Waze Map Editor/Welcome Discussion View history

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.

(Opening paragraph. Welcome. Purpose and guidelines. What the waze map is designed for. What it is not designed for. Usability. Simplicity. Retention.) 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. If you've seen the slightly-out-of-date video, you've figured out that you have the power to tremendously improve wazers' commutes.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. These three basic principles of map editing are usability, simplicity, and retention. With that in mind, get started!

Your first editing session

• If you haven't already, log out and watch the tutorial videos at [waze.com/editor waze.com/editor]. It's a little out of date, but introduces some of the basic skills you'll be using.
• Try out some of these skills in practice mode. Go back to [waze.com/editor waze.com/editor] and choose practice mode. Try out what you learned in the video. Do things look a little different than they looked in the video? Read about creating and editing roads.
• What not to do (delete roads. Create area places. Create parking lots. Add lots of roads or lanes in parking lots)
• Learn to work the chat -- introduce yourself as a first-time editor
• Using the practice editor
• What to edit your first time out
• Get your area manager to check your work.
  • How to find your area manager.

After your first editing session

• Ask lots of questions
• Check your work
  • Good tools for checking your own work
    • WME validator
    • The letter Z
    • Color Highlighter
• Start reading the wiki
• Using the forums