[FR] Better LG Help Documentation

[Csaba]

Too bad that along with MapMaker, all the MapMaker Help Documentation was also ditched and the Local Guides Help Documentation speaks very little about proper mapping rules. If Google wants to take proper mapping seriously, and the LG Program to replace the now defunct MapMaker, much of that old but very useful documentation should be put into the current LG Help docs. 

On what basis can we answer to posts like this if there is no documentation to back what we are saying up? It used to be clearly written in the MM Help docs that we are not supposed to add our own or celebrities' homes to the public layer of Maps for instance. What if OP asks for evidence? Shall we rely on some verbal tradition that "it has always been like this"? Currently there are some dedicated and experienced MM contributors here who try to help but seem to be fighting an endless battle as there is nearly nothing written documentation for LG's who wish to educate themselves and become more efficient and successful could rely on. And I can also imagine that many active MM users who were also contributors to the MM Help Forums (I wonder when that's going to be dumped) have not even made the switch to LGC. 

Even more experienced mappers now need to rely on some "common sense" which may not be along the technical streamline of the (becoming) new maps Also, with the best intentions to make edits, it is a hit and miss when it comes to following some non-written "rules" that are supposed to be behind the scenes. It's a mere trial and error for less experienced LG's and when they get frustrated, will either come to the forums and try to pick the information from an abundance of more or less (ir)relevant forum topics or - in a worse case - leave the program or become utterly uninterested and inactive. 

There are more and more (I could imagine hundreds of) new LG's every day and they have nothing to start at.

Please, Google, give the MM documentation (at least the guide lines - of course, not the technical part) back to the community! 

Thanks for your consideration! 

😉

[ShafiulB]

@Csaba Yes !!

Its need a clear information between Map maker or L g c .

[AbdullahAM]

Thank you @Csaba

I have the same opinion with you. We need update information 

[LucioV]

Great request. I agree, sorry, i missed.

To add some funny to the whole story, in this thread: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Mapping-Your-World/Official-Category-list/m-p/218587 i refer to an official knowledge base page: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

This page shows a document with a category list, this is a FAQ, and i was recently told not to share anymore because is not reliable!

[JeroenM]

Dear Csaba,
Thank you for expressing your concerns. I couldn't agree more.

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 There are more and more (I could imagine hundreds of) new LG's every day and they have nothing to start at

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It was on the 13th of March that I had a conversation here with a member of our LG Team about the need for an LG Novice Course here

As I was a complete novice myself at the time and found it incredible difficult to find any guidelines, initially I didn't look at anything to do with Map Maker, because as a newbie, why would I learn a program that would be redundant within 14 days? Fortunately, I found out in time that Map Maker had the best documentation and copied all the Map Maker Help Files for my own use!

Please, Google, give the MM documentation (at least the guide lines - of course, not the technical part) back to the community!

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Here are my personal copies of the MM Documents that I am happy to share.

On April the 1st I launched the UNOFFICAL Local Guides Academy, for two main reasons:

1. As an exchange program between supported unofficial Local Guides Communities (I am the co-moderator of Canarias Local Guides and missed certain collaboration with fellow community moderators).
2. To facilitate learning opportunities and promote best practice.

The later was of course borne out of my own situation as a novice Local Guide, still seeking guidelines and trying to learn from the experienced experts in our community.

I invited the Local Guides Team to communicate with me about my community of participating, supported Local Guides Communities and a growing number of volunteers that I have recruited to work on the mission to promote best practice and facilitate learning opportunities. To my surprise, rather than using this opportunity to use a highly motivated group of focused volunteers to help with the creation of educational quizzes, manuals and guidelines, I have yet to receive any direct response to my emails to the LG Team. Until this day, it is still not clear to me why the LG Team behaves like this? A group of volunteers offers to serve the LG Program, Google makes the rules, what can be wrong about that?

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 It's a mere trial and error for less experienced LG's and when they get frustrated, will either come to the forums and try to pick the information from an abundance of more or less (ir)relevant forum topics or - in a worse case - leave the program or become utterly uninterested and inactive. 

You said it Csaba, and this is purely a coincidence, but that is exactly what I am doing with the help of a volunteer team of Desk-Researchers. Members of my unofficial  and unsupported community are currently harvesting the Connect Forums to find those little gems of useful information. Again, we do this to share with the community and to help. Here is a PREVIEW sample of what we are working on.

In an ideal scenario, all the work created by the members of our collaboration project, could be fully controlled by Google. The door was open and still is open, so I repeat that invitation. We wish to help. Isn't that what the Local Guides Program is about? A community driven program, powered by devoted volunteers? Are we suppose to continue like a bunch of loose canon, trying to muddle through, serving the community, when there is such an obvious better way?

Jeroen

[LucioV]

This is absolutely needed!!!

[EjazShah]

Hi @Csaba, this is a much needed requirement and you have represented it very well on behalf of all of us.

[FaridTDF]

Excelente artículo @Csaba, muy bien explicado y con buena argumentación. 

Es necesario que la base de conocimiento de MM, no se pierda y que forme parte del "background" de conocimiento adquirido , creo que ese tiene los medios y los recursos para que cierto registros formen parte del nuevo conocimiento de Google Maps Local Guides.

[dvfilmspk]

What you have said is all very sensible. I am new to the Local Guides community so cannot understand why Google behaves so arbitrarily. It cannot serve any purpose or add to their brand. Also, I imagine Google is not so dumb a brand as to not know these feelings for I have seen the same frustration expressed across the LG as well as the Street View Trusted fraternity. This actually makes is obligatory on Google to take stock and stop being so uncaring. 

Best regards.

[FrancM]

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LucioV ha scritto:

Great request. I agree, sorry, i missed.

To add some funny to the whole story, in this thread: https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Mapping-Your-World/Official-Category-list/m-p/218587 i refer to an official knowledge base page: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en

This page shows a document with a category list, this is a FAQ, and i was recently told not to share anymore because is not reliable!

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@LucioV a category list would be very useful; this week I thought about how to add a war memorial, but I could not select ''monument'' as category.  At the end, I chose ''historical landmark'' because any other word was not appropriate.