I know of at least 6 different discussions regarding the BBS Layer Clutter (I've chimed in often).

The good news (in my mind) is that at least a company like Google is behind this. If any company can come up with solutions to cut through data clutter, Google would be one.

Isn't this still a beta project?

No complaining, just observing.

In the interim, I almost NEVER turn on the BBS layer for all the reasons enunciated in the above posts.

I've been using Google Earth for a while but joined the BBS only a few weeks ago. It is the biggest time sink since Tetris, but so much more educational!

Duplicate placemarks are a big problem. I like the idea of telling new posters of duplicate placemarks they have to delete them, but that implies someone's spending all their time looking for these things. Maybe there's an automated way to find things in close proximity with duplicate words in the titles...

Another problem is what I'll call "transitory" placemarks. Airplanes, fires, etc. that may have been in the picture once, but are gone now due to new imagery replacing the old. Maybe when new data is added, that triggers a review of placemarks posted in that area and things like "airplane," "approach" are parsed out for retiring.

Along similar lines, sometimes you want to post a placemark relevant to a topic discussion in the BBS, but it's not really worth permanently cluttering up the layer for. How about if there is a two-tier placemark system whereby it's an extra click on some box in the BBS posting tool to "publish" the placemark in the BBS layer over and above contributing it to the discussion thread? Alternatively, when posting a placemark, the user could be prompted to provide an "expiry" date for that placemark, whereby they could be notified that it would expire unless they wanted to renew it. Make the user do more of the work of pre-coding these things and then it's less work to deal with them later.

Jen

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And what do you do when people start spamming the forum asking how to do it? Ignore it? Some are bound to tell them, do you ban those people?

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Allegory: A narrative technique in which characters representing things or abstract ideas are used to convey a message or teach a lesson. Allegory is typically used to teach moral, ethical, or religious lessons but is sometimes used for satiric or political purposes.

I like the idea of "expiration date".

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Hast Makes Waste

Yes, it will take time to remove duplicates. Patience is a virtue. My suggestion would be to have a screen show what is now on the top of each reply page or post page BEFORE anyone can post.

" WHOA! Read this first!
We know that you're bursting with enthusiasm, but have you checked to see if the feature you are about to post has already been added? Please switch on the Keyhole Community BBS and User Supplied Collections layers in your Google Earth client and check first! Everyone would really appreciate it if you search before posting!"

'Click continue if not posted before'

It may not stop all duplicates but it couldn' hurt (except for the carpal tunnel!)
Wabbit

As a newbie, I assumed there was some "special" significance to the BBS layers that appear to come bundled with Earth. Perhaps this should actually be the case - a cadre of experienced volunteers should elect the best and explicitly include them in the next release.

When I put up a placemark, I only intend it to be browsed by people entering the BBS. Is there a way to so designate it, to avoid its becoming part of the general clutter of the I's that ends up on everyone's computer? (sorry if this is already in the FAQ - didn't notice it there)

thanks -
Rob

I like both the idea of voting, and of a limited number of posts before you can add a placemark.

Though I think it should be lower - ten or five perhaps. You don't want to put people off posting, and its usually the first few posts that they put up a duplicate anyway, before some helpful soul points this out.