Yesterday I posted some submissions I got rejected looking for feedback and improve my applications, but today I got rejected a POI that I was convinced it shall be accepted.
Context: the proposed POI is a LOCAL store that sells candies, sweets, snacks in general, also they make bread everyday and they’re open 24/7 almost everyday of the year (including sundays). That business has been there for years (there are photos on Maps from 2008) and it’s well known by locals because it’s always open, so you can arrive anytime to buy almost anything.
It got rejected because:
it lacks uniqueness or historical and cultural significance
probably not permanent
But in the help text you can see I’ve indicated all these arguments… does a POI needs to be a “archaeological site” in order to be accepted?
Btw, this was not rejected by the machine learning because it passed to the “Voting” status.
Additional text:
Es la tienda por excelencia de chucherías. Abren hasta los domingos, con horario de 24h, por tanto es muy reconocida en la ciudad. Aunque el título tenga nombres propios, es el nombre del negocio, no hace referencia a una persona como tal. Lleva muchísimos años abierta, podéis ver en Google Maps que hay fotos incluso del 2008.
What can I do now? This is a zone with lack of POIs and imo this store is unique in the city.
Greeting. The rejection reason of not permanent for a local shop usually aimed at “Not distinct”(which I still don’t know why both option is in the same choice).
Your rejection reason would be:
It is a generic business.
It is not distinct.
I read your context and the shop might seem old, it does not provide any historical value(Both are not equal, old is the age of a thing and historical value is a tie to an event in the past).
You need a more better wording and a more convincing word for either “Exploring” or “Social” part in your submission.
“permanent” is wrapped up with “distinct”, so when a submission is rejected for not being distinct (not being seen as suitable to be a wayspot by reviewers), you get the “not permanent” rejection text.
it’s likely that reviewers are rejecting this as something that they feel doesn’t deserve to be a wayspot because it isn’t a point of exploration (it won’t meet exercise criteria, and a shop rarely meets social and then needs concrete evidence).
I don’t think it’s wise to assume it’s temporary. However, since the store’s appeal doesn’t come across, it may have been deemed a general business.
A store that has been in business for more than 15 years must have a reason it is cherished by the townspeople. Perhaps it has famous candies or bread, for example. What are their characteristics? What ingredients and manufacturing methods are used? Please convey the store’s appeal in this way.
There is a chance that this is true in some places in some parts of the world, but certainly where I live, this is absolutely not true. Many shops survive for more than 15 years and are just places where people shop. There is nothing special about a shop just for being 15 years old.
So now, what’s your advice? I must appeal or is it better to make a new application giving extra context?
I can also share their social networks, where they share their products and services, such as raffles or preparing cakes made of sweets for birthdays and Christmas.
I doubt an appeal would change the decision. For a re-submission, I’m not sure that there is anything that you could add which would make this shop interesting. That it offers products and services is not remarkable. I think you need to look elsewhere for wayspots.
You can try but know that business is one of yhe hardest to get approved. The onus is on submitter to provide enough evidence to convince reviewer. If you cant provide enough evidence why the shop is unique beside old, perhaps it doesnt deserve to be wayspot.
I looked at the content on Instagram and TikTok, but I couldn’t find anything that would set the store apart from others or differentiate its management. I think it plays an important role in your town, but I don’t think it meets the Wayfarer eligibility criteria.
Ok, I get it. It probably doesn’t deserve to be a POI in a big city. In this case, the zone is empty of POIs, due to is a residential neighbourhood, we don’t have much bussinesses. It’s hard to find a PERFECT POI.
But a legal loophole that comes to mind: In Wayfarer, drawings and art in general are well valued. If the storefront has this picture painted, would it qualify as a POI under the ‘painting’ category?
Some areas in cities just don’t have anything. Since the map is based around points of interest, rather than density of population or anything else, that means some areas just don’t have wayspots and you can’t force anything in just to get one. For this to change, Pokemon Go would have to change how it pulls in gyms and pokestops. To some extent, this has been done by allowing community ambassadors to create gyms, but this is a game issue and outside wayfarer.
Drawings on shops that solely advertise the shop are not going to be suitable. They would need to have artistic value beyond that to be interesting.
I don’t like the term “legal loophole” but yes, Niantic has clarified that business art can be considered.
If you mean the categories you have to select, those are just for data purposes, and do not represent eligibility. The criteria art is eligible under is “exploration”.
Hi, recently got this submission rejected because of “not distinct” (how a painted local shop storefront can be not distinct? lol)
It’s a very famous local shop, but I’ve read that businesses are hard to get approved, so instead I submitted the storefront.
Title:
Ilustración del barrio de la piruleta
Description:
Escaparate decorado con ilustraciones coloridas que transmiten amistad, alegría y un ambiente positivo.
Support text:
Una muestra de arte gráfico en un escaparate de una tienda que abre 24h al día, es visible desde Maps y permanente puesto que lleva muchos años ahí. Aporta color y felicidad al entorno urbano, invitando a la convivencia y al buen ambiente en la zona. Su estilo llamativo lo convierte en un punto singular dentro del barrio.
Hi,
I’m going to merge this into the original topic so that the whole discussion about this place is together.
So your question is should you appeal.
The problem with the painting on the window is that many will perceive that as temporary. It is not uncommon for a painting in a window which is effectively part of the display to change to reflect a particular season or new stock.
As a starting point you would need to demonstrate longevity.
That’s easy, there are photos in Maps from 2008 with the same painting in the Windows
Right now I’m out of appeals, when the 15 days cooldown period pass, the “appeal” button appears in recently rejected nominations or it only appears in nominations submitted after the 15 days cooldown?
Did you mention this? The onus is on submitter to present as many evidence as possible to convince reviewer. You cant expect reviewer to google and do research
