We need requirements for unlocking submitting feature in Niantic games!

Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

Wayfarer based in Denmark here, hello. 😊


As passionate as I am about having the opportunity to influence what goes in the games, I am also very frustrated to spend a LOT of time having to review submissions that have no place in the voting queue, as their submitters do not have a clue about what you can submit and what you can't.

I don't really blame them though, because the only real requirement for submitting for the time being is the level 38 requirement. I love how more players are given the opportunity to submit - but I don't love the never-ending tsunami of submissions of children's legs, faces, toys or shoes, some with homophobic or **** shaming statements in the title/description, or all the schools, fire stations, etc... You know the ones I'm talking about!


The bad nominations are avoidable and they are 'clogging' the system for better ones.

I strongly suggest Niantic would consider introducing the Wayfarer test as a mandatory step towards unlocking the submitting feature. And maybe even remove submitting priveleges (limited time or permanently) for players that repeatedly submit bad and/or spammy nominations?

The test would probably need to be adjusted a bit, but really, I don't understand how this is not already implemented?

I'll attach a few examples of what reviewers have to deal with on a daily basis. Remember that these are just a handful of the horrors. 😅


I know others have suggested this btw, I really just want to join in on the plead.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts on this request, both Niantic and fellow Wayfarers.



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Comments

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    I have a LOT of them, and it's a common frustration of the Danish Wayfarer community I'm in. The number has increased also. Misguided nominations could also perhaps be avoided to some degree if the rules were more 'forced onto' submitters.

    As it is now, we more or less need to seek the criteria info very actively, IMO. That could be changed, with benefits to follow, I think. 😊

  • 00KiubaNo12-PGO00KiubaNo12-PGO Posts: 87 ✭✭

    I have this problem too. I had some nominations of hospitals, firefighter stations and AED.

    But 90% of submissions are good and I think that bad ones mostly come from players who just have get 38 lvl and started submitting nominations without knowing criteria.

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    I don't like blaming lvl 38 players for this problem, they can add just as much good or bad to Wayfarer as higher levels can, IMO. And we all have to start somewhere, it's no different with Wayfarer. Again, I don't see it being a player level problem, but a lack of communication on Niantic's part. Or at least something that could be communicated more efficiently.

    Also, if you get 90% submissions, I'm jealous! Maybe it's a country or area thing, I have no idea. But here... Not 90% good submissions, that's for sure. 😅

    (Just rejected 2 hunting towers, just as an example of what we have here of loveliness lol)

  • Lechu1730-PGOLechu1730-PGO Posts: 537 ✭✭✭✭


    Thanks for don't blaming me! Although I'm actually level 39 now, I may never reach level 40 if I spend my free time here and reviewing instead of playing the game. ;)

    I think there's probably a saturation point when all good candidates that most people goes by in their daily lives were already nominated, and from then on it's mostly rubbish nominations and some good missed spots every now and then.

    In my local area (13 gyms and countless stops in a 6-block radius from my home) there aren't many good things to nominate left and the few that are won't appear in PoGo due to S2 cell restrictions so if anyone nominates something it'll probably be a weak nomination.

  • sogNinjaman-INGsogNinjaman-ING Posts: 3,313 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What I would really like to see is a rejection reason that just says "Spam Nomination" on the dropdown list, perhaps it might just flag up some of these rediculous nominations to Niantic so they can take some action. A submission test really is needed for all new players wishing to begin submitting nominations, no matter what game they are playing.

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    Well, if there are no good candidates left, then people shouldn't continue submitting from that area? But my post here was more about the need to "force" Wayfarer critieria onto the players who want to submit, as we see so many results of what happens when people don't know about criteria and guidelines. And it's just kinda a waste of everyone's time, IMO.

    Sounds like your local area is great to play in, so congrats on that! 😁 And good luck with the grind for 40.

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    Agree, but I would love it if we could just lower the chances of spam nominations significantly in the first place, by requiring players pass a Wayfarer test. Maybe that way, at least we won't get to see so many of the "little kiddo and his new shoes" nominations... 😅

  • SeaprincessHNB-PGOSeaprincessHNB-PGO Posts: 1,608 Ambassador
    edited February 2021

    I 100% agree that you should not be allowed to submit without some basic understanding of the rules and the process. I absolutely believe that opening it up to level 38 was a mistake. But this has been compounded by the pandemic and people being locked inside their homes. So many people think it would be fun to submit a house stop and if they have no legit candidate they go, "what's the harm in submitting this photo of my cat or my feet or a soda can on the floor?" They don't know how it really works - that these nominations go to other players, not employees, and that all these lulz nominations clog up the system.

