Help/FAQ/Adding Places
What is a "place object"?
In WikiMapia, a local object is the word commonly used to refer to a location marked, ie, the rectangle with the title, description, etc.. In English, the word used is "tagged" as short for "place tag." In English, "tag" can also mean the field for the keywords.
I've heard different names used for a place object e.g. "tag", "place mark, "place" etc. What name should I use?
How do I add a place?
Can I add my own house?
We do not recommend. A good number of countries accept the marking of houses/sites/private farms.
Which places should I tag? Which places should I not tag?
Remember the motto of WikiMapia ("Let's describe the whole world!") And that is what you add a location. We are describing the world, not the images of the world provided by Google. So, add things that are permanent parts of the world (islands, buildings, parks etc). Do not add anything that moves, (aircraft, ships at sea, etc.), when the Google satellite image provides an updated these things are no longer there.
Add sites that may be of interest to the general public, not just for you or your group of friends. That means you should not add his own house, for example. And you definitely should not add to the homes of friends and neighbors. Even if you do not mind having the world know exactly where you live, you should not assume that everyone thinks the same way.
What information should I provide in a place tag?
- Any non-movable place that exists at this particular moment in time. Historical/disappeared places can be added but they must have the 'historical layer / disappeared object' category.
- A place must have at the very least a properly constructed outline.
- Settlement place tags such as cities, towns, villages and neighborhoods must have a properly assigned category.
- Planes, submarines, circuses and other movable objects may be added if they are still for at least a week.
I own a little business. Can I tag it? What information can I give in such a tag?
Yes, you can score. You can give factual information: company name, address, what you do or sell, how long has the company, a link to its website, that sort of thing. You should not include promotional material ("the best in town", "good prices", prices in general ...), that would be considered propaganda. On the other hand, you can say: "See my website for availability and prices."
For commercial buildings, shopping malls, complexes, etc., where there are several companies in the same building, there would be a mess if everyone create their own bookmarks. In this case there should be only one tag for the building, and if you want to mark your company, leave a comment in the markup of the building.
What are the Do's and Don'ts of Tagging? Is there a method I should be following?
How big should my place tag be?
Can I add roads, railroads, rivers or even ferry routes with the place tool?
I found something on the satellite image that I want to know what it is. Should I mark the place, and call it "What is this"?
Should I tag a place that does not show up in the satellite image because it has just been built?
Yes! Once the image is updated, the site will be there.
Should we mark places that may be dangerous to visit?
How do I use the categories section in a place object?
I added some place tags 2 days ago, but only registered today. How do I get credit for the other place tags?
Sorry, but there is no way. And after you add many others, you will not miss those credits.
My place tag disappeared!
Probably some other user has deleted your location.
Can I edit place tags created by other users? Can other users edit my place tags? If so, do I need to inform/ask permission before doing so?
You can edit and needs no prompting to any user as well as they do not need to ask permission from you. But add good things and not change one point for a comma to stay with his name on the marker.
How do I edit a description?
Move your mouse over the desired location, click the left button in the upper left corner hover over the menu and then click Edit this page. After all done click the save button.
When places change, ie. they move or discontinue business, is it best to indicate that or delete the place tag?
I found several place tags marking the same place. What do I do?
Ask for the removal of the most recent and leave the oldest site, thus respecting the establishment of the previous location.
A tip: put on the map Satellite + old places (to avoid a site already created is recreated again).
Tall buildings in a city sometimes seem to be leaning sideways. How should I mark those locations?
Mark the spot at the base of the building.
Can I add places which do not exist any more?
No! You should not create sites that do not exist, it will not have any interest to users. Create new and existing sites.
Is there an easier way to find an area on the map which needs improving?
Semi-Protection
The tag info tells me that the place is 'semi-protected'. What does that mean?
Some sites are often vandalized and need protection. This can be done by Advanced Users (UL2 's). Registered users can edit a semi-protected site. Unregistered or newly registered can not.
When should I semi-protect an article?
If a site has been the victim of vandalism the best place to ask for protection is this forum thread. Only advanced users can put on protective items (tags).
