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Level 9

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

If you have problems with my pictures report them! if google agrees with you they are going to remove them. simple. 

Connect Moderator

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Hi @PBMS are the images reported in this post yours?

Level 9

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Yes they are mine. i don't see  how my photos are DISCOURAGING other Local Guides. this user here is very good at making a situation look worse. Taking a look at other peoples reply i can only say its very easy to jump to conclusions that i'm trying to "cheat the system", what system?? the points are useless to me? do points pay my bills? no they do not. I'm working to make the map better because the google map is full of errors. many of them in the base map that we cannot correct because the map maker is not available anymore. so before lableling me as spammer check out my contributions first. What's better? a picture of a building with a tree in front so someone can at least know what they are looking for or no picture at all ???

Finding directions in suriname can be challenging sometimes, my main goal is to give people an idea of what they are looking for, and yes sometimes i add more details in the review section to help people looking for a place find it. Suriname is behind in EVERY Way possible, even on google maps. so if im attempting to making the map more complete and my work becomes a problem for others because they can't claim more points (to be first to add a place) then sorry thats not my problem. if google has any problem with my specific images they may remove those, im pretty sure that 99% of them are acceptable.

Level 9

Rif.: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

I don't find it a issue because it's better to have any identification than having nothing. This inaccurate photos has also helped me in finding places several times. If the person has time, he'll definitely go and take good photos. 

By the deep Sea, and music in its roar: I love not Man the less, but Nature more.
Level 10

Rif.: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Any photo is better than no photo and the best photos will be voted to the top once posted, so all is good. 

Level 5

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Hi PBMS, I have looked at the other reply's on your post and i do agree with you that the photo's should be clear and accurate. Even when there is a tree in front of a building, the picture could help. But we need to show and respect beauty too. It does not help to post pictures of a socked cat during a thunder storm.( just a random example, not personal! ) because the next day we could have a clear sky again like most of the other 365 days.   I'am a world traveler for such a long time, and I have my home base in Suriname. It is a special and beautiful country. And yes it is very behind in infrastructure. hard to get from one place to another, indeed if you freshly have your first time visit. And getting information about contacts , phone numbers, etc. is also a real challenge. That's why Google maps could (and should) be such a helpful tool for our global citizens and travelers. Even kids at the local schools here in Suriname could benefit from it. So guides lets take pride in what you post and photograph. 

Warm greetings, Erik.

interior Suriname  at Peti Soela,interior Suriname at Peti Soela, 

Level 1

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Absolutely agree with CuongC..too many stress people in LG. let natural selection happen because all we do here is volunteer..

what i see in most of place i visit,  many people wrote about a place for example " Grand Canyon"..so let the person by person complete each other so we can get " a complete report " about " Grand Canyon" ..

 

 

Level 10

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

I have a contrasting opinion. I do hate watermarks, and I can't stand photos taken through glass. But they're actually not against Google Maps policy. That was the Local Guides predecessor, panoramio, that prohibited you from taking car pictures, not Google Maps. Google Maps is okay with pretty much everything as long as it’s actually of the establishment.

 

Even though I think that everyone would agree that the examples you posted are poor quality, I think every one of them provides some information about the place that could be valuable in the right situation.

 

For example, the ATM picture. It’s arguably the worst ATM picture I’ve seen on Google Maps, but it does show which ATM it is, and it also validates that the ATM exists (or existed recently). I live in Bangkok, and I needed to find an SCB ATM at night, and I also needed to get to sleep soon. The ATM I usually use is in the subway stop, and it was closed already. My backup ATM by my house was out of service when I got there. I’ve taken a lot of pictures by house of ATM’s, but I realized not many pictures of ATM’s, and I didn’t actually know where the next nearest SCB ATM was. In Bangkok there are lots of ATM listings that aren’t actually there, and I haven’t reported them closed in fear that they’re just around the corner. I ended up walking around for an hour until I found the right ATM...anyway the point of my story is even a bad picture like that one could have helped me save a half hour that I really needed to save.

 

Google already does a pretty good job of ranking blurry pictures below non-blurry ones. But I would like to see Google ALWAYS display watermarked pictures after the non-watermarked pictures.

Level 10

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

I love your post @ChristopherSR 

 

I do believe that more experienced and indeed Local Guides are higher in level have certain qualities expected of us especially so that we could be mentors, encouragements inspiration to Local Guides coming up. I am conscious of this. I am sorry that you have not seen encouragement and inspiration from the particular LG you have mentioned but I advise that you report any content that doesn’t adhere to Google’s content policy or doesn’t meet the quality expected of content on google maps and then find inspiration from other LGs around you. 

 

From another perspective, it might just be easier or more convenient for the LG to take ‘drive-by photos’ this might be the best option for him in the circumstances he found himself in at the time. This is no validation or excuse for posting blurry or crooked photos and it should not  suppress the instincts of quality. It is possible to take 'drive-by' pictures this way and they still come out really sharp and of high quality. 

 

My advise for him would be to make sure the pictures are sharp to start with then crop it so that the target location sits properly in the frame without the distractions of the car window or wiper, etc.

 

Don’t be discouraged; even though there are people posting discouraging, duplicate content, (maybe just to spam the system for points), you just go ahead and paste quality content nonetheless. This will make you stand out and become a mentor to others in the long term. I know of LGs who have spamed the system by posting repetitive photos, wrong photos and blurry ones just to get points. And I know of one who got the points but after got banned from the program for good . We should be the change and post quality content only. It will not only make maps better for all, but make us unique. So, keep it up! 

 

I hope this helps.

Love for Food and Landscape photography
Level 10

Re: Is this the quality we expect from a level 8?

Hello @Teejai 

 

You couldn’t have said this any better. It is important for content to be accurate or else we end up killing the authenticity of maps which is the basis of dependence on Google Maps by users. But like @PaulPavlinovich says, just do the best you can, flag what is wrong and eventually, the wrong doers will be handled. 

Love for Food and Landscape photography