# UK Guidelines for URs and Conversations
**URL:** https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056
**Category:** United Kingdom
**Created:** [January 17, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056 "2014-01-17T23:01:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@iainhouse](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/iainhouse)
#### Post date: [January 17, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/1 "2014-01-17T23:01:33Z")
Now that we’ve had UR conversations available in the production editor for a while, we’ve all had the chance to get used to the system - and to encounter some of the problems that may arise.
The UK Country Administrators have been discussing the issue for a while and we’ve also been prompted by discussions like [this one](https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=76650), so we have produced a set of guidelines for dealing with URs and conversations and added it to the UK Wiki:
- [UR Guidelines Wiki Page](https://www.waze.com/wiki/UR_Guidelines_(United_Kingdom))
To summarise the main principles we have tried to set out:
- The priority is providing an appropriate solution to the reporter
- URs should not be closed by inexperienced editors just because they’re not sure how to deal with them
- Conversations should be used in a polite and cooperative manner
- URs should be closed after a reasonable period - even if they can’t be satisfactorily resolved
- A message should always be provided when closing a UR
Although not covered by the guidelines, I’ll also mention “old” URs. I periodically sweep the entire country for URs over 30 days old and do my best to deal with them. Generally, these appear in remote areas, where there may be no nearby AMs or editors. So, hopefully, no reporter should go without an answer for too long. I am currently somewhat behind with this, :oops: as a large backlog of URs from around 2 months ago has recently appeared all at once. :roll:
See also these [tips on managing URs](https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=127598) in your area
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### Author:  [@elljay23](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/elljay23)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 10:18am UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/2 "2014-01-18T10:18:04Z")
Thanks Iain, good to have guidance written down. I think the sample texts are useful. Another couple I see regularly you might think are worth adding:
- Thanks for reporting the road closure. Updates we make to the map usually take around a week to appear so if the closure is likely to short term the best way to report it is using “Report” -\> “Closure” in the app and it will appear on the map immediately.
- Thanks for reporting the new speed camera. The only way to add these to the map is to use “Report” -\> “Camera” when you are at the camera’s location. We can then activate the camera once it appears on the map. Please can you confirm the speed limit. Thanks.
Also, not sure if it’s worth updating the “off and on” one to say “Waze are planning to implement a solution soon”. 😉
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### Author:  [@ditchi56](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/ditchi56)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 11:58am UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/3 "2014-01-18T11:58:08Z")
Bearing in mind that many users are fairly new to Waze and might think they are being contacted by Waze professional staff, I always like to start a conversation with “Hi, volunteer map editor here responding to your Map Issue report.”
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### Author:  [@garfyville](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/garfyville)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/4 "2014-01-18T13:08:44Z")
> [@ditchi56](#):
>
> Bearing in mind that many users are fairly new to Waze and might think they are being contacted by Waze professional staff, I always like to start a conversation with “Hi, volunteer map editor here responding to your Map Issue report.”
I’ve always thought about doing this, I might start adding something similar into my standard footer info.
My biggest issue with inexperienced editors closing URs is when they close those that have an ongoing unresolved conversation.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@NorfolkMustard](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/NorfolkMustard)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/5 "2014-01-18T14:10:36Z")
I’ve had that, too. When asked, the other editor apologised and said they didn’t notice the conversation and thought they were just tidying up old URs.
It may help if the conversation panel expanded by default if it has content
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### Author:  [@garfyville](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/garfyville)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/6 "2014-01-18T14:13:08Z")
That would be nice 🙂 since the guidelines suggest that anyone who closes a UR should leave a message, perhaps we should ask Waze to force that?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@biccies](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/biccies)
#### Post date: [January 18, 2014, 3:53pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/7 "2014-01-18T15:53:13Z")
Thank you for your work on this iainhouse.
It would be nice to get some guidance on how best to close URs where we know the problem but are unable to resolve. For example the common ‘On and Off’ problem. Obviously we would send the information, but then do we close the UR as ‘Solved’ or ‘Not Identified’? Neither really apply but I do think that these URs should be closed rather than staying open for many weeks.
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### Author:  [@ditchi56](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/ditchi56)
#### Post date: [January 20, 2014, 12:36pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/8 "2014-01-20T12:36:33Z")
Here is another bit of text which I frequently use for “sofa reports” (after responding to the actual issue):
Problems show up on the editor’s map at the point where the problem is raised, so it’s best to raise them using your phone at the time you find them. If this is not possible, then rather than use your phone after you have got home, sign onto [www.waze.com/livemap](http://www.waze.com/livemap), find the problem place on the map, and click on it. This should bring up a pop-up box on which you can “report a problem”.
