There should be no expectation that the Wayfarer Team will reply to any requests for specific clarification. They may take note to consider as part of any more general update at some future point.
It is not a question and answer topic.
Anyone can raise and contribute to discussions around criteria in this topic. This can usefully allow for peer support and a shared understanding to develop. This is important as wayfarer is (with a few exceptions regarding ineligibility) about judgement calls within broad guidelines.
Respect each others contributions.
Edited to clarify this post is a general reminder that applies to recent points raised and not about any individual.
Maybe Google Translate isnât quite right, but Elijustrying, are you suggesting that I donât respect each otherâs contributions? If so, I would appreciate it if you could tell me specifically which part applies so that I can post correctly in the future.
Itsutsume said, ââFountains and water featuresâ under âA great place to be social with othersâ, not under âA great place for explorationâ. Therefore, I posted part of the description of âFountainâ set in the Criteria Clarification Collection by Niantic Tintino, which Paulingzubat also quoted. (Itsutsume also said, âItâs in human nature to better remember last things said, so âyou donât have toâ part is what will be remembered, not âyes, you can do betterâ. Thatâs why I wrote a quote at the end of the sentence.)
If you donât mind, could you please show us the original Criteria idea for the âfountainâ that Itsutsume has in mind?
Is this difficult and disrespectful to you?
I am sure this is in response to the situation that appeared to be developing in the previous conversation and was not directed at you. I did not see anything provoking in your comments.
addresses the issue that pond aerators - that are Wayspots all over the US from back in early days - are not eligible as âfountains.â
Even this clarification does not mention drinking fountains. We have to use our own best judgment as to whether these meet criteria or not. I think plain drinking water fountains would just be infrastructure and not meet any criteria, but I have also see work of art ones that I accept.
My apologies @Jyub246e The word âgeneralâ at the start was meant to mean that it wasnât attached to an individual.
Threading of posts isnât always great so I wanted it to be noted around the recent posts but nothing linked to specific post.
I hope that makes it clear. I will edit my post to add the clarity.
You are looking for unequivocal yes or no responses when there is no such standards. People have been responding directly to your question with very clear answers.
A water fountain, while certainly made to circulate water, can be of interest even if it no longer functions. Each case needs its own evaluation to see if the case is being adequately made that the POI meets one of the three eligibility criteria.
A âfountainâ may be listed as an example to be social, but a famous or artistic one would certainly fall under exploration. Meeting one criteria does not eliminate the possibility of meeting another, nor does failing to meet the âintended exampleâ criteria block if from meeting another.
I am seeking clarification on whether a non-working fountain is still considered a fountain. I am not concerned about artistic value of a dry fountain - I understand that artistic value concept can be applied to many things. The way I see it, fountains would fall under two categories - âA great place to be social with othersâ if itâs a working fountain or âA great place for explorationâ if it has artistic value, even if itâs dry. (Canât think of any fountain that would fall under âA great place for exerciseâ.) Thus I would think that a dry fountain would stop being a fountain, especially if used as something else (like a planter in the case I described), and would not fit âA great place to be social with othersâ anymore, and if it has no artistic value, then it would not fall into âA great place for explorationâ either, so is would not be wayspot-worthy.
I think that question has been answered by several people so far.
Being extremely literal, a fountain is a fountain, with or without water. A bowling ball bag is a bowling ball bag regardless of whether there is a ball inside, Running shoes are running shoes even if they are used for walking.
There is no absolute answer to your question. Each case needs to be judged independently.
I donât know why there canât be an absolute answer, or at least some answer. Either a non-working fountain used as something else is still a fountain and still falls into âA great place to be social with othersâ, or itâs no longer can be considered a fountain per the definition of the word âfountainâ (it doesnât discharge water) and thus no longer falls under âA great place to be social with othersâ. Again, I am not focused on exploration and artistic value.
If you use a bowling bag or a running shoe as a planter, they are now planters. Yes, you can clean them up, put on your running shoes and put your bowling ball into your bowling ball bag, but right now they are planters.
Several answers that I got started talking about artistic value, which made me think that people intuitively understand that non-working fountain is kinda not a fountain, and so they came to the defense of fountains using other categories.
PS My understanding is that âfountains and other water featuresâ was included in âA great place to be social with othersâ because on a hot day fountains are nice to be around to cool down, and there is also an old tradition of throwing coins into fountains. Iâve never seen anyone throw coins into a non-working fountain (but Iâve seen one nomination with such fountain and trash on it), and I donât think a non-working fountain would be a good place to sit at on a hot day. Again, I am not talking about artistic value, I am just trying to interpret what Niantic meant when they included fountains under places to socialize, and I might be wrong. I am also talking about permanently non-working, not temporary out of order.
I think points about this topic have been aired in full. Things seem to be going round in circles rather than progressing.
I donât think there is much value in more postings on the topic. So Iâd like to suggest that we move on. @Itsutsume has requested a response from the Wayfarer Team, so if they respond at some point they may have an answer.
This is a very interesting point. Basically, if a fountain discharges water only when interacted with, per need basis, does it just make it an infrastructural utility and not wayspot-worthy? I honestly think it depends on an area. In Los Angeles where I live, I see drinking fountains in many parks, beaches and lots other places. They are kinda mundane here, and probably around the rest of US, too. But I believe there are places that donât have running water and that would have community fountains or wells where people would get water, and they might be a good place to be social with others. In such cases I think I would approve a drinking fountain just for being a fountain.
I would be willing to consider it if they made that argument of the importance. That is exactly why it is so hard to have blanket âaccept this not thisâ statements.
Itâs not that hard. In this case we are discussing, Niantic could put something like this: âSmall drinking fountains like those that can be seen in parks, beaches and other places are not eligible. But there are parts of the world that get water only from a community fountain or a well. In such cases community fountains and wells are eligible.â And then yes, if the submitter says (and we can reasonably confirm) that the fountain they are nominating falls under community fountain, then such fountain could be approved.
Same thing with non-working fountains: âNon-working fountains donât fall into a good place to socialize category, but they can still be eligible if visually uniqueâ or âNon-working fountains are still a good place to socializeâ.
I gotta ask, why is a working fountain a good place to socialize? Iâve seen some cool fountains, but none where ever places to socialize. I think you are trying too hard to squeeze everything into tiny little boxes, but they really donât fit.