    It is Niantic's fault for not better educating people. But to be fair, people don't read. On my discord we make announcements to explain game news and events and people still ask questions that have been covered both by Niantic's in-game news and our announcement. They just don't pay attention until they need to know.

    I should add this is not exclusive to GO players. We have a very hard time disseminating information at work, too. We send email, hang flyers, and post on the intranet. People are still clueless.

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    Most people have a lot going on in their lives at the moment, I think. So they/we sort by "What's most important to know?" - and then get that info first. Therefore, not everyone reads everything - unless they have to, as you say. I don't read everything in my local Discord either, if I were to do that, between submitting, reveiwing, an all the other stuff that really is just entertainment, I wouldn't have time or energy to deal with more important things in my daily life. So... 🙂

    If there was a GOOD test that you had to pass before being able to submit your foot, and the test demanded a bit of work and maybe even reading... lol... Maybe you wouldn't submit that foot? I can't say, but I have a strong hunch we could cut a lot of the foot nominations out right there.

    Many of us have a lot of really good candidates in queue, that have just stayed there for months. When I see the foot nominations, I can't help but think it is unfair that it takes up space for my real, non-body part nomination. 😂

    Still have to stick up for level 38-39 players though. I really can't see how those 1-2 levels should make them worse at submitting great material, honestly, I can't. There are many problems with bad submissions, but I absolutely don't see how we could connect that with opening up for lower level submitters.

  • thegathaterra-PGOthegathaterra-PGO Posts: 108 ✭✭

    Maybe an age limit to nominate might help

  • patsufredo-PGOpatsufredo-PGO Posts: 4,215 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I thought they did at first?

    Yet some players still can falsify their age, however.

  • Hosette-INGHosette-ING Posts: 3,469 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'd be in favor of an age limit. Maybe 35? (-:

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    Thank you all for the good comments and feedback. I am glad many of you seem to agree that a test - not necessarily the existing one - needs to be key to unlocking the submitting feature (privilege) in the games.

    Yesterday I made some reviews. Among them were lovely candidates, such as "ten chestnut trees", a container ship, a home address for someone staying at an asylum/care center, a sign for Netto (Danish discount store chain) with the location set to a private address, and an "iceberg/fjell that is new" (it had snowed so there was a pile of snow on the ground).

    These are just examples of what absolute cr.. I get treated to, and that was just for yesterday. 😆

    Oh, a short while back I had to review the COVID-19 drive-through test center in my city. Someone actually submitted that, yes. With license plates of the cars in front of them in the queue and all.

    We need a mandatory 'submitter's licence' now, please! 😄

  • Hosette-INGHosette-ING Posts: 3,469 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I think that perhaps this stuff can be handled reactively rather than proactively.

    I would love for there to be a checkbox for reviewers that says, though in better words than this, "This submission is absolute garbage." Reviewers who used this would get a warning that it should not be used casually, but should be reserved only for the very worst submissions. If enough reviewers checked this box for a submission then the submitter would get a penalty.

    First penalty: A stern warning and a 30-day ban on submitting.

    Second penalty: A very stern warning and a 60-day ban on submitting.

    Third penalty: A permanent ban on submitting.

    Hmm. Maybe there's one more tier in here... if a smaller percentage of reviewers checked the box but not enough to trigger the penalty maybe the rejection just includes a warning that says something like this, "Many reviewers thought this was a very bad submission. (Admonition to review the guidelines, with a link.)"

    Obviously there also needs to be some sort of check on reviewers using it capriciously.

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm thinking maybe both? I'm still speaking for a mandatory test before submitting, because I don't see why this would not be the optimal way to go about it. But maybe there would still be a need for more tools for Wayfarers to limit the bad nominations. But IMO, it would filter out a lot of potential spammy/abusive/junk/etc nominations, if we stopped them right at the 'Wayfarer gates'.

