Live in Wayfarer 3.1 is a new set of acceptance criteria! Please browse the information in this category with caution as it is in reference to the previous review guidelines. To learn more about the new criteria, see here: https://niantic.helpshift.com/a/wayfarer/
Is a signature, or other info that identifies the submitter allowed in the supporting text?
tehstone-ING
Posts: 1,066 Ambassador
Note: Supporting test not title, photo, or description
This morning I had this question come up and I re-read the help pages and searched through AMA responses to find what I thought was there to support the claim that this is reason to reject. The most relevant text I could find was on the Reporting Abuse page:
- Offensive or abusive title/description edits:
- Attempts to add an offensive title/description to a live Wayspot
- Title/description edits that mention codenames, real names or other personal information of players
- Titles, descriptions, or supporting information that attempt to inappropriately influence the reviewers to vote in a specific way
I've always been under the impression that anything at all in the nomination which identifies the submitter is a reason to reject but I can't find anything conclusive from Niantic that confirms this.
Answers
It could fall under abuse for trying to influence reviewers how to review. Especially If you know who submitted it, of if there's some kind of cabal with local reviewers approving each other's stuff.
@NianticCasey-ING are we meant to reject any nomination in which the submitter has identified themself? If so, can this more clearly be stated in the Wayfarer help pages?
For supporting text, I tend to be more lenient.
I have noticed some inexperienced submitters putting in their email address. I ignore that and review base on the submission and treat it as no additional supporting info.
Titles and descriptions with player names or game-specific information are meant to be given a low rating so I assume this would be also the case for supporting information.
Just to clarify- my understanding is that player names/signatures should not be in ANY text, because there is concern people could use it to game the system. Eg: "oh, this is my buddy's nomination, automatic 5*".
Mention of the games cannot be in the title or the official description (unless it actually describes the actual nomination- like a statue/painting of pikachu, you can still call it that, because that's what it is).
If they mention the games in the SUPPORT statement, it's not necessarily an automatic rejection. There's no reason for it and it is actually quite annoying. But if the rest of the nomination is good, don't 1* it just because someone mentions pogo/portals/pokestops/ingress in the support statement. Usually people do that out of plain ignorance.
Right, I have the same assumption as each of you @Sugarstarzkill-PGO @msr82-ING but I can't find anything official that backs it up. That's what I'm hoping to find.
i too would be interested to know officially about this.
i've encountered cases of which game id / personal name and even car registration number been used as a personal marker identification, and used in text such as title / description /supporting info
@NianticCasey-ING could you please share Niantic opinion on this, as per the OP and perhaps other had shared here? many thanks in advance
Casey answered this elsewhere:
To answer @Gendgi-PGO's question, adding name / initials / other identifying information in any part of the nomination is not allowed, even in the supporting documentation. This could be considered an attempt to influence reviewers.
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/5798/the-most-disgustingly-abusive-nomination-potential-fake-nomination-ring
Let's add another question about "player signature"...
What about the Google name/username on photospheres?
Sometimes the photosphere is directly related to the submission : we can think about trail markers in the middle of a forest. In this case, we see the Google name/username and we can "link" this submission to a specific player.
In other cases, the photosphere is from a third person just because it's the nearest thing in the Gmap.
Should I worry about my submissions being rejected/considered "abuse" because my Google name in the photosphere can be recognized by local reviewers?
I personally don't think people should reject because your username is on a photosphere. I'm not sure there's even any way around that. I don't think anyone is rejecting or hitting the abuse button because of this, but stranger things have happened!