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Level 10

Irratifiably Not Applied

Since the battle of the 'Not Applied' syndrome began on October 10th due to The Great Algorithm Shift, I have learned so many things about the in's and out's of Google Maps and the moderation process. There is a warm dissertation based on the collective cause of the community, with so many different local guides all around the world expressing their frustration and hope for change.

Of course right at the beginning when it shifted all of a sudden, I had quite a questionable reaction and whined to my heart's capacity. Over time that shifted while developments such as the Google moderators responding and Bruce personally escalating this cause soothed a drought of hope, and eventually my focus away from the 'Not Applied' shifted elsewhere. I didn't really care as much anymore, and only wanted to see to it a solution that moderators were outright avoiding.

 

But that changed in the last few weeks. Two weeks ago I learned about the Top Contributor program and how you can climb up the ranks by helping people with their enquiries. In my defence, I have been extremely helpful and have sparked numerous excellent insights into mapping, it's as if every time I post something is a masterclass, given my calibre of posts here. I was a little downtrodden that all my work on Local Guides Connect amounted to nothing (in comparison to other Google forums), so I decided to explore and help people there.


My experience there has not been the best. I was not welcome, and there was a clear contrasting hierarchy between newcomers and the existing community leaders and top contributors. For my posts regarding the 'Not Applied' syndrome, I was met with interactions that I was providing ill-informed information and was not to be trusted as I was deemed misleading or inexperienced. Questions that were distinctly separate from each other were merged for no reason, even solutions marked by the original poster were revoked by these top contributors. Sure, I might just have a "Visitor" status but that doesn't mean that I have no worth or meaning in what I write whatsoever. 

 

This culminated to what happened this morning. 

 

Spoiler

In another unspecified Google product forum I received a death threat via a personal message.

It just came from some random contributor. It most probably was because he thought that my postings of the 'Not Applied' algorithms and inferences are negatively impacting Google Maps and therefore should be stopped.

 

To think, that in a platform where you're only asking for people to help you map or educate you to mapping better or seeking help and out of the blue you receive a message from some random (halfway across the world) that says they're going to find you and kill you. How does that relate again? My local guides account might as well be dead anyway.

The amount of online bullying that has gone on in a Google product that is all about exploring the world and making contributions is now beyond me. Not only that, but these instances are from grown individuals who try to shut you down because of some prestige status that they earned in the past or probably are just trying to poorly hide the fact that the systems and algorithms are in fact down.

 

I don't care if you take this post down, but I just wanted to voice out a major concern. You'd of course realise how much of a cruel place the Internet can be, but could you even bear to wonder that it would also breed here in a community of mappers and local guides? Since I started to explore the other Google forums in an attempt to explore and harness the Rising Star/Top Contributors program it has been anything but peachy due to all the unfairness that other top contributors push me aside and call my advice and attempts to help redundant and even misleading.

I've already left and signed out of those other Google groups and other forums and Local Guides Connect will be the only one I'm staying in.

I didn't care anymore about the majority of my edits being not applied anymore, because I wasn't alone in that. But if this is the behaviour and response I'm going to get for standing up for what I believe needs a fix, then I am completely done. Reading a personal message on a forum first thing in the morning that someone's going to kill you is wonderful don't you think? At least I don't have to do it myself.

 

Ambition is great. It can make people achieve more and can be a great motivator. But ambition can also be negative. People have killed themselves for it.
5 comments
Level 8

Re: Irratifiably Not Applied

Hi @Briggs,

 

This is a serious issue.  No kidding.

 

Pointing fingers without proof always look bad. 

 

I recommend you to review your post, make adjustments, and decide how to move forward.  There must be ways to move forward, we sure can find one.

Level 10

Re: Irratifiably Not Applied

Hi @Briggs I can understand your frustration regard Support forums; they are really competitive, and close communities.

Took a long to me to get my RS status, and I was almost forced to leave some other of them, although I had dozens of Best Answers, to leave space to some established guys.

My suggestion is, don't give up, if your real desire, as mine, is to help, you don't need best answers, you don't need RS/TC status.

Just go on, and you will be noticed.

Regarding the threat you received, let me know more privately and i will try to reach some TC and mentors that could have a look into this issue.

Sincerely,

Lucio

Level 10

Re: Irratifiably Not Applied

@YK1001.

I edited the post to be more ambiguous and less-directed at anyone.

I fully unsubscribed to all those forums and made an attempt to delete as much as I can. I am now only a member of Local Guides Connect and will only contribute here.

 

@LucioV.

I wish I knew that before I started diving in head first. The way I respond there is similar to how I help others here, with respect, screenshots and troubleshooting. If I realised how competitive it was just by looking at it, I would never have partook in such an environment, which gives me the same anxiety as to my previous job that I had to inevitably resign from.

I deleted the message and made attempts to just delete everything, and opt out of those programs. I can't stay there, it's not a healthy environment and their words are more shattering and harmful than what the algorithms with the whole 'not applied' could ever impact. I'll stay here if I can just stay resilient, but I'm sure you can understand how much this hurts.

 

@JeroenM,

As you can see, I've eventually grown to mature regarding the 'not applied' syndrome, but you're right about ambition.

Former Google Contributor

Re: Irratifiably Not Applied

@Briggs, as @YK1001 noted, this is a concerning issue. I strongly encourage you to reach out to a community manager in the forum, and recommend always doing so when you are experiencing any trouble. Alternatively, feel free to reach out to the Local Guides team (I believe you have the necessary details. Otherwise, let me know.) and we will escalate this internally. Sending or receiving death threats is not OK, and I'm sorry to hear about it.

New to Connect? Check out Help Desk! Always keep in mind the Local Guides program rules when posting.

Level 10

Re: Irratifiably Not Applied

Hello @JeslynL,

 

Death threats are inappropriate in all circumstances. I can slightly see where this may have risen from during the past couple of days, but because of how I feel towards the product forums and advertiser community, I no longer wish to be affiliated with any of them. The account that threatened me has since been cancelled and I've also deleted the message.

I do have the necessary details, but I will not escalate an investigation since anyone can just create an account, log in and then message anyone to their heart's content from anywhere around the world, even if they wanted to veil their private I.P. address as well.

 

I'll stick to Local Guides Connect. It's eons more fun and light-hearted than those two other communities, which are competitive beyond reprieve. Thanks for looking out for me, I'll be better with a good night's sleep tonight, I already had my tub of ice-cream and chips. 🙂