A Suggestion (phone numbers)
Tue, 08/26/2008 - 6:43pm
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 16 years
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I love Poi Factory and appreciate all the work that people put into creating files for gps ers like me.
But... I would like to make a suggestion to think about....
For people (waa) that travel a lot, having a lat and long will get people to a place. But having a phone number to the place is also a huge help.
I would suggest that when the gps files are created that the phone number of the poi be included also. Many times I see the lat long, name and address of a poi... and look it up on the internet and the phone number was there also.
Please consider putting the phone number in the files... it's a lot easier to do that when creating the file.
Thanks
poi files
I love Poi Factory and appreciate all the work that people put into creating files for gps ers like me.
But... I would like to make a suggestion to think about....
For people (waa) that travel a lot, having a lat and long will get people to a place. But having a phone number to the place is also a huge help.
I would suggest that when the gps files are created that the phone number of the poi be included also. Many times I see the lat long, name and address of a poi... and look it up on the internet and the phone number was there also.
Please consider putting the phone number in the files... it's a lot easier to do that when creating the file.
Thanks
Thanks for the suggestion,
but for me, i build these files the way i use them, i have no need for all of the added info. get me to a place that is all i care about. the added info. (for me) is a waste of space.
Everyday is a GREAT day :)
Recently discussed...
here...
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/16527
PT
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.
I understand but...
[quote=werskineThanks for the suggestion,
but for me, i build these files the way i use them, i have no need for all of the added info. get me to a place that is all i care about. the added info. (for me) is a waste of space.
I understand what you say... but be a sport... Believ me, if you ever leave a restaurant and think you may have left something in the restaurant and are now 5 miles down the road... a simple phone call can save alot of time...
especially if you have the phone number with you.
.
... a simple phone call can save alot of time...
Good point.
"Delete nothing, back up everything"
A Suggestion
I know it has been discussed before but one thing to keep in mind is if you are building a poi to post here it is to help other people as well as yourself so a few extra minutes is greatly appericatid by others.
johnm405 660 & MSS&T
i agree
i think it would be a good idea, if it isn't too much trouble
Please reconsider your input, when making POI files
Where is your community spirit werskine?
Phone numbers are a great idea, especially if it helps just one of our family members.
(i have no need for all of the added info.)
Hmmm, what if all that have contributed felt like that. I just know this community will rally behind this request for phone numbers.
Bob
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.
Add 800-Free-411 to your mobile phone!
As I pointed out in the other thread on this (link above), remember that this is a site of user generated and posted POI files. Everyone has their own way of doing it. Sure it would be great if every POI file had every bit of information (some barely have anything more than a couple coordinates per location), but you get what you pay for (which is nothing for most of the POIs here). So you can choose to either use the POI files as is, contact the creator and request upgrades, or modify it yourself to suit your own needs.
Yes, we all agree that it would be great if every POI file had a phone number for every location contained, but many won't and if the creator doesn't want to add them in, then that is the way the POI file is going to stay.
By the way, in case people were not aware of it, a great number to program into your mobile phone is 1-800-Free-411 (800-373-3411). Very handy when you need a phone number from directory assistance but don't want to pay the ransom charges most mobile service providers charge when you dial 411 directory assistance directly.
Cheers,
PT
link: http://www.free411.com/
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.
it was ONLY a suggestion
I think the SUGGESTION was to let people know what would be helpful. I didn't see it as a complaint, but to indicate that it would be helpful.
it was ONLY a suggestion
I agree there was nothing about changing current poi's they are helpful with any inf provided.
johnm405 660 & MSS&T
Consider this in this discussion
When the poi file is made (I have made a couple my self)... generally the phone numbers are available... and it is a lot easier to put the phone number in when the file is created than later and have to go through the process of first finding the phone number, then matching the particular poi that the phone number goes to.
Personally, I think the phone number is an important piece of information... I don't know how many times I have called ahead to make a reservation... to cancel a reservation... to check on something or to find out info as to whether we wanted to stop there or not.
