Waze US Mentorship Program - Trial

[carloslaso]

I updated the Badge table to show the three different badges for Mentors, but I cannot find anyone with the Local Champ status who is a mentor. If someone can tell me who has that badge, or if you already have the 63pixel version of the image you can upload it directly to https://wiki.waze.com/wiki/index.php?title=Special:Upload&wpDestFile=Badge_Mentor_Local_Champ.png

Local champ mentor here

Oops! Too late, my bad

[sketch]

This program has a different, though related, goal—one-on-one relationships with willing editors to guide and teach them comprehensively the skills required to be an effective AM or CM. It's to be an alternative upgrade path to the existing avenues. It's more formal because the consequences are higher.


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[orbitc]

This post moved to here.

Hi Editors!

We are starting a new mentorship program with Great Mentors to help you enhance your editing. It's in trial period so bear with us. Below are the Mentors who willing to share their time to help you become a great editors.

Better the editors get faster they move up ranks.

Mentors (Rank 6)

• banished (FL)
• CBenson (MD)
• daknife (UT)
• GizmoGuy411 (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI)
• Jemay (CA)
• nnote (AZ)
• orbitc (NJ)
• sketch (LA)
• Vectorspace (NM)

Mentors (Rank 5)

• bigbear3764 (IL)
• MGODLEW (PA)
• ottonomy (CA)
• PhantomSoul (NJ, NY)
• pjlasl (TX)
• ply8808 (AZ)

Mentors (Rank 4)

• Bigworm23 (TN)
• no1uknow (PA)
• PesachZ (NJ, NY)
• qwaletee (NJ, NY)
  

Please let us know by filling this form if you are interested. Note that this is a limited trial, and trial memberships will be granted on a first-come, first-mentored basis.


Those who agree and want to become a mentor need to read this document. If you agree those terms please send email to: WazeMentor@gmail.com.

[PesachZ]

You can count me in too. I might be able to be there all the time do to the way I have to work sometimes but I want to learn to be a better editor . I am level 2 now but enjoy helping with the map to make it the best it could be.


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Hi mdavidsonjr,
If you are interested in joining the mentorship program trial, please follow the instructions in the first post of this thread and fill out the form linked at the end of that post.

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[ply8808]

Thank you for the comments Bruce,
I will +1 sketch and vectorspace comments and add to the chat concerns and response time.
One consideration is that not all rank 5s and 6s have CM staus and may not be ignoring a request but simply not reacting as it is a request for an unlock/update out of their range.
The other consideration is the AFK issue, I personally would like to monitor chat all day but simply not possible with work and family, but have found that by going invisible when leaving the computer this insures all know I am no longer unavailable as my chat icon disappears, the downfall of this is when someone can see my icon right next to them on the map and yet there is no answer to their call in chat.

*EDIT* Clarification to the statement of "not all rank 5s and 6s have CM status"
Rank 5 editors may or may not have CM status
Rank 6 editors with the exception of grandfathered ranks do have CM status
The natural progression would be Rank 5 to CM status

[vectorspace]

Gentlemen and Ladies if they are here. After watching the Webinar this evening I had a few questions to ask, figured being as the mentor program kind of surrounds them all this would be a good place to start. ...
-Bruce

Bruce,

First off, thanks for the feedback. This is the kind of positively stated perception we can use. I agree with Sketch's comments too. Here's my perspective.

I'd say that that what you're experiencing is part of what happens when new things emerge -- we have not had time to think them all the way through and implement them in policy or procedure (e.g., Community discussion, Champ discussion, followed by Wiki).

The WME Chat is really a brand new game changer on the WME editor. It's a totally different mode of interaction. How we use it is a matter to be discovered. How we limit expectations of users so they are not frustrated is an issue. It probably becomes another time sink for senior editors. We may need other features.

Formal Mentoring has a lot of promise, but we've always been worried about its drawbacks. It is much more constrained than all the informal mentoring that can go on because its bandwidth is limited by the number of Mentors. There will likely be a waiting line. You should have had a response within about a week (I think), but we're still working on the process and who is going to staff that process.

The webinar held last night is another example of a great idea, but one that we're still learning how to create, operate, and deliver. The cool thing with On Air Hangout is that it is recorded, leaving behind some sort of library of potentially useful things. A problem is the core content that needs to be developed. We have a whole incomplete draft of lectures we wish to create. Making them takes time.

My guess is that a number of the Champ community is "spent" because 23 or 24 of us attended the 2014 North Amercian Meetup in Las Vegas with Waze Staff last weekend. That was a big investment of time some of us have to recover. In addition, like all of us with family, April / May tends to be busy with graduations, planning, etc.

With that set of insight back to you, I am sure we're dedicated to find a Mentor for you, set up whatever goals you have, like Rank-5, CM, or both, and have you join us helping others with some of the very issues you have seen!

[SkiDooGuy]

Thanks for your feedback, Bruce.

Your feedback and that of others has made it clear that we should provide some sort of confirmation message or other such explanation of the next step — a step we must take, but when, right?

This is a trial run, so these are the kinds of things we're trying to find out here.

Of course, before the trial program started, we couldn't really know what the demand for it would be like, or how immediately we would be able to satisfy that demand.

I believe a waiting period of a week or more is reasonable, considering the limited number of mentors — but prospective mentors should be provided notice of this. We aren't necessarily capable of giving an estimate, but we should say it might be a while.

