Top Mistakes Made When Nominating Wayspots, and Tips To Avoid Them
Glawhantojar-PGO
Posts: 57 ✭✭✭
This was originally posted on Pokemon Go Hub, and modified slightly for a broader audience here, it was suggested that I post it here as well. I've removed some of the Pokémon Go specific bits, if you'd like to read the article in its original format you can find it here: https://pokemongohub.net/post/news/niantic-wayfarer-top-mistakes-made-when-nominating-pokestops-and-tips-to-avoid-them/
Hello Explorers,
Now that I’ve passed 10,000 reviews and 7,000 agreements on Wayfarer, I wanted to take some time to go over some of the biggest mistakes that people make when making Wayspot submissions. I will show some examples of what to do, and what not to do to try and help with your submissions.
I recommend that you review the Wayfarer Criteria Page before you go out and start nominating Wayspots. This would save a lot of rejected submissions, and wasted time for both submitters and reviewers.
Second, join the Wayfarer Discord here https://discord.gg/niawayfarer. It is full of Wayfarer experts, and tons of people who are more than willing to help you with your submissions to help them get approved. Check your local community, there may be Wayfarers in your local area that can help you. If you’re not sure, ask.
Finally, Just because something exists in-game does not mean that it is eligible now. There are plenty of Wayspots that exist because when they were nominated they were eligible, but the criteria have changed and they are not eligible. Fire Stations are the best example of this, Fire Stations are no longer eligible Wayspots but there are a ton of them that exist on the gameboard.
It just isn’t eligible
Niantic wants all of its Wayspots to fall into one of three categories:
- A great place for exploration
- Public places of Worship, Zoos, Unique Art or Architecture, Nature signs
- A great place for exercise
- Independent Gyms, Trails and Trail Markers, Exercise equipment in public spaces, Sports fields
- A great place to be social with others
- Gaming/Comic stores, Fountains and water features, Libraries (including free little libraries in public spaces)
If the point of interest that you are thinking about nominating doesn’t fall into one of these categories, then it’s not eligible. Things like a random generic bus stop, that large rock by your house, chain restaurants or gyms, Fire stations, Police Stations or anything that blocks emergency services, anything temporary, and anything on private property to name a few.
Top Mistakes
- Thinking that something is eligible when it isn’t.
- Nominating things on the grounds of a school. Things that are on the grounds of a school that offers classes for grades Kindergarten through Grade 12 are not eligible. Even if they would be otherwise. Soccer fields, Basketball courts, Playgrounds, etc. If it’s on the grounds of a school, leave it be.
- Nominating things on private property. That Little Free Library on someone’s front lawn is not eligible.
Examples of Poor Nominations
This nomination was for the Snow Removal Sign. This sign is temporary and placed there by a local business. It’s not something that would encourage or aid in exploration, it’s not a place for people to gather and be social, and it’s not something to encourage exercise.
This breaks one of the other rules, but the fact that it’s a Paramedic station means that it has the potential to block emergency services and that makes it ineligible.
Primary Photo
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, which is very true when it comes to Wayfarer. The first thing most reviewers look at is the primary photo you take for your nomination. A bad photo can ruin an otherwise great nomination.
You also can’t use a photo that was taken by a 3rd party, has a watermark, or has been overly edited. This means that you can’t photoshop your picture, use that photo from your local city’s website, or worse, a screenshot of google maps street view.
Remember, the photo you pick will be the photo that appears on the wayspot.
Top Mistakes
- The Point of Interest is obscured – Any objects such as trees or lamp-posts between you and the point of interest detract from the quality of the photo.
- 3rd Party Photo – Too often I see pictures from websites or screenshots from street view. The photo needs to be one that you took yourself.
- Part of the car is visible – Get out of your car. If any part of your vehicle is visible in the photo it’s a reason to reject the nomination.
- The picture is photoshopped – Overly photoshopped pictures are a reason for rejection, do your best to take an original clean photo that doesn’t need to be photoshopped.
- Dark pictures taken at night – If the lighting is bad, the point of interest could be too dark to see clearly.
Examples of Poor Main Photos
This is a trail marker that was photoshopped into a photo that is readily searchable on Google. One of the rejection criteria for photos is “obviously doctored” which this very clearly is. Don’t do this.
Not only is this photo taken from really far away from the Point of Interest, but there are also visible parts of the vehicle they were in in the photo.
Examples of Good Main Photos
This is a football field at a local sports complex. The main photo is clear and captures the entire field in one shot. The contrast of the goalposts against the grey sky makes them stand out.
This bridge is not only a footbridge on a marked path but also a historical marker. The picture captures both the bridge and the accompanying plaque that commemorates the history of the location.
