Waze Map Editor/Welcome

This is a work in progress, obviously. Please help work this out at: https://www.waze.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=276&t=108515 or to type the right stuff right here.

So you want to be a waze editor? You are about to join a community working together to improve wazers' drives by improving the Waze map. You have probably figured out that you have the power to tremendously improve wazers' commutes. To do that, just start simple, learn the basic principles, and connect with the community.

Waze is an app that helps its users avoid traffic while navigating to their destinations. It relies on a map suitable for a small smart-phone screen. It needs a map that accurately represents where motor vehicles can drive, is simple and uncluttered, and retains the road segments with the traffic data. Our motto is "Usability, Simplicity, Retention". With that in mind, get started!

Your first editing session

• If you haven't already, watch the videos.
• Try out some of these skills. Log out and choose practice mode at waze.com/editor|the waze editor. Read more aboutusing the editor, and about creating and editing road segments.
• Ready? Log in and get started.
  • See other waze editors, so they can catch your attention. Use the layers icon in the upper right-hand corner and tick the box next to Live Users.
  • Open chat . Send "Good Morning. This is my first time editing!". Experienced editors will be very glad to talk to you before you make your first edit.
  • Say what you have are here to do. Experienced editors can say if it is easy to fix or easy to mess up.
• What is safe to do your first time out?
  • Correct spellings
  • Check and correct road direction (one-way or two way),
  • Check whether turns are allowed or not.
  • If you have recently "paved" a road using the app, you can confirm the road to make it show up in the app.
• Your first time out, unless you have guidance, you probably should:
  1. Not Delete roads -- that deletes traffic data.
  2. Not Create parking lots or area places -- there are several good reasons not to do this.
  3. Not Add roads or lanes in parking lots -- that can confuse Waze and clutter the map.
  4. Not Make changes to major roads and their on-ramps or turn lanes.
• After you save your change, use chat to send "I have just saved my first edit. Can someone check my work in El Dorado Arkansas (or wherever you are located)". Select the object you just saved and share a permalink to it.
• Stick with the work you started until it is finished and corrected.

After your first editing session

• Check your forum personal or private messages. You may have a welcome message from another waze editor.
• Check the email you used to register with waze. You'll get a notification there if anyone sends you a new PM, or if you get any other kind of notification from waze.
• Come back to editor chat and ask lots of questions.
• Get to know your area managers. If you can't figure out who they are, ask in chat. Introduce yourself and ask for guidance.
• Learn to check your own work, following the Best practices guidelines, and avoiding Common editing mistakes. Some mistakes can be difficult to spot. Some especially helpful tools are browser extensions for Chrome or Firefox
  • Keyboard shortcuts, especially Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Z
  • WME Validator
  • junction node fixer
  • Color Highlighter
• Start reading the wiki. Begin with Map editing. Digest Best practices and Common editing mistakes. Start to understand when and when not to create roads, what road types to use, and how junctions affect routing. Some of this stuff is tricky, so ask questions all along the way.
• Use the forums