Map Editing Permissions

Map Editors Community United States
1

Yesterday, I made several addition to the map in my area. Mostly Place names and addresses of local businesses. It worked fine. I reviewed the Wiki on map editing and best practices and removed a couple of edits I made a few days ago that didn’t seem necessary.

Today I went to add a few more and am getting the message

“You have no permissions to make some of the changes.”
“Please check and try again.”

every time i go to make an edit. Am I doing something wrong? How do I contact the area manager to find out if there was a restriction placed on my account?

My username is: jasel916
Area Manager: Dogshrink or eichmat
Location: Allentown, PA

Thanks for any help

jas cooper

2

Hi Jas,

Since you said you were editing locally, I’m assuming that these locations are within your editable area. If you’re not aware of what Waze is considering your editable area, there is a layer that shows it from the layers menu on the right side.

To contact your AM, you can send a private message (PM) via the forums. Type the name you mention above into the “to” field and then click add. If that doesn’t work, you may have look up the username via the “find a member” link right above the add button. If you need further help, come on back and we’ll try some more.

Aaron

3

Sounds right. I used to bump up against that all the time.
L1 editors can only edit 1 mile around areas where they have driven within the last 90 days, and it is very easy to stray outside of that area if the layer is not turned on.

4

After days of trying to resolve an “invalid username or password” issue, I was finally able to get into the map editor. Most of the edits I made were adding business names and parking lots. Apparently I made a couple of small errors and the area manager removed my editing permission.

I was told I made “a multitude of errors”, but the only ones I could get him to point out were:

  1. I added a small road segment into a strip mall and neglected to check the boxes omitting the street name and city, so the edit was incomplete and the segment remained red.

  2. The Text to Speech system incorrectly said “park” instead of “pike” because the road was labelled ‘Richlandtown Pk’. I went in and changed the names to ‘Richlandtown Pike’ so the TTS would pronounce it correctly. Apparently I overlooked the complete list of abbreviations and should have used ‘Pke’ instead of ‘Pike’

Although the AM said he restored my permissions, I have not been able to do any edits for about a week now.I get the message:

“You cannot edit this segment. You may only edit segments in your driving area.” when I try to correct the unnamed segment, although it is within my editable area.

So, as a test, I tried to add a segment next to it and got:

“You have no permissions to make some of the changes.
Please check and try again.”

I get this message when I try to save any edits at all.

I can appreciate the need to prevent people from going in and messing up the maps with unnecessary or incorrect information. I have read the wikis, watched numerous videos, and sought help when I had questions. But I think that prohibiting me from editing without just cause is a severe overreaction.

If I am doing something wrong, I should at least be informed of what it is that constitutes a “multitude of errors” beyond the only two examples I listed above.

I find Waze extremely useful, and would like to contribute to making it better and easier to use for myself and others.

I have now exchanged numerous messages with the area manager, agreed to work with him to avoid editing mistakes, yet I still am unable to edit the map a week later.

Some things about Waze seem to go way overboard to maintain a degree of security. Signing in should be a process of entering a username and password. Instead, EVERY TIME I LOG IN, I am required to enter my phone number, repeatedly click on an “already a wazer” link, enter my username (CASE SENSITIVE), password, then receive a text message with a verification code (so essentially, if I want to use my iPad, I need to have my phone handy to retrieve the verification code). Then I have to verify my username, and then respond to the question if I want to be notified by waze about any reports.

However, in the interest of time, I often can save a click when Waze asks me if I’m going home. So I can click ‘yes’ instead of clicking ‘navigate’ then ‘home’.

And for my protection, if the car is moving, I have to dishonestly say I’m a passenger to get waze started. That seems about as useful as porn sites asking if you’re over 18 to proceed.

I’m not sure if this is the appropriate spot to vent my problems. Hopefully an administrator will see this and restore my editing permissions so I can contribute to making Waze better.

5

I am well aware of my editing areas, have read the wikis, and viewed numerous videos on map editing.

My permission was revoked by the AM for what he called a" multitude of errors". Although the only ones he would tell me about were, a tiny segment that I forgot to check the box omitting a street name (since it had no name), so the edit still showed red as incomplete. And, text to speech was incorrectly calling as road “park” instead of “Pike” because whoever labeled it originally used “Pk”. I erroneously changed it to “Pike” instead of the officially accepted TTS abbreviation “Pke”.

Waze is a great app. But it often goes a little overboard in its practices of security. Like

User names being case sensitive
Logging in requiring a phone number
Logging in requiring a verification code.
Confirming username.
Confirming you’re a Wazer constantly.
Confirming you’re a passenger if the car is moving.

It took two weeks trying to log into the website, exchanging emails with support (and it’s not an easy task finding an email for support)

Now it’s been more than a week trying to get my editing permission restored.

To say it’s getting frustrating is a gross understatement.

6

These errors are sometimes indicative of locked segments and nothing to do with your editing account.

In your second example, did the segment you add connect to the other segment in any way, or was it on its own?

Also, sometimes the removal or reinstatement of editing rights can take a day or more to filter through the process. It’s possible that the AM is ok with you getting the privs back, but it hasn’t been submitted to the Staff yet.

7

I remember hearing in the past that if you use non-alphanumeric characters in your password, that Waze will ask you to log in to the app every time; using only alphanumeric characters, while less secure, might prevent Waze from asking you to log in everytime you use it.

8

You should be able to edit sometime Sunday. Please get in touch with Dogshrink. Thanks

9

Last week I was blocked from editing by an Area Manager for making a couple of minor errors. Rather than assist me in correcting them, I got blocked.