As to the space issue... I don't understand this argument for NOT putting in phone numbers. Are you trying to say that in your gps... the space is so limited that all you can allow in the file is the lat and long? No name, no address, no nothing? I don't think so. Most people put their poi files on a SD card of some kind and as I understand these cards have up to 4 gig of space... So as I said, I don't understand this argument for NOT putting phone numbers in poi files.
One thing that has been mentioned is the "personal preference" thing or "I don't have to so I'm not going to" type of attitude. (No offense meant in any way). To me, I was thinking the POI Factory was about helping others... which carries with the the attitude of doing that. I do see most people on here trying to have that type of attitude.
At the least... could the people who create files without the phone number indicate somehow that the file does not have phone numbers? This might be a work around solution... ??
Thanks
One other thing to consider in this...
This has actually happened to me...
I downloaded one file that did not have phone numbers... so I started putting them in as I had time. Believe me the secondary process of adding the phone numbers in is time consuming... as some other know...
But I worked as I had time and eventually got a lot of the phone numbers into the file...
Then the original creator of the file... UPDATED THE FILE... And me, being the dumbkoff I am..... downloaded the NEW UPDATED FILE.... and yep... you know it.... I went ahead and over wrote my phone number file.... with the new file that did not have phone numbers.
To me, this is destroying the purpose of sharing. If the creator of the file had indicated it did not have phone numbers... I think it would have saved me a lot of work...
Don't get me wrong... it was my fault my phone numbered file got over written... I don't blame anyone else but me...
But if I had sent the phone numbered file in to POI Factory ... and the original creator didn't want phone numbers.... then he would have gotten something he would not have liked either.
I don't want to offend anyone... but surely there is a way whereby we can save ourselves some work on all these files...
.
Just be aware that sometimes the phone numbers are not available via whatever data collection method the POI file author has chosen to use when they are creating the file.
2-cents
When the poi file is made (I have made a couple my self)... generally the phone numbers are available...
That depends entirely how the person puts together the file, doesn't it? Not all methods used by all people to generate a POI file will have phone numbers readily available. And as you mention in your other post, adding the phone numbers as a secondary operation can be tedious and time consuming, especially for larger files. So the creator may simply choose not to bother. Thier POI file, their choice.
Personally, I think the phone number is an important piece of information...
Sure. I agree that it is nice to have it if they are included. I could also argue that that an associated web site, the street address, the city, the state, the zip code, etc. are all important to some degree to some people but many of the files here may not even include basic location (city and state) for example.
As to the space issue... I don't understand this argument for NOT putting in phone numbers. Most people put their poi files on a SD card of some kind... So as I said, I don't understand this argument for NOT putting phone numbers in poi files.
One, you are making the classic error in assuming that what YOU do it what everyone must be doing (human nature to feel you do it the right/obvious way). I don't put any POI files on SD cards. Mine go directly to the GPS. And there are actually some problems/concerns when putting certain types of POI files onto an SD card. Some GPS units will automatically load certain types of POI files found on a card to the internal "Favorites" and it can be very difficult to remove them again without having to start over your Favorites losing the other stuff in there as well.
Two, you are also assuming that everyone has a GPS with an SD card slot. While this web site tends to be Garmin-centric, the intent of the site (I believe) is to share generic POI files that can be used with any Custom POI supported GPS unit regardless of manufacuter, model, or features.
Three, some older units without expansion slots for cards, do have very little space available for POI files. So it would make sense for people who own those particular units, if they create a POI file, they will be more likely to leave off the stuff they do not feel is important in the name of file size. They may then decide to share the POI file here with the rest of us. In the interest of encouraging sharing of POI files, I would be very hesitant to put in place some sort of guideline or requirement requiring certain fields or info that must be included in submitted POIs. If you like their POI file, then you are welcome to add your own data to it to fit your needs. Just like they are welcome to modify POI files they download to remove stuff to make smaller files to fit their unit.
One thing that has been mentioned is the "personal preference" thing or "I don't have to so I'm not going to" type of attitude. (No offense meant in any way). To me, I was thinking the POI Factory was about helping others... which carries with the the attitude of doing that. I do see most people on here trying to have that type of attitude.
