Mass-produced but eligible objects?
Hi all:
In the old guidelines, a mass-produced object is eligible if there is cultural or historical value. However, this statement is removed in criteria 3.1. In my opinion, a mass-produced object is eligible in certain contexts. Including:
- The object is a proxy of an eligible place.
- There is a historical, cultural, or educational value behind the object.
- The object promotes exercise.
I’m not sure if I’m correct. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
The followings are some mass-produced objects examples that may be eligible if certain conditions are met.
===========================
Bulletin board
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/2754/are-information-boards-or-map-boards-eligible (before criteria 3.1)
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/131/noticeboards-in-supermarkets (before criteria 3.1)
In the old guidelines, a community bulletin board is eligible because it provides useful information. There is a cultural value behind the board. Furthermore, a supermarket bulletin board is ineligible because there is little cultural value behind it. I’m not sure whether it changed in criteria 3.1. Personally, I would rate them as old guidelines said even if they are mass-produced objects.
---------------------------------------------------------
Religious statue
Related posts:
It is eligible because it represents the local culture. And it would also be a gathering place.
---------------------------------------------------------
Information sign
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/11362/how-to-rate-this-nomination
It is eligible because it teaches us something. It is educational.
---------------------------------------------------------
Basketball goal
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/9714/basketball-goal-no-court-in-showcase
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/10322/are-public-korfball-posts-eligible
Some reviewers argued that the goal itself is mass-produced and ineligible. It would be eligible if there is a defined court. Others argued that a stand-alone basketball goal also promotes exercise. Thus, it should be eligible. I didn’t find any official clarification and don’t know which one is correct. Personally, I would make it through if it can be accessed safely and not in k12 or private residential property.
---------------------------------------------------------
Playground equipment
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/comment/45710/#Comment_45710
Similar to the basketball goal. Some reviewers said that the equipment is ineligible, but the area is eligible.
---------------------------------------------------------
Signs of a business
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/10230/signs-of-a-business
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/10880/company-plaques
If the business is eligible. The sign would be eligible as a proxy of the business.
---------------------------------------------------------
Trail marker
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/9757/another-trail-marker-discussion
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/11041/why-is-this-poi-rejected
It is a hot topic on the forum recently. It seems that there is no official clarification about it. I’m not sure how to judge whether a sign is a trail marker. Personally, I would make it through if it seems to be a proxy of a trail.
---------------------------------------------------------
Picnic table
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/8551/picnic-area-at-county-park-does-not-meet-criteria (before criteria 3.1)
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/10944/nomination-improvement-and-clarification
A picnic table is ineligible in the old guideline. However, if it is a proxy of a picnic area, then it would be eligible.
---------------------------------------------------------
Public piano
I didn’t find any related post about it. In my opinion, it is eligible because it promotes art. Thus, there is a cultural value behind it.
---------------------------------------------------------
Water Pump/ Water well
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/10077/berlin-water-pumps
Eligible if there is some historical or cultural meaning.
---------------------------------------------------------
UK Postbox
Related posts:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/9679/postboxes-in-the-uk
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/11169/please-can-i-have-advise
Since I’m not live in the UK, I didn’t know which types of postboxes are historical. It seems that there is a historical significance behind some of them.
===========================
Please correct me if I’m wrong or I missed something. Thank you.
Comments
I see nothing to correct here. Looks like a good summary.
Resurfacing this because of the common attitude that anything mass-produced is immediately ineligible. This is truly not the case.
Whether it is the same person/company installing...
It doesn't mean that it is automatically ineligible. I've seen many people advise rejecting religious statues or certain objects/murals/sculptures because they look exactly the same elsewhere, but these people are the ones whose advice should be avoided. As long as they are locally unique, stand alone with their own significance or uniqueness and highly meet acceptance criteria, they're fine.
People otherwise are just either taking the rejection criteria far too seriously.
Sports courts are inherently eligible unless on k-12 property. Anyone arguing against has no clue.
trail markers are eligible but are extremely hard to pass since they are generally very bland in design.
if the bulletin board lists community related events it can still be eligible. If its just some advertising for businesses id say no.
playground equipment inherently eligible unless on k-12
sign of business you would have to make it so the business itself is eligible since you are essentially nominating the business
religious statue if its pernament and near a church i can see it being eligible. If its one of the ones bought and just in someones front yard its ineligible as mass produced and prp
picnic tables just recently have been put under a hard no by niantic, but if they have something artistic about them I’m sure they would pass (would no longer be mass produced then)
public piano should be eligible
water pump- maybe if theres some historic background information about it
uk postboxes no clue why they were even passing but imo they never met the criteria but i know uk likes them
Regarding UK postboxes, they are eligible similar to a historic plaque. A postbox hidden in the time of Queen Victoria, showing her "cypher", is of local historic and cultural value. And they are rare.
Agree like you surmised. Mass produced and generic object are horrible catch all terms for Niantic to put at the TOP of the rejection criteria page. If it wasn't for the many AMAs telling us to approve the many subjects that fall under mass produced and generic things would be a lot bleaker.
The park service in my area has used a lot of the same signs for nature signs in various areas, describing whales or the areas history, or wetlands, etc.. There's been a few instances where the same sign was used twice within a km. These are definitely mass produced signs and very few people would argue that they're ineligible.
Park entrance signs are also mass produced by the owning park service, aside from the differing name they all look the same whether they are wood or standard aluminum.
Bulletin boards are things I'm struggling with to get approval, and I'm at 0/5 tries so far.
I'm not talking small glass-faced boxes, but large dedicated signs where people can put up info about cultural events and such, like this:
https://www.google.be/maps/@50.9580867,3.1173271,3a,19y,308.67h,86.36t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sQ2CMXtkRXJuNs6E2QPkK3A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DQ2CMXtkRXJuNs6E2QPkK3A%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D9.8743925%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656
There's about a dozen of them I'm aware of, in my 60k pop city. So far, none of them have been passed, while I do agree these likely should be eligible... Especially as they are clearly not temporary (fixed in the ground, proper structure, not just two wooden posts pushed into the ground with a mounted sheet of plywood...).
On quite a few of your listed examples, a more clear stance by Niantic to be used as a reference in portal submissions would be great.