Did you notice any progress ...

[vtgbart]

Hello,

I found out that pictures, which I uploaded on Sunday evening, were reviewed the very next day. And some moderators reported incresead contacts from Google fonctionnaires. I have even came across the notion of "the team" again. Some time ago we were convinced that the team doesn't exist anymore. 

Could it mean, that Panoramio is being waken from that horrible coma ? 

best regards

bart

[Draken]

Your guess is as good as mine.

[vtgbart]

but what exactly is your guess Draken?

[hvbemmel]

Since Panoramio moved to the US it became part of Google Maps which is part of Google GEO

There were people responsible for Panoramio and they were listed as the team on the Panoramio site.  But they also were responsible for other applications within the GEO department and other members of the GEO department were working on Panoramio if necessary. Groups and this forum even depend on people from outside GEO, the same with the person who does the extra reviewing for the moderators.. 

From the ample communication we had with one Googler in the past year we could make up there´s still a group mainly responsible for PA. Who those team members are is not clear to us. Our main contact in that year claims he´s no longer member of the PA team.  Since the last weeks we had contact with two more Googlers, one of them known to us as a (former?) team member, the other one unknown to me.

I don´t know who gave you the idea that there´s no team any more, we just didn´t know / do not know due to a lack on communication from Google side. We only know the two managers left and the list with members and former members was removed from the site.

There´s no way I (we?) can know what this means for the future of Panoramio. I can take an educated guess which way we are going, but that would only bring more speculations from others. As there are many users thinking that moderators speculations (guesses) are truth because they are more informed I will keep speculations for myself. Our information on that part is as good as yours at the moment.

I hope that more contacts will mean more communication with the team, any team. I for my part will gladly be part of that for the better good of Panoramios future.  

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Herman do you always have to be so professional.......;-) could you just forget yourself for a minute and bash Google a little bit, you may sleep better, and anyway you could always later say...."Ooops, I forgot to shake the bottle!"  ;-)

All in MHO. ;-)   La La

[vtgbart]

Dear Hermann,

being frequent reader of this forum, since PA malfunction started, I noticed that moderators complained that they had no contact with the team. I was assuming that that group ceased to exist or at least was reduced to one person. Now one of moderators reported that he was contacted by many people from google. I noticed, that my pictures were swiftly reviewed, like in good old days. All that made me think, that good change is about to happen. And that is why, why I asked fellow users if they felt the same

[hvbemmel]

Dear lady, As you know I have no problems with bashing Google nor with bashing the way Google treated the Panoramio community. As for the US Panoramio team before September 2014, I had a great contact with Adam Lasnik, I really was sad to see him leave a month before they let loose the Panoramio message. Also because I had some inside info on a change, not the change proposed, in Panoramio. Adam leaving was a bad omen. Both other team members we also knew personally and I like them both very much, one of them being our much appreciated contact within Google for the last year. The fourth member, the product manager, eager to go his own way without really listening, was very enthusiastic about the way Panoramio should go and left within two weeks after the announcement, I see no reason to kick him in the butt, I think they internally did. 

I would like to see Panoramio, under which name ever (let´s call it a rose), getting through the next 10 years being the platform showing our photos on the map, it would be high time, and with a community to comment, to seek help and discuss in the forum, in all share photos of the world in the most optimal way. I see no purpose to kick against Panoramio and I can see no reason to kick against people who don´t make the decisions.  If any kicking is needed when the higher echelons have plans we detest, I will love to kick them at your side. 

[hvbemmel]

One clarification on your post- There is a moderators forum, invisible to the rest of Panoramio members. We discuss and leave messages there for each other and for "the team". If necessary "the team" reports back. So it´s not one moderator having contact with some people of Google, but reports (can) come from all sides. There are many moderators who act in other fora in many languages, who all come together in that moderator forum. In that way we are all informed and we have contact with Googlers.   

[Lady GooGoo La La]

Thank you Herman, I have/had no desire to kick individuals, I suspect anyone who takes a hard stance at Google has her neck sticking way out. The company is very dynamic with regard to its peripheral businesses, I dont believe there will be any stability here.

By following the trends Google bring in many new users, they dont care if the users stay because most likely their photos will even if the users dont, the problem with this rationale is that those trendy users usually have the most worthless photos, since their focus isnt photography, so the site collect huge numbers of worthless photos, AND good photographers dont want to place their photos among a zillion also-ran photos, so what does the site become?

 Google biz is advertising, catching attention, and changes with ever changing trends.......a bit sad for those looking for a stable site and community to host their photos. One reason Panoramio will survive is because it is unique, the photos have been and are screened, the only website to do this I am aware of, so these photos have more value than most web photo sites. It would be crazy to merge this photo database with any other..... that's Googles problem, they dont know how to optimize this valuable resource.

La La