I like to think of the site as a place to SHARE with each other and, as I just mentioned above, in the interest of encouraging people to share their files, while it would be nice to have POI files that contain everything a person could possibly want, making certain requirements or formats a condition of sharing a POI file here might simply cause many users to not bother.
At the least... could the people who create files without the phone number indicate somehow that the file does not have phone numbers? This might be a work around solution... ??
Well you are again assuming that what YOU want is what everyone wants. So using your suggestion I could then add that I want any files that do not include web addresses, or city names, or zip code, etc. to be tagged as well. Or I could be one of those users with an older unit with no SD slot and limited space. Shall I suggest that all POI files with description fields exceeding 40 characters be flagged so I know which POI files will fit my unit as is?
xnamn, I am not suggesting in any way that phone numbers are not useful to many people or that they shouldn't be included. I am just trying to point out that this site is a place where we can share the POI files we create and other people might benefit from them. Each person is free to create POI files however they like. Yes, there are some people here who like to create POI files specifically for POI-Factory submission and so will more than likely try to include everything they can think of. But many others often start out creating a POI for themselves and then if they feel others may benefit, they share them here.
As an example, I was looking for a POI file of ATMs on the SUM network and found what was here already did not fit my needs. So I went and created my own POI file and I now maintain a version here at the Factory. My POI file does NOT have phone numbers in it. First, because of the way I gathered the data, phone numbers were not readily available. Second, I don't think this sort of POI file benefits in anyway by phone numbers so I didn't think to find and add the phone numbers at the time I created it. Third, the file is already about 600 entries long, so I am never going to bother updating all those entries to add phone numbers.
However, all the entries in my file have full addresses and Bank Names. So if someone really did need to call a branch, they can always use directory assistance and get the phone number (800-Free-411).
Anyway, I appreciate your wish to include phone numbers in all POI files. But I think you missed the points that A) what you want may not be universal, B) it isn't always simple to find and include phone numbers, C) POI files are created by people usually with specific needs in mind (which may not match yours) and then shared through their generosity to allow others to benefit from their labors. So you get what they felt was important for their POI file. You are then free to accept, reject, or modify.
Finally, on your other post where you went and added phone number to a large POI file only to have them wiped out by an update. May I suggest that if there are certain POI files you feel really need or benefit from phone numbers (or any other piece of info) that you next time work with the creator. Volunteer to add the phone numbers like you did, get the latest version directly from the creator to add your edit, and then submit the file back to the creator. I am sorry to hear all that work was accidentally lost. I know how long it can take to add info to a bunch of POI entries.
Cheers,
PT
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.
great suggestion
I would suggest that when the gps files are created that the phone number of the poi be included also.
I have thought this myself.
Phone Numbers in POI's
I agree it's a good idea. It may add a little extra effort but, it is nice to have when you need it...Sometimes it's nice to call and see if a certain POI is open before diverting to that location if in the area. Especially with the price of gas these days...
Remove the data you don't need with POIEdit
It's easier to remove data not needed, rather than add it at a later date. If While building a POI file you know you don't have the room for all the data, I suggest entering it anyway then remove whole columns with POIEdit before loading to your GPSr.
Bob
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.
Free411.com (Don't use it!)
My wife used your advised free411.com to call a business today around 2pm. By 7pm my wife has received 4 junk mail texts! She is really upset...I don't think that was a fair thing to advise on this website. I thought this site was to be a helpful to a certain group of people...Total B.S. by you guttermouth! (Very appropriate name...)
I use it
I use 800free411 with my cell phone all the time, yes you have to listen to a ad before you get the number, it sure beats the price the company's charge for Directory assistance. I don't know anything about the website though
BTW edisondiver
No need for name calling.
Bob
Using Android Based GPS.The above post and my sig reflects my own opinions, expressed for the purpose of informing or inspiring, not commanding. Naturally, you are free to reject or embrace whatever you read.
My Apologies
Yes, there was an add that you had to listen to. But, later there were text messages that came to our phone unsolicted. Many of then. Quite annoying...We never went to the website either...Sorry for the perceived name calling, but, "guttermouth" named himself...
Free411.com
If you use this service from your cell phone and don't want the text messages, call your carrier and have the sender blocked from sending txt messages. This is available for those of us that don't text a lot and have to pay for both incoming and outgoing messages.