  • Hosette-INGHosette-ING Posts: 3,469 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I agree, but I think that perhaps it would be too high a barrier to entry.

    What I really want is better guidance during the submission process. During other discussions I've proposed that the first thing a submitter should do is fill out the "What is it?" category that's now part of the review process. Once they did that they would get guidance that is specific to the category that is selected. I also think that submitters should have to answer questions like, "Is this on a private residence or farm?" "Does this have safe pedestrian access?" "Is this on K-12 school property?" I think doing that would weed out a lot of the garbage but also not create a big hurdle to submitting things. It would also be more effective over the long run because ongoing guidance is always there for you, and always current (ideally). If you took the test two years ago you probably don't remember much of it.

  • NVLOONY-PGONVLOONY-PGO Posts: 20 ✭✭

    agreed and they should use past ineligible submissions to make every test unique because there is definitely enough for every trainer to have a unique test. Im gettimg people nominating their ceiling, an old bike in the backyard, trees, piles of rocks, wendys drive through post with stickers on it, a keyboard, a regular bench, a lamp hanging on thier porch, a parking spot, a regular corner mini mart, things on k-12 property and 90% of this weeks revews contain text that seems as if it is intended for the sole purpose to gain pokestops for pokemon go "because they dont have any or enough"

    Rules are only as good as they are enforced, but how can you enforce a rule if you dont provide the rules to the nominees? "8.Nominations with content that tries to sway and influence votes, such as dropping a codename or codewords in the title, description, or photo. Or making voting requests in the title, description, supporting information, or photo."

    I think pokemon go trainers have misunderstood the core purpose of nominating. I hope that things continue to be clarified, but I believe it is time to also allow pokemon go trainers to report invalid waypoints as easy as it is for ingress players. The sooner the better because many inappropriate ones are making it through the cracks.

  • NVLOONY-PGONVLOONY-PGO Posts: 20 ✭✭

    you guys know what i did? i starting giving as many reasons as i could think of for 1* ratings...to help educate the person who nominated...so that maybe just maybe i could help someone out there understand what is a good nomination and what isnt. Like one person just submitted a picture of a keyboard...I checked 1* and other then wrote: mass produced object,private residence location,not unique, or historically/culturally significant,low quality photo,not a church, & is located within 20km of a k-12 school. Then I added, "Players submitting invalid nominations/edits may receive a warning, a suspension,  or have their Wayfarer account terminated.* __In case of repeated offenses or where the submitter is not active in Wayfarer, their Ingress or Pokémon GO account may also be affected.__*

  • purplepopple-INGpurplepopple-ING Posts: 189 ✭✭✭

    The above. I feel like I am seeing less **** as the Pogo push to level 40 is done. Those players and their submissions appear to have tapered off.


    (Then I had the new problem of what appeared to be the reject everything to get 1000 agreements for the platinum Wayfarer Pogo badge.)

  • thegathaterra-PGOthegathaterra-PGO Posts: 108 ✭✭
    edited February 2021

    Answers

    Maybe Pogo could have a special research mission to guide people into correct nominations.

    Getting an approved nomination could be the final task.

    They could even risk a penalty for stupid nominations.

  • sogNinjaman-INGsogNinjaman-ING Posts: 3,313 ✭✭✭✭✭

    PoGo players muight be waiting a while for the nomination to be approved. I can see a continual string of complaints appearing along the lines of "When is my sub going to be approved so I can complete my Research Task".

  • Jtronmoore-PGOJtronmoore-PGO Posts: 1,581 ✭✭✭✭✭

    If you need to get an approved nomination for a task I can see huge red flags for abuse. They would literally just go into there group chats and ask everyone to accept there stop. Then you’ll have trash poi’s all around. Some places have very few spots that can even be nominated anymore as well

  • Johnsonsine-INGJohnsonsine-ING Posts: 417 ✭✭✭✭

    I am so with you here, except... Please don't make this another "Pokémon GO vs. Ingress players" thing. It is bigger than that, I think... At least, far from all PoGo players nominate this bullc..., I mean both you and I seem to be PoGo players (titles here). I take you do not nominate this nonsense? I know I don't.

    'Rules are only as good as they are enforced' - thank you! This is perfect.

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