"Per Niantic Reddit AMA"
Gendgi-PGO
Posts: 3,274 Ambassador
I've come across this exact statement in several nominating I have reviewed over the last few months. I typically ignore it and make my rating decision based on notability of the person or group the "memorial bench" is for.
I do not use Reddit, so I'm wondering if any Reddit aficionado can help point me somewhere where Niantic may have had a "Niantic Reddit AMA" that I am unaware of.
Best Answers
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Sugarstarzkill-PGO
Posts: 437 ✭✭✭✭✭
You are correct in how you're rating memorial benches. There have been a bunch of clarifications made in AMAs over the years but whoever submitted that either purposely tried to pull a fast one or genuinely misunderstood the guidance.
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TheFarix-PGO
Posts: 4,211 ✭✭✭✭✭
Unless they are referring to https://ingressama.com, there is no "Niantic Reddit AMA". And even in the archives, there was only one mention about memorial benches and it wasn't about whether they were eligible or not.
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GearGlider-ING
Posts: 1,328 ✭✭✭✭✭
Whenever I see "reddit AMA" and some fake criteria/clarification I report it for abuse because it's trying to influence reviewers.
Best one I've seen was "Gravestone now accepted according to 2019 Reddit AMA" despite there being no Ingress AMA anywhere in Dec. 2019.
Answers
You are correct in how you're rating memorial benches. There have been a bunch of clarifications made in AMAs over the years but whoever submitted that either purposely tried to pull a fast one or genuinely misunderstood the guidance.
Didnt it also say accept if its a notable person in the community?
Unless they are referring to https://ingressama.com, there is no "Niantic Reddit AMA". And even in the archives, there was only one mention about memorial benches and it wasn't about whether they were eligible or not.
In the last couple weeks, I've noticed an uptick in the number of park benches that I review, even plain benches with no memorial plaque. So I suspect one or two things: either people are just running out of valid things to submit and are grasping at straws (coincidence), or submitters are acting on some widely disseminated piece of text about benches that was either misunderstood, or that was not official but was presented as such.
I have only been reviewing for a few weeks, but am I right that benches aren’t valid waymarks?
Ordinary benches are not eligible. Memorial benches are only eligible if they are for a significant figure in the community or for significant events. Of course, always be skeptical of such claims without evidence/documentation.
The one that I'm not sure on is comnemoritive benches, they arent common in some places and they arent exactly the same as memorial ones put up for people and paid for by family, they are usually installed to commemorate an event
This is probably why my wayfarer rating is red?
I have had a lot of benches, generic ones and had to reject when reviewing.
Whenever I see "reddit AMA" and some fake criteria/clarification I report it for abuse because it's trying to influence reviewers.
Best one I've seen was "Gravestone now accepted according to 2019 Reddit AMA" despite there being no Ingress AMA anywhere in Dec. 2019.
I assumed as much. I have seen these for several months, now, and reported a few as abuse as early as in April. I am also aware of some fellow reviewers who mark them as abuse, yet they just keep coming. I do have suspicious about who is making these nominations but don't need to spread assumptions.
I do wish I'd captured a screen grab of the main primary photo & description, but they are always "To our beloved parents" & "memorial bench in a park" style rather than offering any explanation of notoriety or local significance.
I do hope nobody falls victim of their claims and Niantic can step in to stop this style of abuse.
As someone who has linked to actual AMAs and Criteria clarifications that were subsequently ignored, I have faith that reviewers won't pay attention to a fake comment about a reddit AMA.
I'm hoping that old AMAs will finally be put together by Niantic into an accessible official source.