Any ideas on why this was declined?
Zeppelin1OO-PGO
Posts: 2 ✭✭
I’m kind of confused on why this was declined so quickly, it’s definitely not a duplicate because no benches have waypoints on this trail
I’m kind of confused on why this was declined so quickly, it’s definitely not a duplicate because no benches have waypoints on this trail
Comments
Generic memorial benches are not eligible. For this to be eligible the person the bench is dedicated to would have to be a significant figure in the community and you would also have to provide proof of that.
If its just a random plaque bench for a random person with no significance in the community then this wont be eligible.
As Jtronmoore-PGO wrote, only memorial benches for important persons for your community might be accepted. If this person that bench is made for isn't very known person in your town, then it's not eligible.
And looking from your description and support text, it looks like it's a bench for some random citizen, and there is many other benches like that - so it's just not eligible.
Absolutely no information on why the person is important, without any further details its just a generic bench.
Who is this person and why are they a significant or historical person in the community?
Upgrading is sentencing this kind of nomination to rejection sadly. Doesn't matter if there's no other waypoints within a km. Doesn't matter how scenic the location of the bench is or if the bench is even artistic they all get rejected.
This sort of memorial bench should potentially be considered to be a valid wayspot under the new criteria. However it will never be approved because everyone ignores the new criteria and just rejects everything categorically based on the old criteria.
The new evaluation criteria even clearly state that common objects like benches are considered to be pretty cool objects to explore if they are out of context/rare within their landscape. And I can certainly imagine that walking along this trail to capture/spin this portal would entirely fulfil Niantic's mission to encourage people to exercise and explore the world.
However any validity this bench might have had in being rare/out of context is somewhat undermined by the fact that there's another one just 6 feet away, and your submission says there are many other benches along this trail. That would downgrade this submission from a cool bench to go out and find, to just one bench out of many others. And at that point, the bench has to meet one of the other criteria to be considered valid (such as being artistic or relate to an important member of the community)
Nice for the new eligibility criteria. You seem to have skipped over how it still fits under the rejection criteria as mass produced/generic which is what it would be rejected under
Ineligible location/abuse are the only hard no categories, nowhere does it say because something fits under a rejection criteria do you have to reject it.. If your view is wide enough nearly everything is generic or mas produced.
Yes, common benches in general should be rejected as mass produced.
However if a common bench was dedicated to a notable local or historical person, would you still reject it as being mass produced?
If not, why should it be treated it any differently to an identical common bench that was instead placed in a remote location that, according to Niantic, turns it into a cool place to explore?
Umm? if it meets a rejection criteria, then it gets rejected. You have to run them through both.
Nominations and edit submissions may be entirely rejected if it meets at least one of the following rejection criteria:
Does not meet eligibility criteria
The object is mass-produced, generic, or not visually unique or interesting.Does not seem to be a great place of exploration, place for exercise, or place to be social.
Because the notable person is what makes the bench eligible and unique. Otherwise its a regular plaque for a random person or just a normal bench.
But by the same argument, taking a generic memorial bench and sticking it halfway up a mountain would also make the bench eligible and unique. (In Niantic's description, the bench would be out of context/rare within its landscape)
In one example the bench has been turned into something that tells us something about the local community; in the other, the bench has been turned into a great place for exploration. But ultimately they are the same generic mass-produced bench.
My understanding of the criteria is that both benches should be considered eligible and neither should be rejected. But whether am I right or wrong, I will ultimately just play it safe and only approve benches dedicated to noteworthy people because that is the consensus of the majority.
It can also be for noteworthy for the close environment, however, this needs to be explained, or something needs to be able to be found about said person. That way you can examine if the person has had some value to the local community.
Pardon my German, but I'm limited to Rammstein lyrics ;-) I'll continue in English
The radius for upgraded nominations is said to be bigger than the one for non-upgraded nominations.
Meaning that the reviewers of the non-upgraded will live closer to the nominated wayspot than the reviewers of an upgraded nomination.
But in any case: if you have upgrades available at the time of the nomination the upgrade will be applied. Best practice remains to submit high-quality wayspots, then you won't have any trouble getting things accepted.