their blocking of a category, and someone has submitted Soundsnap.com as a "radio," so anyone who wants to block Internet radio stations via OpenDNS would be blocked from accessing this site, as well as any subdomain of soundsnap.com. And that is wrong.

So, please, everyone, if you are an OpenDNS member, go to domain.opendns.com/soundsnap.com and vote No! I have just done that, but the more people vote no, the better the chance of OpenDNS not blocking this wonderful site.

what does DNS stand for?.....will this site "openDNS" be able to block anyone/everyone from finding soundsnap...(if the tag at the site was changed from "radio" to samples or free sound files or something...) i don't how this works can this site effectivly block soundsnap???? can't this be protested or stopped some how...soundsnapers should rally and get this filtering removed from the site... the tag "internet radio" is incorect...how can someone get away with......i should shut up now...sorry... this just pisssssed me off...i like soundsnap alot!!

I do not know whether you have to be a member to vote, but I would sort of assume so. I am a member, so I voted.

DNS stands for Domain Name System. Every computer connected to the Internet has at least one, but typically two name servers configured for use. These are normally provided by your ISP. They function like a phone book. Every computer connected to the Internet has a 32-bit number assigned. It is called its IP address (IP = Internet Presence). Computers communicate over the Internet using these addresses. But humans are not good at using numbers, so the domain name system (DNS) was created, which assigns each computer a domain name (such as www.soundsnap.com). A name server allows a computer to look up the IP address for any domain, just like finding someone's phone number by looking up his name in the phone book.

OpenDNS runs its own name servers and allows anyone to use them instead of those provided by their ISP. They filter domains by returning a different IP number for any domain on a list. That IP number will tell a browser to visit OpenDNS's own web server instead of the server of whatever the domain is. And that server sends the browser a page which says the site was blocked, plus displays some advertising (which is how OpenDNS, which is a commercial enterprise, earns its keep). It has several lists and its members can pick which category of sites to block. Personally, I use them to block phishing sites and porn sites. Though I live by myself and do not visit porn sites, this may seem redundant, but sometimes a site can just open a porn site for you, and this way it cannot.

So, to answer the question, no, it will not block any site for everyone on the Internet. It only blocks it to the members. That said, many schools and public libraries use OpenDNS. Again, even for the members it will not block every site from every list, only the sites from whatever list(s) the members picks.

So, if some parent decides to block Internet radio stations because he thinks his teen wastes too much time listening to them and if Soundsnap.com is (improperly) voted on as an Internet radio by members who have no idea what Soundsnap.com is about, then and only then will those members blocking radio stations not be able to access Soundsnap.com and neither will anyone else on their own network.

However, it is not just parents who may want to decide to block radio stations, it can be public libraries, schools, and other places.

So, this is not about panicking, only about making sure Soundsnap.com is not blocked unnecessarily and for the wrong reasons.

RED PRINCE...thank you for clearing this up for me...i belive soundsnap should be avalible to howm ever wants to visit and upload/download files...and the thought that someone wants to block soundsnap for any reason is just CRAZY....soundsnap is ALL good... i have kids (all out of the house now)but nothing on soundsnap should be restricted or filterd...i over reacted...i like this site for what it is...and for what it is't!! :-)