Q&A Local Guides Clean The Map (Community Live 2020)

[AmbrishVarshney]

Thank you @TravellerG for tagging me yes sir i am always ready for the best support from my side just msg me what support u want.

[JanVanHaver]

Thank you, dear @SilvyC , you really are a great promotor of the campaign!

[TravellerG]

Surely, we shall discuss in detail, dear @AmbrishVarshney 

I shall reach you,

Thanks

[Melissa_Langlois]

Thanks @JanVanHaver for the explanation. It does make sense to wait until the change is approved. 

[JanVanHaver]

@AmbrishVarshney @TravellerG make sure to tag me when a date is fixed. If possible I can join virtually then.

[Greg-Keet]

Thanks for this. A few of those questions that have surfaced in your article have answered a couple of them. I have a question for you. Next door to where I live is our police station. On their plot of land, there are two pins for them, both have different numbers. Is this the only way to display a service that may have more than one number?

In my opinion, more numbers are sometimes needed like in this case multiple incoming hotlines. A bonus would be to have extra (smart)information like the fire department's hotline, or even alternative response teams example medical popping up conveniently (good alternative calls to actions)

I would like to make a suggestion that certain verified services could perhaps list a few other essential services themselves? Or have the facility where a person like myself could suggest alternative numbers? The result would be a merged pin, no need to have more than one pin every time a place needs two or more numbers to be live.

[JanVanHaver]

Hello @Greg-Keet, interesting case. As far as I can judge, those are 2 listings for the same place, as indeed the telephone number listed on them is different, but all the rest is basically the same. And creating multiple listing in order to have different telephone numbers on the map is definitely not what is supposed to happen. (And by the way: in both cases the pin location is probably wrong, as the pin is supposed to be on top of the building, not just somewhere in the area).

To answer your question(s) about the possibility to have more than 1 telephone number: fortunately there is a way to do this, but unfortunately... this method is not available to local guides. The method is GMB (Google My Business) which is originally meant for businesses (as the name clearly suggests), but can in fact be used for all POIs (points of interest) on Google Maps. Basically someone needs to 'claim' the POI (a process that starts by clicking the "Claim this business" button on the POI profile page on Maps) - that could e.g. be someone from the local authorities or police administration. Once the verification process is done, this person can then add much more information to the Maps listing for the police station.

What you could do (if that is allowed your country) is add a picture of the police station, as both POIs currently have no pictures at all on Maps.

[BidurC]

@JanVanHaver Thank you for sharing informative post 

Happy Guiding!

[Mmessmi]

Hi @JanVanHaver thank you All the advices during the session. It was interesting and I think they will bring something extra for every local guide. I realize that you have to pay attention to everything when adding informations  on maps. This is the link to the pictures i talk about. It's a small train stationthe station  that I filmed and the name is was automatically display i think is not de wright name.  Domanoy sa, Vigneron
https://maps.app.goo.gl/m7Aysin6XKUSNNuv9

[JanVanHaver]

Thanks @Mmessmi for sharing the link, I now see what must have happened. The train station where you took the pictures (La Roche in Court-Saint-Etienne, right?) is part of the so-called 'transit layer', just like all other train stations and bus stops. This layer is not open for local guides to edit of add pictures and reviews. So when you tried to upload pictures there, an existing POI must have popped up as location for the pictures.

And by the way: if at some point in the future the Covid-19 thing is finally behind us, there will very likely be a Meet-up in Brussels. Would you be interested in joining that?