Tips for a Good Primary Photo
- Get out of your car. Seriously, get out of your car. Photos with parts of your car visible are instant rejections, and even one’s that don’t have parts of your vehicle visible are often not great quality and will lessen the chances your nomination gets approved as they will likely be zoomed in and not great quality.
- Make sure the lighting is good. If it’s nighttime and the lighting around the nomination isn’t great, come back during the day when the sun is out. Dimly lit photos don’t make for good engagement.
- Ensure that the Point of Interest is the main focus of the photo and that nothing is obstructing it. If there is something between you and the object (like a tree), get a different angle. If the Point of Interest has a plaque that accompanies it, make your photo of the Point of Interest and use information from the plaque in your supporting information.
- Try and get as much of the Point of Interest in the photo as you can, without it being too wide of a shot. If the Point of Interest is a building, try getting a slightly angled shot of the building, or if the entrance is interesting and has a sign near it.
Title and Description
Top Mistakes
- Mentioning any of the Niantic games in your Title and Description – This is an instant rejection. Remember that these Wayspots could appear in any number of games, and shouldn’t mention any of them to keep them impartial.
- Poor spelling – Spelling mistakes and typos can spell doom for your nomination.
- Mentioning any of the Niantic games in your Title and Description – Seriously, don’t do it.
- Uninspired titles and descriptions – Put some thought into them, don’t just say “Park” that park has a name, and that sculpture has a name and an artist. Give credit where credit is due as much as possible.
- Mentioning any of the Niantic games in your Title and Description – “A good place to catch Pokémon” is not an acceptable description
Examples of Poor Titles and Descriptions
- Title: Park
- Description: Park
- Description: I saw a Pikachu here once
- Title: this is an old building that was built a long time ago and is really cool
- Title: Preforming Arts Center
- Description: Preforming arts center
Examples of Good Titles and Descriptions
- Description: Rebuilt from the ashes of the great fire of 1884 this location is one of only three historic buildings in Port Perry’s history that continues original operations to this day. Hank’s Pastries has been open in this location since 1957 and continues to evolve and innovate its amazing pastries.
- Title: Main Street Park
- Title: Group Portrait 1957
- Description: Created by Douglas Coupland, the approximately 27′ x 11′ (8.1 x 3.3m) relief sculpture entitled Group Portrait 1957 was permanently installed on the northwest facade of the Robert McLaughlin Gallery in September 2011.
- Description: A local park with 2 playgrounds, a soccer field, and a basketball court. A great place to bring the family to get some exercise and socialization.
Tips for Titles and Descriptions
- Do your research. Find the name of the painting, mural, or sculpture and who the artist is. Include the name in the title, and the artist in the description.
- Find out the history of the building, or the memorial. What unique and interesting part of the history of your town does the object tell the story of?
- Don’t plagiarize. Don’t just write word for word what the plaque says, paraphrase the plaque and include the important parts.
- Double-check your Titles and Descriptions! Your submission will always linger for a period of time before being eligible to go into voting. Log into your Wayfarer account from the website and check your submission. You can edit your Title, Description, and Supporting Information whenever you want so long as it’s not in voting.
- If it’s a park, list the features of the park in the description. It might encourage a family to check it out.
Supporting Photo
Your supporting photo should highlight the Point of Interest from a wider angle than the primary photo you are submitting to be on the wayspot. Try and include as much context as you can. The supporting photo becomes so much more important if Google Street View or the Satelite Map isn’t up to date. Reviewers will use the reference points in your supporting photo in conjunction with Google Street View or the Google Satelite Map to determine if your nomination is actually where you say it is.
Note: You can get away with a poor supporting photo and supporting information if your nomination is clearly visible on Street View and/or the Satelite Map. However, it is good practice to have a good supporting photo and good supporting information every time so you don’t fall into bad habits.
Top Mistakes
- The supporting photo doesn’t contain the point of interest – The supporting photo should be used to help prove the real location and existence of your submission
- The supporting photo is blurry or too dark – If you can’t clearly **** the point of interest in the photo, it’s not going to serve its purpose.
- The supporting photo has nothing to do with the submission – Random photo’s from your phone’s photo collection don’t help your submission.
- Supporting photos that are the same photo as the primary photo – I sound like a broken record, but your supporting photo should include as much detail as possible.
Examples of Poor Supporting Photos
This supporting photo is the same as the main photo. This Point of Interest was nowhere near a street, so it wasn’t visible on street view, it was not visible on satellite, and reviewers are given no reference to prove that this exists in this location. This could lead to reviewers being skeptical and rejecting based on being unable to confirm that this point of interest exists.