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### Author:  [@kayveedw](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/kayveedw)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2014, 2:50pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/9 "2014-01-23T14:50:58Z")
I have a different way of thinking about Starting a Conversation
> [@wiki](#):
>
> please leave the UR alone, at least until it turns orange
Surely it is good for someone to reply ASAP while the reporter still remembers what the problem was. Thoughts of others?
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### Author:  [@iainhouse](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/iainhouse)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/10 "2014-01-23T19:04:18Z")
I thought I’d let some replies pile up before posting any answers. 😉
To those who have suggested extra sample texts: thanks for your suggestions. However, the purpose of that section was just to provide a sample, rather than a more exhaustive list. If we put all the commonly used replies on the Wiki page, that section would be 3 times as long as before. If Waze ever sort the London Routing issue or the Off & On issue, I’ll have to remove those specific examples from the Wiki - and I might add some of the other suggestions then.
> [@ditchi56](#):
>
> I always like to start a conversation with “Hi, volunteer map editor here responding to your Map Issue report.”
Something like this does appear in one of the samples, but I’ve added a sentence to the effect that you might want to do that. It seems a fairly popular idea.
> [@garfyville](#):
>
> My biggest issue with inexperienced editors closing URs is when they close those that have an ongoing unresolved conversation
It’s been a problem since UR conversations appeared. At least you get their name and, now, you have a Wiki page to point them to when you say “please don’t do it”. When URs stay on the map for a while after closure it will become much less of a problem.
> [@biccies](#):
>
> It would be nice to get some guidance on how best to close URs where we know the problem but are unable to resolve. For example the common ‘On and Off’ problem. Obviously we would send the information, but then do we close the UR as ‘Solved’ or ‘Not Identified’? Neither really apply but I do think that these URs should be closed rather than staying open for many weeks.
That’s been a problem since before I joined Waze. The available choices simply don’t cover all possibilities. Generally speaking, “not identified” is where you couldn’t work out what the user’s problem was. Treat “Solved” as meaning the opposite of “not identified”: if you can identify the problem then it should be marked as solved. If you solved it by editing the map to remove the problem, then that’s obviously “solved”. If the problem can’t be solved by editing, then you can report this back to the reporter now and that does at least “solve” the User Report.
> [@kayveedw](#):
>
> I have a different way of thinking about Starting a Conversation
>
> > [@wiki](#):
> >
> > please leave the UR alone, at least until it turns orange
>
> Surely it is good for someone to reply ASAP while the reporter still remembers what the problem was. Thoughts of others?
Remember, this only applies if you cannot clearly identify the problem. In an area with an active AM, the AM probably knows details of what is going on. This guideline is intended to give the AM -an experienced local editor - a chance to deal with the UR with the benefit of local knowledge, before an non-local editor (who may be inexperienced) starts posting general “can you supply more info?” questions.
Also, it only takes 4 days for the UR to go orange. Even my memory isn’t that bad. :lol:
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### Author:  [@fieldenm](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/fieldenm)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/11 "2014-06-11T19:39:41Z")
A frequent message to the reporter about waiting a few days for the map to update may need to be modified to wait a few weeks at the current rate of updating
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### Author:  [@NorfolkMustard](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/NorfolkMustard)
#### Post date: [June 11, 2014, 9:09pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/12 "2014-06-11T21:09:18Z")
I’ve been pointing reporters to [http://status.waze.com/category/main/international-tile-updates/](http://status.waze.com/category/main/international-tile-updates/) for the status of when the fixes I do will be in the app
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### Author:  [@hublander](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/hublander)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/13 "2015-03-18T15:04:56Z")
Can somebody tell me is there a limit on the number of UR’s or Map edits that can be done. Tried to close a few UR’s today in North East London and the system will not let me. :o
Is this a bug? :?:
or have I done something wrong? :shock:
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### Author:  [@iainhouse](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/iainhouse)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2015, 3:29pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/14 "2015-03-18T15:29:22Z")
Editing freeze again today: see [https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=132345](https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=132345)
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### Author:  [@hublander](https://www.waze.com/discuss/u/hublander)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://www.waze.com/discuss/t/uk-guidelines-for-urs-and-conversations/250056/15 "2015-03-18T16:46:52Z")
Thanks for the reply people I thought it was just me and had done something to get my editing rights revoked. :shock:
At least I hope to add roads tomorrow