He refuses to let me know what errors I made and although he said he subsequently requested my permissions be restored, a Country Manager said he saw no such request to restore my privileges. I pointed this out to the AM, and now I just received another message from Waze stating

"Dear Wazer,

Your editing permissions have been blocked due to user complaints or suspicious editing behaviour
If this is not the case, we are truly sorry and invite you to refer to our support page (http://www.waze.com/support).

In general, it’s very important to keep in touch with the community (http://www.waze.com/forum/). This will help you to avoid mistakes, such as editing against the community guidelines and so forth.

Please consult with your local champs in the forum, take a look at the Wiki And above all - a polite dialog with your community members is the key to being a good editor.

Thanks,

The Waze team"

I enjoy Waze and would like to do my part to improve it where I am able. I’ve read the Wikis, watched several videos, and double checked my work. But, since I have been unable to get my editing permissions restored, how is it possible that I can be making suspicious edits? If it is the result of a vindictive AM for whatever reason has taken a dislike to me, is there something I can do to prevent him from continuing to make my Waze experience so unpleasant?

10

I’m having the same problem too, not sure why i got my permissions revoked. I guess either the 1 mile radius layer didn’t work or …I’m not sure what I did wrong.

11

In no way is any block ‘vindictive’ The request to remove your block was processed on the 15th of Aug.
You were blocked for a large amount of uncompleted, overlaping roads and bad turn restrictions. Sometimes a block is necessary to prevent further damage until we can contact the editor and get things straightened out.

12

Hi to All, my first reply. I understand perfectly why they have map editing restrictions. When you have people that are novices or rookies, you have to start off at the bottom learning a lot of different things so that you and every Tom, Dick, and Harry don’t come in to create a lot of other problems for someone else to have to come behind you to correct. Earning the right to have more permissions just makes good common sense to me. I drive an 18 wheeler locally for a living. In years to come, I see Waze as one of the best traffic navigation apps to exist, my hope anyway. This is something that is going to take a great team effort.

13

I contacted the Area Manager several times in an effort to find out what the alleged errors were. I spoke to a higher ranked editor who assisted me in figuring out what I should not have added, and correcting the mistakes. It appeared that they were taken care of in one instance.

Another problem was I added a segment (about 50’) off a major road (Hamilton Blvd, Allentown, PA) and for some reason was unable to add turn restrictions. As each segment consists of a number of edit details. I was able to save the incomplete segment, but omitted checking the box that signifies the segment has no street name. So the segment appeared red, signifying it was not complete. Yet not only could I not go in and add the required data, I was also unable to delete the segment entirely. I got a message it was not in my driving area, and I could not edit it.

I pointed this out to the AM, as well as requesting my privileges be restored. After no fewer than twenty PMs, not only were my editing privileges still blocked, but I could get no response to my request to point out the alleged errors, so I could at least have the knowledge to not risk repeating them in the future.

A message sent to me by a Country Manager indicated there appeared to be no requests submitted by anyone to restore my editing rights. To add insult to injury, last night I got another message from Waze stating “Your editing permissions have been blocked due to user complaints or suspicious editing behaviour”. Since my editing permissions have been blocked for the last week, I am baffled how I could indulge in suspicious editing behavior. Although I might suspect that any complaints may have come from the AM who blocked me in the first place, and seems reluctant to help me learn how to avoid the same mistakes I may have made by telling me what they were.

14

BulletRC,

I agree wholeheartedly with editing restrictions. But the best way to enlist capable map editors is to work with novices and inform them of where your edits may have been incorrect or unwarranted. I have read the Wikis, viewed the videos, and limited my edits to areas where Wazers wouldn’t be given faulty information and sent in the wrong direction.

I have also used the chat system available in the map editor when I was unsure of an edit I was making.

But it works both ways. Tutoring and mentoring a novice won’t work if a manager’s first course of action is to block someone for what may constitute an insignificant mistake. Since I haven’t been informed of what my errors were, other than failing to complete a 50’ segment in a parking lot, and changing a road name from Richlandtown Pk to Richlandtown Pike, so ‘text to speech’ read it as pike, not park, I still don’t know what mistakes I made that warranted blocking my permissions. For those who don’t recognize the mistake I made, the ‘official’ TTS abbreviation for pike is ‘Pke’, not ‘Pike’. But since someone erroneously used ‘Pk’, I somehow feel that the extraneous ‘i’ in the name is not exactly an egregious mistake, and at least the road name is now properly pronounced.

15

I only use letters and numbers. One of Waze’s practices which I have never seen, even in ultra secure sites is making usernames case sensitive. The problem is further compounded when Waze doesn’t always display your username with the appropriate case. I’ve seen my ID as JASEL916, jasel916, and Jasel916.

16

Jasel916:

I’ve merged your three topics that all have to do with the same thing.

You’ve received an answer about this from orbitc – there was no need to start multiple threads.

17

In the US, you’d contact your RC or any other Champ.

You can probably find one on Chat as well during most hours.

18

Bingo.

If I’m not mistaken, txemt(6) has full management rights over an extremely large part of the country, and if an editor is doing damage, he can get them on the ban list which will lock them out pretty quickly (I think an hour?)
Particularly if the area you are speaking of is in Texas… there are some very strict rules regarding being visible and having PMs enabled if you are going to edit in Texas.

I would imagine that any L6 would have the same access.

19

Most 6’s do, yes. Though I’m an exception… I edit in the US from time to time, but my GC comes from up north. I’d just be pounding on doors to get it looked at by someone who has authority. :slight_smile:

20

Forward any such complaints to me and I’ll take care of them. Always try to contact the user first and see if you can get them on the right track but if they need to be stopped, I can stop them.