This is a common mistake when taking a support photo. The point of interest, a mural on a window, is nowhere in this shot. It’s likely the person who nominated this turned around and took a picture in the opposite direction. Remember, the supporting photo should have the point of interest in the photo as well.
Examples of Good Supporting Photos
The point of interest is the pergola on the right. The playground on the left is an existing Wayspot, as is the soccer field in the background. Having both of them in the supporting photo gives the reviewer two points of reference of already existing wayspots to be able to determine the pergola exists where the submitter says it is.
For this one, the submission is the 100-year-old bakery on the left, as there are no existing points of interest that can be easily included in the supporting photo the photo was taken in a way that would easily be matchable with street view.
Tips For Your Supporting Photo
- Try and include as much context as you can. If it’s in a park, try and get other structures in the park in the picture.
- If the Point of Interest is off a street, try using a picture close to what reviewers will see on Streetview.
- You do not need to exclude things like people, animals, or license plates from supporting photos. So try and get the best-supporting picture you can, while being respectful of people and property of course.
- The lighting and clarity of the photo are important for this as well, if reviewers can’t **** the photo they can’t use it.
Supporting Info
Your supporting information should complement your nomination, use it to provide more detail on the nomination that you couldn’t put in the description. Details on how it fits into one of the three pillars that Niantic has set out for its Wayfarers: A place to Explore, a place to exercise, or a place to be social.
Top Mistakes
- Begging for more Pokéstops – We know. Trust me when I say we know. We know the reason you’ve nominated this point of interest is that you want more Pokéstops. You don’t need to add this
- Little to no information at all – The box is available, use it.
- The information is not relevant to the Point of Interest – Reviewers don’t want to hear about your dog. Sorry.
Examples of Poor Supporting Information
These are all examples of real supporting information that I’ve come across
- I need more Pokéstops lol
- I think this Pokéstop should be a Gym.
- Thanks!
- Old building, very historical
- NOT a private residence. I don’t live here.
Examples of Good Supporting Information
- A beautiful commemorative mural painted by a local artist commissioned by the city as part of a project to beautify the downtown core and encourage foot traffic to the local businesses. It has safe pedestrian access from the sidewalk, and as it was commissioned by the city it is a permanent addition to the area.
- A Pergola and rest area, this park was newly built in 2023 and is not viewable on street view. You can see the building in the background is the same as one viewable on street view, and use it to confirm the location of the Pergola inside the newly built park.
- Street View is out of date, this is not a private residence, the house was repurposed as a lawyer’s office in 2022. In the supporting photo you can see the sign for the Law Firm on the front lawn, and the historical plaque marker on the front of the house.
Tips for Good Supporting Information
- Be detailed but don’t over-explain. While Titles and Descriptions should be concise your supporting information should be detailed and contain good relevant information about the submission.
- If your submission is not on Street View or Satelite, explain that here and explain your supporting photo to help paint the picture to help the reviewer discover your point of interest.
- Include links to references. If a building is on a historical register, mention that and include the link along with what page you can find the building on.
- Double-check your Supporting info on the website! You can change it up until it goes into voting. So make sure it’s good before then.
Other Mistakes
No pedestrian access
Pedestrian access means that you are able to walk to the object and remain there for a significant amount of time. It’s not enough to be able to access the Point of Interest from across the street, if there is no way for you to safely access it from the actual location it is not eligible.
- Height is not relevant to the conversation of pedestrian access, if you are able to access the wall a point of interest is on, it counts.
- Being able to spin the Pokéstop from across the street is not good enough. There needs to be access to get right up to the Wayspot.
It’s a Duplicate
5% of all of my agreements are duplicates. That might not sound like a lot, but it is. There are a couple of ways you can combat this. Check both Pokémon Go and Ingress. The inclusion rules are different for both games, so you may have something in one game and not the other. The map in Pokémon Go will show you the nearby wayspots, so pay attention to it. I've found this unreliable, so don't bank on it always being correct.
Forgetting to Edit your submission
I know this has happened to me, but failing to go in and ensure that your Title, Description, and Supporting Information is good before your nomination goes into voting can mean **** for your submission. If you’re submitting from your phone and you happen to fudge some, or a lot, of the words your submission can get rejected.
Nominate something, then go home and look it up on the Internet. Maybe you can find the artist of that mural you just nominated, or that sculpture. Maybe you can find out something interesting about that historical monument.
Conclusion
I hope that this helped you, that you learned something new, and that you can take some of the information here and apply it to your nominations in the future.
I would love to hear if this article helped you in some way and to see your success stories. You can reach me on Twitter @ProfessorGlaw, and you can listen to my Podcast with my Co-Host Jamal where we Discuss the ins, outs, and news of Wayfarer.
