do you think Niantic could find a way to encourage more people to review?

I feel like most people don't and that's why stuff get stuck in pools for months. Do you think Niantic could find a way? I feel like encouraging more people to vote on their social media accounts like Twitter and facebook more often could be a start perhaps?


  • Euthanasio2-PGOEuthanasio2-PGO Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I did not see your post. Simple, but brilliant. A positive message that do not feel preachy. I think it would give opportunities for players who lives in rural areas to add more stuff too.

    edited November 2020

    You review, you get a badge in Ingress and Pokemon. What more do you want?

  • HaramDingo-INGHaramDingo-ING Posts: 459 ✭✭✭✭

    I would really like some sort of leaderboard. How I'm tracking in comparison to others in my cell or even country. There was a leaderboard that showed how many people between factions in Ingress had agreements (Resistance vs Enlightened) and it was nice to see the daily tally up and how it fluctuates.

    I enjoy statistics. Being part of the statistic motivates me to contribute to it. Giving more purpose and a function that sets apart people who have been reviewing a lot in comparison to those who are just starting out would be good too.

  • Euthanasio2-PGOEuthanasio2-PGO Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I have friends who don't even know wayfarer exists though...

    Some of them litterally believed Niantic was the one adding more stuff

  • FrealafGB-PGOFrealafGB-PGO Posts: 349 ✭✭✭✭

    Yep, my casual friends don't know wayfarer exists. They didn't know you can use it to edit your submissions after sending them! They have quit submitting before they ever even knew reviewing existed because their submissions either were rejected or, maybe even worse for morale, accepted but didn't appear in game anyway! So they have almost all given up.

    I think more promotion in game would help make people aware of reviewing, and people do tend to like working on badges so that would motivate some players, but I think the badge only appears when you have done a review.

    Offering an in game bonus for a special reviewing event would potentially get people to give it a go, for example for Pokemon players, a special avatar item, or bonus dust or even XP might motivate people. I would do pretty much anything for more dust... Some would really love a special pose or costume. Or maybe there is a pokemon that could be released that is related to helping, exploring or discovery? Would probably translate to pikachu with a map costume! But if it were one encounter per 10 reviews, can possibly be shiny.... With no other way to get it... That would likely work too!! ;)

  • Be careful what you wish for. As it is, we have to provide links and beg on occasion for a 3 star rating because reviewers are unfamiliar with criteria. Add some new faces into the mix and watch what happens.

  • rodensteiner-INGrodensteiner-ING Posts: 623 ✭✭✭✭✭

    well, this sadly is now totally derailed. i give up hope.

  • I agree with a lot of the frustrations expressed above. They are still missing the opportunity with Pogo to this day in my opinion.

    But to address the original question:

    I think something as simple as a Stardust per 100 review agreements or similar would go an incredibly long way.

  • I was one of them. I was nearly level 38 when someone in my local Pokemon Go group mentioned Wayfarer to someone else and I had never heard of it before. Definitely think Niantic should do a bit more to shed some light on the process of how points of interest are added to the game.

  • WandHerring-PGOWandHerring-PGO Posts: 126 ✭✭✭✭

    For me the problem is quite simple: the review process is work. They actually had full time employees reviewing the nominations before their volume become too important after all. Considering this is supposed to be a somewhat skilful job (best if you know multiple language, need a rather good knowledge of the cultural specificities of a region...), I would say that, as a rule of thumb based on crowdsourcing jobs, it would cost roughly 10$/h to Niantic per reviewer.

    Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating for Niantic to pay us all 10 bucks by the hour, but it's to put things into perspective. Even if you're not aware it's work, it still feels like work: it's long and tedious, not really we're doing for fun but with the expectation of a reward. And it's something we're doing for free. So how can Niantic push more people to give them free labor for their quite lucrative games? Either they can diminish the workload, or increase the reward.

    Diminishing the workload can take many forms. The simplest one is of course to give the reviewers rewards faster, but it can also mean streamline the review process: clearer guidelines, search engine to let you compare similar submission types to the one in review, photo analysis software pre-filtering submissions to detect frauds... Anything that makes the review process faster and less tedious. It could also mean putting some of the work into the nomination process by, for instance, letting submitters fill out more information through the Wayfarer portal once they're at home.

    Likewise, increasing payout can involve a lot of things. Sure it could mean more free stuff in game, but it can also be social recognition (e.g. unlockable cosmetic, achievements visible to all...) or simply increasing the value of existing reward. For instance, an upgrade could assure you an official Niantic reviewer will see your nomination and if it gets rejected, you would get their reasons as well as the opportunity to correct the issue (if the nomination is salvageable). On the other hand, if your nomination gets accepted but doesn't appear in the game you submitted it in for external reasons (e.g. too close to another spot), you get your upgrade back. Another approach can also be to be less 'all or nothing' in the gains: you take the time to complete the "What is it?" section and the other reviewers agree with you? Have some partial credits. Your review is in agreement with the majority except over one aspect which ends up disqualifying the submission? Have some partial credits.

