How long does edit approval normally take?

[lakenorth]

I'd like to update the business phone number on this page (http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=1454398386676098794&q=dow+corning&hl=en&gl=us&authuser=0&mid=1326227635)  to the main direct line: (989) 496-4000. I've made the edit, but it is still listed as "pending". How long do approvals normally take?

 

[karlcr9911]

It just depends on the type of edit being made and how quickly a reviewer gets to the edit and can confirm the information.

[Nuclear Moose]

http://goo.gl/dP0Xg - Wow - this is a mess. Multiple listings of the same company with a name added on to the end. Inconsistent address formats - stacked POIs, it has it all folks. This should be posted to the Review Edits Request forum and marked to the attention of Michigan RERs.

@lakenorth - when creating the topic in the review forum, format it similar to this:

USA, Michigan, Midland Township or similar so the Michigan RERs can find it easily.

[John Bessa]

What is the approval process?  I put in a hiking trail underpass, and it was approved immediately, but then I put in the trail that uses it, and it is still pending (24hrs).  There is evidence of the trail as another user put a picture of the trail head sign, but I am having doubts -- is this a total waste of my time?  Is google useless for real natural experiences (being purely synthetic)?  

John

[Aquatakat]

Hiking trails can absolutely appear on the map, and should. Some edits require approval, and others are automatically approved, as you've found. There are a few reasons for this - number of features edited, size or prominence of feature, etc. You can help speed up your review by posting it in the review edits request forum, but sometimes an edit that's gone into review just needs a little patience.

[DdDave]

John, edits are reviewed by a number of different groups.  There are Google employees, RERs, and regular users that can all review edits.  Depending on the nature of the edit, it may take more or less approvals to get fully published.  As for time to review, I'm not sure how Google employees prioritize their reviews, but it can take up to a few days to be looked at, depending on their current workload.  RER's are a different story, as volunteers, they do what they can.  24 hours is not an excessive amount of time to wait for a review IMO.

I encourage you to be patient, and you can always move onto another area if you are waiting for an edit to be approved before being able to continue.  If you need a review urgently, as mentioned by Nuclear Moose above, you can start a post in the Review Edit Request forum and hopefully an RER can take a look at it for you relatively soon.

As for you second question, I guess it's up to you if it's time well spent.  You are befitting your community by showing them where trails are so they can get out and get active.  I think that's a noble cause, and I think that also answers your last question.

[eastwest]

Hi John. By all means, hiking trails do belong on maps. There's a gentleman in my area who's made a personal project to map out the local mountain biking trails. As far as I can tell Google does not have a "pave the world" agenda.

That said, since trails tend to meander and may not be obviously visible through the trees from satellite view, you may need to provide additional evidence that they exist, such as your own GPS data. Existing trail maps should actually not be used as primary evidence (unless they're public-domain) because of copyright issues (it's fine to use them to back up your own data, but not as a primary source).