That’s all for now trainers, stay safe out there!
Comments
Hi,
Thanks for posting. I’m sure people will find it useful.
Thanks @Glawhantojar-PGO
Independent Gyms...
Feel free to convince me here
Why these should be reviewed differently :)
Thank you for reposting. This is a really thorough, helpful tool.
Now that outdoor basketball courts on school grounds are acceptable (ugh), do you think the “don’t nominate on school grounds” part needs editing?
I’m unimpressed with this exception to the school property rule.
Thank you!
The K-12 basketball courts are supposed to be used only in NBA All-Worlds game, so they won't actually benefit GO players technically. Since the original post is targeted to GO players, y'know.
They're only acceptable if the mechanism to get them accepted has been put into place - it hasn't.
So here's the thing about the Basketball courts on K-12 grounds, Niantic isn't pulling them into voting like they said they would and they end up in general voting and most likely end up rejected (I had 3) and if they are approved (I had 1) they end up appearing in Ingress/PoGo as any nomination would.
I thought it best to just keep it as if that post never existed.
Independently run health facilities fall into two of the three pillars that Niantic has set out for us as Wayfarers.
First - A great place for exercise - I don't think there's much argument against this point, perhaps you could argue that it's a business, however, I would counter with the location of the Point of Interest shouldn't matter so long as that location doesn't go against Niantic's criteria (Adult oriented, blocks emergency services, unsafe for pedestrians, etc)
The rejection criteria state " generic business, chain, or franchise that is not locally unique" An independently run local gym is by definition locally unique.
Second - A great place to be social with others. There are plenty of groups that go to the gym together. Many offer classes for various fitness endeavors, so those provide people the opportunity to socialize with people they've never met before. Make new friends.
While chain gyms fall into the "A great place for exercise" they are excluded by "not locally unique"
Both of the examples you provided are eligible, as are independent, offer a place for exercise, and a place to be social. Albeit Chalk seems a bit more exclusive than puregym to me that doesn't play into the decision.
Great analysis. I agree that most gyms are pretty much by default places to exercise and to be social with others.
One other factor I consider is longevity. Time will tell... if it's a great place to exercise, it will stay open, but if not, it will close. So I try to determine how long the business has been around and adjust my ratings accordingly.
Locally unique doesn't mean what you think it means. It doesn't automatically exclude chain businesses. It's about the importance of the location to the local community. The only gym in town is an important location to exercise for the local community, whether it is a chain location or not.
A discussion on the subject:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/27089/what-does-locally-unique-mean#latest
@TWVer-ING Thank you for digging out that link. One minor correction:
The only gym in town might be an important location to exercise for the local community, but that's not automatic. The submitter still needs to explain to reviewers why it's important, and "the only one in town" may not be enough to meet that bar. Casey's quote was, "even a generic business in a small town might be a significant element of the community for reviewers."
You are right, but in my opinion, there is a difference. People always go to a gym with the intention to exercise, so I would always consider a gym a great place to exercise. Meanwhile a Starbucks can be a great place to be social, but oftentimes people just go there to grab a coffee and read their newspaper while waiting for their train for example. So the great place to be social criteria isn't automatically met, and must be demonstrated.
@TWVer-ING You make a solid argument, and I think it's more likely that the only gym in a town would be acceptable than the only Starbucks but I think it falls short of being an automatic acceptance.
Can anyone give me a convincing argument why a gym, whether it's a chain gym or a locally unique gym, isn't a great place to exercise?
Exclude the socialising aspect as it is not the primary purpose of a gym.
@The26thDoctor-PGO I've seen some pretty craptacular gyms.
@Hosette-ING, I'm curious to know what makes a gym "craptacular". Could you explain? Maybe with an example or two.
No doubt, they could be rejected for their individual craptacularness.
Surely every gym can be eligible under this criteria?
A great place for exercise
A place you'd go to get some fresh air, stretch your legs, or exercise. Places that encourage walking, exercising, and enjoying public spaces.
For the acceptance criteria
A great place to exercise✓
Permanent, physical place✓
Safe and accessable✓
Accurate info etc is down to the submitter✓
The only thing they can be rejected for is chain business, franchise or their individual crappiness?
Rejection criteria says
"Nominations and edit submissions may be entirely rejected"
May be. I can see how it applies to coffee shops, restaurants etc as their primary purpose is serving food. They could be great for socialising, have some local history, art that gets them past the rejection criteria.
Gyms don't have the same rules applied as their primary purpose overrides the 'may be' rejection criteria?