    In the end, I don't think Niantic needs to drastically increase the reward to attract more reviewers. The main thing they have to do is offload as much work they can to machines, make the review process as comfortable as possible and optimize the upgrade system so it never feels like you worked for nothing (granular progression, maximum the chances of getting new wayspots in your game of choice). What is killing people's motivation the quickest is **** an upgrade so your nomination is reviewed faster than 6 months, then have it be for naught because it gets rejected for the wrong reasons or it's accepted but it's in the same L17 cell than another spot so it doesn't appear in game.

  • Mormegil71-INGMormegil71-ING Posts: 118 ✭✭✭

    Yes. There were lots of people reviewing here before. Then the changes in April struck, people got into red status without knowing why, and many quit or paused. Whatever changes they did to the rating system should be reverted, then the old reviewers might come back, and they won't scare away new ones.


    I like the idea of rewards. Niantic could set the bar really high though (like 10.000 agreements) in order to scare away the people who would only start reviewing for the rewards. A little more appreciation for the wayfarer "whales".

  • lepausma-PGOlepausma-PGO Posts: 3 ✭✭

    Ich würde viel lieber bewerten wenn ich hauptsächlich Vorschläge aus einem Umkreis von 30-50km bekommen würde. Wenn bei 100 Bewertungen vielleicht 2 dabei sind die man auch Mal selbst ablaufen würde dann ist das irgendwie frustrierend.

    Ich verstehe nicht warum man seinen Wohnort angeben soll wenn es bei den Vorschlägen eh nicht berücksichtigt wird.


    they choose that so they wont give you anything from where you are.

    Niantic doesnt like that you vote for your friends and "family" submissions

  • XK150-INGXK150-ING Posts: 41 ✭✭✭

    They could create low-ambiguity guidelines that make it easier for reviewers to feel like they're helping built a quality list of interesting locations.

    They, um, went the opposite way, so good luck, everybody!

  • Euthanasio2-PGOEuthanasio2-PGO Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I feel like you should be able to click on all categories and see an example of what's accepted. I mean, it's a bit ambiguous for new reviewers the way it's written.

  • Ultimo6419-PGOUltimo6419-PGO Posts: 88 ✭✭✭

    I don't tell anybody about wayfarer.

    I don't want to encourage anyone if he is out forever after 2 tests. I do not want my friends feel bad if they do not pass when I did pass.

    I am afraid some community members will blame me if stops are retired.

  • jsmlevrai-PGOjsmlevrai-PGO Posts: 1 ✭✭

    Well i Know that i would be note active if all my good review would be counted toward m'y Golden badge no matter what catégorie you are. I Méan this voting système is not based on niantic critèria. I got 💯 on niantic test but 70 on the real thing. IT a système based on what you think other people vote. So since IT that way. Juste let each successfull turn in point toward the badge. And after you got the Golden badge just give more perks. And for those Who got to many bas result juste coldown Them instead on punishing them.. longterme towards the badge

  • lepausma-PGOlepausma-PGO Posts: 3 ✭✭

    Das ist sehr schade, wir wohnen auf dem Land und hier sind nur 3 Stops die die Kinder alleine sicher erreichen können. Ich würde das so gerne ändern.


    i did, my sons also, we very seldom get reviews from here

  • Noahbedoya-PGONoahbedoya-PGO Posts: 5 ✭✭

    I am a new reviewer as of this week. I wasn't even aware that I could be a reviewer and I have been playing the game for years. I was shocked when I realized I could take an exam and review stops. I believe niantic advertising this to players would increase the number of reviewers heavily. I believe it is just lack of knowledge. But also they should incentivize this more. 100 agreed upon reviews for just an upgrade seems like a very lackluster reward. It seems like a ton of work for very little pay. It would be like a very physically taxing job that pays minimum wage. Not many people would be interested. There needs to be better incentives and more advertising.

  • Goddess1974-INGGoddess1974-ING Posts: 103 ✭✭✭✭

    You can't submit more then ten submits unless you earn an upgrade on the eleventh submit.

  • Cathmuts-PGOCathmuts-PGO Posts: 12 ✭✭

    I know for some time, like a year. Other players told me about wayfarer. I asked them if they still reviewed but they seemed to have given up, takes to long they see for a waypoint to get trough. I like the reviewing, also tell other players about wayfarer, when i see them because of the covid and the invitepass to raids the chance of seeing some on else is small. (yes when we do we keep are distance)

    Think it would be a good idea to get a Big hey welcome to the nominating a waypoint, do you also know about wayfarer... notes. Specaily now when i see more new players that go to lvl40 fast, and like over here a comunity that you don't see out that much any more. And if it works i would also help the reviewing if people would look at wayfarer the chance of them knowing what a good submission is would be bigger?

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