Hey there @HeatherandAnna! Welcome to the forum. Wayfarer can be a tough hill to climb when you first get started. I read your post a couple of times and I can understand your frustrations. I have a couple of tips to help you.
- Make sure you understand the Wayfarer Criteria, aka what makes a good POI for inclusion on the map. Link to criteria - Criteria Clarification Collection
- Understand the mission of Wayfarer, You said you were excited about the prospect of contributing “Pokestops”. As @cyndiepooh tells newer people. You are actually nominating Points of Interest to the Niantic Geospatial map. Commonly refered to as the “Lightship Map”. I know in Pokemon Go it says you are nominating a Pokestop, but you’re not. It’s a common sense of confusion for newer players.
- You said you’ve been discouraged by endless rejections - Well. We are here to help. Again, I’m going to my collegue @cyndiepooh - take their advise and post your rejection in this channel “Nomination Support - Niantic Wayfarer Community” You’ll be able to get feedback from countless people who would love nothing more than to give you tips on making your submission the best they can be.
Now, as a new explorer, you’ll have to learn that something you may think are perfect nominations may in fact not be. By no fault of your own, but by the rules of the wayfarer system, or by the games it feeds into.
You said “The players on here need to stop rejecting everything and trust that the people who live in the areas they are nominating Pokestops have good reason. Yes, there should be checks so people aren’t nominating their own house or a rock outside the door or something. But other than that, err on the side of believing that other players contributions are worthwhile.”
I sometimes don’t disagree with you, but you have to remember this is a live service world-wide game. There has to be a set of standards that governs the game for everyone. We can’t just let small regions break off and make their own rules. Now, I many times want to go the other way on this one myself.
Because what is “eligible” in Kansas may not be appealing to voters in Kazakhstan.
Finally, poke around the forum. Look for people you feel like you trust their opinions and reach out to them for advise. I will offer my services if you’d like me to look over your nominations or help you find something in your local area that is eligible for inclusion.