With all the clarifications I have seen over the years, I got the impression that the term "generic" is basically used as a substitute for "doesn't meet eligibility criteria" by Niantic. So when I see "a generic business, chain or franchise", I interpret that as "a business, chain or franchise that doesn't meet eligibility criteria". Would be nice if Niantic clarified what they mean by that term.
We also have this clarification:
https://community.wayfarer.nianticlabs.com/discussion/comment/130344#Comment_130344
Gyms/Dance studios/etc. business promoting exercises need to be reviewed as a place of exercise which is an eligible spot.
Note that the part about big chains in that post is not by Giffard, but is a quote by another Wayfarer.
@TWVer-ING Craptacular gym: Half the equipment is broken, it's grungy, the employees are rude...
If it's the only gym in town but almost nobody is willing to go there because it's lousy then that doesn't seem like something that would qualify. Sometimes gyms are fronts for money laundering.
Basically, if people in the town rarely patronize that gym then it's probably not important to the community.
Typing in "fill in when home" when submitting g then forgetting to fill in when home ...... totally not done that very recently 👀👀
"Description: I saw a Pikachu here once"
Perfect description 🤣🤣
I would assume those are the very rare exceptions? I can't imagine them surviving very long. And how are you going to identify them during the review proces? Reject the 99% of good ones to make sure you don't accidently accept one of the 1% bad ones?
@TWVer-ING Remember that we're talking about chain gyms that are the only ones in a town, not gyms as a general class.
I would generally base my decision on how it's presented. If I see a 24-Hour Fitness (massive US chain, maybe non-US too) with the description and supporting info basically saying "It's a gym" then I'm going to reject it every time. If I get text that explains why/how this particular 24-Hour Fitness is special then I'll try to sanity check the assertion. If it doesn't fail the sanity check I'll likely accept it.
"It's a chain gym but it's the only gym within 20 miles of (town). It gets an eclectic mix of yoga moms, high school football players, hardcore body builders, our mayor, folks trying to get rid of all the cookies they ate at the annual cookie exchange, and older people staving off the aging process." That description would almost certainly get me to accept it.
Why would you reject it? Why does it have to be special? Which criteria, guideline or clarification are you using to justify rejecting something that clearly meets the great place to exercise criteria?
@TWVer-ING I think a chain gym is essentially the same thing as a chain restaurant-- it's not inherently eligible but could be eligible if there's something special about it or it's locally valuable. That is my interpretation of the various things that Niantic has said. Reasonable minds could differ on this interpretation.
So could unreasonable mind and I do disagree.
Chain gyms are inherently different from chain restaurants.
They are not the same thing. A (chain) gym is by definition a great place to exercise, so it is inherently eligible. No need for any extra requirements. A "gym" that is not a great place to exercise is not a gym. A (chain) restaurant does not meet any eligibility criteria by definition, that is why one must demonstrate why that particular one does meet eligibility criteria.
Reasonable minds can have different opinions on what it takes for a (chain) restaurant to be eligible, but not for (chain) gyms.
Nah, a chain gym is very different from a chain restaurant imo. Chain restaurants just about meet the socialising aspect but its tenous. Chain gyms 100% meet exercise but also meet social aspect as well, so that's 2 they meet.
Fair point, however, I will counter with this. If your town has 1 gym in it, and that's the only place to go work out and that place is also a chain gym then it's on the submitter to convince me of that fact. They would have to convince me that it's the only place within an acceptable area, and if I can find another one searching nearby for duplicates I'd be hard-pressed to accept it.
To quote NianticGiffard "Well to answer that, I would reiterate what NianticCasey had said before to a similar query. A generic/chain business in a small town might be a significant element of the community for reviewers. For that, they need to provide sufficient information to support their nomination."
After 10k reviews I can confidently say that I can count on one hand the number of times I've legitimately seen a chain establishment be the only place in a town that could be considered to be the sole proprietor of a service. Chains tend to avoid those situations, as the profit margins are low.
Not saying it can't happen.
There is a difference though. Giffard didn't really answer the question, they just quoted Casey. But Casey's statement was about a Starbucks, and chain that by default doesn't meet any eligibility criteria.
Casey claimed that that Starbucks was a great place to be social, and that it could be approved if nominators could prove that.
However we are talking about a gym here. Something that is a great place to exercise by default. That fact that it is a gym should be sufficient information.
You are conflating information on chain gyms and chain restaurants.
It's not on the submitter to convince anyone that gyms, local or unique or franchise, should be accepted.
Gyms pass the eligibility criteria and acceptance criteria. There is no argument to be made otherwise.
Potentially an individual gym might not pass the criteria but not because it's a chain, maybe if it's craptacular.