Not Applied: Your Edit to [Insert Place Here]

[Briggs]

Given the infamous Not Applied scenarios you would think there would be a reason as to why the edits didn't go through as opposed to the generic worthless "Your edit couldn't be verified, so it won't be published." excuse. There are a plethora of possible theoretical reasons (shameless plug to the Local Guides Academy) as to why an edit is not applied or the legendary explanation Gus provided five months ago, but right now as I've probably written and ranted hours after hours on, there seems to be some sort of change in the algorithm of trust, that barely any edits can go through. Don't get me wrong, my edits are clearly legitimate and follow the guidelines. In fact, most of them are the simplest map markers, names following the guidelines or the addition of websites.

But I thought about something. We receive emails as to whether or not an edit that we suggest is either published (Published: Your edit to xxxxxxx) or if it's under review (Thanks for the edit to xxxxxxx). But could you imagine if you also received an email for every edit that was either not applied, or conversely immediately not applied? It might look a little something like this:

An example of an email you could receive if your edits were not applied. It's clearly evident why these weren't implemented.

But what are the links that I included in that email? Although these pages don't actually seem to exist as far as I know (ideally), they can lead to the following options:

• review your edit: By looking at your edit history, this will guide you back to the editing screen where you will be able to see what you made, and then submit. This will also allow you to re-submit the same edit again. Second time's the charm right?
• Your Contributions: Just your personal Contributions page.
• submit an appeal: Local Guides have limited say, appeal "tickets" according to their level in which only a handful of tickets can only be escalated to either a proposed Regional Lead (that phased out since the cessation of MapMaker) or the Google Team to review an edit. The appeal will also include writing as well. If the review goes through and the edit is accepted, it will overrun the not applied edit as it should be. However if the appeal is on poor grounds and results in the local guide requiring education, the ticket will be dissolved and will need to work harder to replenish the appeal. Appeals request an actual response to be replied back to the appealer in regards to the outcome of the appeal for integrity and accountability reasons.
• send detailed feedback: In line with what Flash has said, without using the appeal option outlined above, if edits could not be made to a high-level trusted listing and the local guide does not wish to use an appeal ticket, they should use “Other Feedback/App Feedback” to explain it to Google instead. This does not warrant a reply, and this can be done as many times as they wish.

The edit itself to the Mount Druitt Rotary Park is actually the council's website for it, so clearly I would have escalated an appeal ticket for this particular case. Naturally for these sorts of edits I would have received a Pending status instead, not dismissed like trash as a not applied.

I know this isn't the best option or even viable whatsoever (to a point, insulting), but I just wanted to include some more feedback. Although this functions as more salt in my wound anyway. Please understand us.

I hope this means something to someone out there.

[LucioV]

@Briggs impressive work.

Could you share again the post with the excel file?

[Briggs]

Thank you @LucioV! As requested, the following will link to the my legendary Not Applied Database. This will also allow to illustrate the edits that I am making to fix the issues with those POIs. For your reference also, @Flash.

Not Applied Database

Navigation

Seven tabs: Name, category, address, map marker, hours, website, existence.

Legend

NA = Not Applied
INA = Immediately Not Applied
RV = Reversion to previous (Most likely due to GMB listings, some also do not have a GMB claim!)

P = Pending

The red line signifies all edits made after everything started to become immediately not applied.

Additional Notes

• Some pending edits have already gone through, but the system still thinks I'm making an edit.
• For the most part, each of the spreadsheets are in chronological order, with the newest ones starting at the top. I create a new row for each edit.
• The majority of edits that I do are singular, I seldom simultaneously update more than one field at a time since the system can get upset.
• Where you can see a whole list of INA start to fill in, those edits began around Monday evening, 9th October.
• Most of the edits I can make are just hours. Map markers and names I will be rarely lucky with, probably 5% going through or reaching pending status.

I hope the data works to some advantage. Please let me know if you have an issue with accessing the database.

[LucioV]

Thanks @Briggs never tried to do a similar sheet, I will make a copy and update with my edits to keep track 🙂

[Briggs]

Dear moderators.

I present you with the above post, and a link to my personal database. It's a whole list of edits that I've done, either pending, not applied or reverted right from the first one back in December last year. The red line that's denoted in each of the sections is when everything started becoming not applied.

I know you hate hearing and reading all of this again and again like I'm a broken record, but if I'm told to just make regular edits as I do, then how come the majority of them are not applied? Look at the edits I've suggested at the top of each post, and tell me that you wouldn't do the same! I'm trying to fill out useful information, correcting and making the information wholesome but there seems to be some mistrust.

Sure, I can give you a list of what does get applied, rather than list the ones that don't. But what good does that make if only 5% of my edits go through? Something has changed. Something is not working according to plan. I'm adamant to think that, and if you decide that you're going to treat your local guides by repressing their passions, freedom and ability to make a difference, I cannot agree.

Why don't you tell me what to edit? Are these not small edits? Can I not correct the mispelling of a place? Can I not add a phone number, or fully complete an address? Or even add the council's website to a simple community park that I remember adding all those months ago?

I used to be able to move almost everything except for the heavily reviewed restaurants. I used to have the majority of my edits sent through for revision. Whenever I walked through an area, almost every edit would go through immediately. Something changed Google, and we have to work together to diagnose the problem and seek a solution, instead of feigning speculation! We must work on a solution, because clearly you don't know what it's like to have something you used to be so passionate about essentially being taken away from you.

The good does not outshine the evil, if the general concensus is that the trust levels were incredibly tightened that not even your stellar, good-intentioned local guides are treated poorly in the process. What have I done? I have:

• Made and compiled reports about the spam websites
• Discussed and come up with hints and guides to assist people as to why their edits may not be applied
• Addressed the need to combat photo spam, especially with irrelevant photos in a POI
• Probably reported about a hundred posts spammed or irrelevant on local guides connect, probably excessive notifications to the moderators
• Posted great photos of food with the community, and shared my knowledge as a passionate local guide.

Please, I'm begging you, this one last time.

Revert things back to normal. Find another way to filter out the spammers from local guides who prove and stake their trust in Google Maps. Because they are not normal right now.

On the 9th of October, I went from Pemulwuy all the way through Prospect, before heading my way back to Blacktown then onwards to TAFE. Out of 81 edits that day, only two of them came back not applied, which were both place creations. Then all of a sudden next day out of 59 edits, 37 of them came back not applied. And now I'm getting probably a 95% instant not applied rate with everything unless I'm just adding simple hours.

These edits need to go through. Since I quit my job, I've spent days after days if I didn't have TAFE navigating through Sydney (mostly Western and near Parramatta), walking around all these suburbs I've never been to before and contributing to Google Maps. Make me feel like the 6,000 photos that I've taken for Google Maps is actually worth something to you. Or that the countless steps that I have navigating through the streets of Sydney exploring and leaving no stone left unturned. Or the 500+ odd reviews that either locals, friends or even people in business find exceedingly useful and even entertaining. Or that my Sydney Conquest actually means something worthwhile (as it reaches 100 days today).

I vest my future into Google Maps as something that I love, so I would like us to work towards a solution.

Note: Edited for clarity, and less complaining.