--
As for "informal mentoring" and high-rank user availability in chat, know that many of us tend to leave the Waze editor open in a window or tab even when we're not at the computer. Perhaps this is something that should be addressed in the Wiki as well. Speaking for myself, I have the editor window open most of the time, but I'm usually (these days) too busy with my life outside of Waze that I'm not usually in the editor looking at chat. If I am looking, though, I will be glad to help you. Part of this could be solved by additional chat features — mention notifications and private messaging — which may or may not be coming in the future. I have a small screen, so I can't chat while editing effectively a lot of the time

--
Anyway, like I said, feedback from users like you is part of the reason we are doing this trial run. We appreciate it. The leaders and pioneers of the formal mentorship program are watching this thread, believe me!

I totally agree that a week is more than a fair minimum at this point. And I'm sure you all have already talked about all of this many time. But I would suggest setting up a system like you guys have for the AM. An auto reply email system, so prospective mentee's know that the request is being looked at and processed.

As for chat, again I completely understand, and that all of this is still in a very new stage, however an AFK timeout or something would be a great feature.

Like I said, I'm sure this all gets talked about in beta all the time. Hopefully the program will be accepting new members soon and I can get in.

Thanks for listening guys!

(p.s.- maybe all the champs should get computers with bigger screen courtesy of Waze for these purposes!!)

[sketch]

Thanks for your feedback, Bruce.

Your feedback and that of others has made it clear that we should provide some sort of confirmation message or other such explanation of the next step — a step we must take, but when, right?

This is a trial run, so these are the kinds of things we're trying to find out here.

Of course, before the trial program started, we couldn't really know what the demand for it would be like, or how immediately we would be able to satisfy that demand.

I believe a waiting period of a week or more is reasonable, considering the limited number of mentors — but prospective mentors should be provided notice of this. We aren't necessarily capable of giving an estimate, but we should say it might be a while.

--
As for "informal mentoring" and high-rank user availability in chat, know that many of us tend to leave the Waze editor open in a window or tab even when we're not at the computer. Perhaps this is something that should be addressed in the Wiki as well. Speaking for myself, I have the editor window open most of the time, but I'm usually (these days) too busy with my life outside of Waze that I'm not usually in the editor looking at chat. If I am looking, though, I will be glad to help you. Part of this could be solved by additional chat features — mention notifications and private messaging — which may or may not be coming in the future. I have a small screen, so I can't chat while editing effectively a lot of the time

--
Anyway, like I said, feedback from users like you is part of the reason we are doing this trial run. We appreciate it. The leaders and pioneers of the formal mentorship program are watching this thread, believe me!

[SkiDooGuy]

Gentlemen and Ladies if they are here. After watching the Webinar this evening I had a few questions to ask, figured being as the mentor program kind of surrounds them all this would be a good place to start.

So from what I am understanding Waze is trying to promote the idea of people becoming more active in the community and editing. Trying to encourage people to become higher ranks, take on additional roles and responsibilities. I think this is both a great thing and of course something to be approached with great caution. We all know the damage that can be done by giving someone who either doesn't know what they are doing, or is just hungry to get "the next level" access to more "power".

First off I want to express the fact that I know anyone higher than an AM is busy beyond what I even could begin to understand at this point. The senior members have huge tasks that keep them busy at all moments of their free time.

However it seems that even though Waze is encouraging more participation and we have things like the mentor program now, it is still high near impossible to gain a moments attention from the senior individuals. I submitted a application for a mentor a week ago now and have heard nothing back. Now I'm not looking for a mentor to show me how to do everything by any means. I am capable enough know where to go to find information when needed. I follow the forums and Wiki closely and never edit without them readily available if needed. This evening was a good example. There was construction that was finished last week, a junior editor did some work and did a good job. Unknown to him he couldn't actually connect the on ramps to the freeway, so just left them sitting over it. I made a quick request in the chat box, but out of the 6-7 members level 5 and above, I didn't get a single response. Now again, I understand they are busy beyond my comprehension, but how long does it take to quickly hook up two ramps? What's the point of chat if I'm going to have to go submit a update request anyway?

I have also mentioned in chat, and have posted in two different forums about a huge breach in the freeway system here in San Diego. Every freeway has large segments that are down to level 2 or 3, some even to 1! And I know it would only take a senior editor mere moments to go through, use the "select entire street" and put it back to 5. Granted there are a lot of freeways, and I've seen the breach all the way up past Pendleton, but I also have seen what can happen if a level 1 unknowingly disconnects a segment on accident. The havoc that can raise in the client is enormous.

As for me submitting a mentor request, I am the only editor in my particular area of San Diego, and just because I am an AM doesn't mean my work might not be completely incorrect. We all know rank doesn't mean quality work all the time. The reason I submitted for a mentor was so I could have an experienced individual look over all my work. Tell me if they find anything I may be doing incorrect or could do different or better. I have been using the client for while now, and although I may have only been editing for about 7 months. I am very interested to become a larger part of this community. I enjoy the intent behind it and enjoy the chance to help others learn their way. But I would like to make sure that I am correct so I know I am passing on good information.

I do not mean this post as a complaint or negative in any regard. Although I know some will take it that way. It is merely an observation I have made over the past 2 or so weeks. I genuinely look forward to growing in this community and take on bigger and more difficult roles when the opportunity presents itself. And I thank the senior editors for the hard work they put into making this the community and application the way it is.

-Bruce

[Daknife]

Good to see we finally have someone mentoring all those out of control local and global champs.