Editing Etiquette

[jondrush]

I guess it depends on how cranky I am feeling that day. I also tend to segregate those who pay attention to detail. Those folks, I hope are redeemable.

[tonestertm]

Is there even a way to communicate with editors who don't appear to frequent the forum? I've spent a couple of hours cleaning up things like fully labeled parking lot roads (and I mean FULLY labeled; major mess in the client...), landmarked ATMs that are about 8 feet by 15 feet --and more-- and just ran into an intersection that was recently mis-modified (IMHO) all by the same user. He/she/it doesn't have any posts here in any forum and I wonder if there's a way to encourage (them) to look over the best editing practices, etc.

Yes, I'm pretty n00b, but I've spent a ton of time reading Wikis, forums and trying to get the lay of the land before doing much actual work on the map ( except for, maybe, my first couple of edits, which I promptly returned and corrected.... )

The intro video is all well and good, but it seems like it would be good to somehow put a little more emphasis on going through the wikis and at least acknowledging there's a forum here before people can start messing with the map? Speaking from personal experience here, I wouldn't have minded. And if you're not willing to take the time to learn the right way(s) to do things, should you really be messing with things that potentially impact many, many other users?

[CBenson]

Oh, and if I send you a PM to let you know of something I plan on deleting, such as parking lot spam, and then, after you read my PM you continue to do the same thing, I will delete it all again in the future without sending a PM. I'll likely contact Waze to send you an official notice, though.

That seems perfectly reasonable. I've been known to send a PM saying I have deleted something and explaining why with a link to the wiki. Fortunately I've never dealt with the persistent incalcitrant editor yet. Maybe that's why I'm pro PM.

[CBenson]

Is there even a way to communicate with editors who don't appear to frequent the forum?

When you sign up for waze, a forum account is created that is linked to the email provide during the sign up. The default settings on the forum is to send you an email to alert you that a PM has been sent.
Thus, I have send PM to editors and received response stating that hadn't previously known the forums existed.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

Is there even a way to communicate with editors who don't appear to frequent the forum?

When you sign up for waze, a forum account is created that is linked to the email provide during the sign up. The default settings on the forum is to send you an email to alert you that a PM has been sent.
Thus, I have send PM to editors and received response stating that hadn't previously known the forums existed.

Unfortunately, I am not sure this is same with the facebook-only signups, but given the number of users with world_ and usa_ accounts who are showing up in the forums under same, it appears this generic account is getting created in the forums. And 2nd unfortunately, you don't have to provide a valid email address to Waze. <- I have bitched about that for years now. It is unfathomable to me that a "social" system of any kind is allowing users on with no valid way to contact them. Email address verification should be mandatory, IMO. You're signing up on your smartyphone with access to your email right there.

[AndyPoms]

Email address verification should be mandatory, IMO.

+1

[jasonh300]

When did the usa_ users become able to edit the maps? I always thought that these were people who didn't have accounts and were just using the Waze client.

[AlanOfTheBerg]

When did the usa_ users become able to edit the maps? I always thought that these were people who didn't have accounts and were just using the Waze client.

Facebook "waze account" creation in the app.

[shawndoc]

Another way I've reached out to people before is to google their username. I'd sent them multiple PMs with no response (sitting in my out box), found them on twitter and sent them a tweet. That got them to read the messages and fix (some) their mistakes.

As far as I know though, that person has never touched the editor since. Never responded to my PMs or tweet either.

[PalmettoC]

I hate it when I spent a lot of time working on areas about a year ago, and now I go back and look at them and see where I'm not even the creator, and these were roads I physically drove that weren't on the map (including some that are secured by locked gates that I know these people don't have access to)! Or they have gone and made things roads when they are things like a test track for the police academy (pretty sure the public isn't going to get to access that). I know they are going in deleting my work, and then just redoing it to get the points.