ɐ‾nsǝɹ Just one click away from the end of the Internet
Adding Phone Numbers - CSV vs. GPX
I was under the impression that only GPX files could make use of the phone number info. Most of the POI files I see here are in CSV format. Does CSV support the phone number fields?
GPSMAP 76CSx - nüvi 760 - nüvi 200 - GPSMAP 78S
.
The phone number will show up. It just won't be dialable.
WTH?
Total B.S. by you guttermouth! (Very appropriate name...)
The pot calling the kettle black? I don't see where GM swore or was disrespectful...
The advice given on this forum is free, as are the files, and techniques used for GPS's. You're free to use or discard them as you see fit. However, if something doesn't work or go the way it was supposed to, it's not anyone's fault. It's a learning experience.
"Delete nothing, back up everything"
I stand corrected...Sorry for the name calling...
I apologize to all! Especially to "guttermouth". The written word can come off sounding worse than intended. And after reviewing what I wrote, I agree it was wrong...So, I'm sorry. This is a great forum with good people...Thanks for the correction!
Thanks
I apologize to all! Especially to "guttermouth". The written word can come off sounding worse than intended. And after reviewing what I wrote, I agree it was wrong...So, I'm sorry. This is a great forum with good people...Thanks for the correction!
Edisondiver,
Thank you so much for this great apology. I think that in this digital age it has become so simple to just say what you are thinking and not really think about it.
We are a bit different here, we try to operate at a higher level of respect and civil behavior towards others in our community. There really is no reason for people to treat others badly in real life or virtually.
It is nice to have you with us and I look forward to future posts from you.
Miss POI
Free411 info...
From the Free411 FAQ...
"1-800-FREE411 offers text message options when a caller uses a mobile device. Text messages are only sent to those who opt-in to receive the text message, and depending on your telephone plan, standard text messaging rates apply. You will not receive a text message from us unless you request one."
and then a little further down...
"It’s important to listen to all of the prompts before pressing any keys. Some callers do not listen to the whole prompt, press the opt-in key and don’t realize that they have just requested a text message."
Faq page can be found here...
http://www.free411.com/about/faq
Sounds like your wife opted in to text messaging. So from the same Faq page...
"Callers can opt-out of receiving text messages to any of these options by replying with a text message with the word STOP. STOP is the Mobile Marketing Associations standard opt-out phrase.
We also recommend that you listen carefully to the prompts on the system so that if you press a key you know what you are requesting.
If you have sent a STOP request and you are still receiving text messages, click here." {you need to be at the wage page to "Click Here" of course}
I am sorry your wife didn't appear to understand, or didn't fully listen to, the prompts when she used it.
PT
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.
Google 411 service
Apparently Google has a free 411 service as well pointed out by Offspringin in this thread...
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/16919
Perhaps a more suitable alternative for some people. I have not tried it yet.
PT
Garmin nüvi 200 (my first GPS), 780, & 3700 Series. And a Mac user.
Let's beat a dead horse...
Apparently Google has a free 411 service as well pointed out by Offspringin in this thread...
http://www.poi-factory.com/node/16919
Perhaps a more suitable alternative for some people. I have not tried it yet.
PT
I like your avitar...
It is terrible to speak well and be wrong. -Sophocles snɥɔnıɥdoɐ aka ʎɹɐƃ
DOH! I'M SORRY "guttermouth"!
Again, another reason to be more careful of what you write...No wonder I'm really starting to feel like an A**! Thanks for the advice...I haven't tried the "google" service yet either...
Phone Numbers are useful
After I download a POI, I open it to see if it has the information I think is necessary, then delete the file if it does not have the necessary information. I can wait for a file that will suit my needs, or make one myself.
NUVI 660, Late 2012 iMac, Macbook 2.1 Fall 2008, iPhone6 , Nuvi 3790, iPad2
some times you just ....
Cant find a phone number to go with your location... some time you can..
When working with only csv files and garmin, you really only have 4 cell or colums to work with.. the 1st 2 is for your real locations
(-88.5455,105.77755) then you have a 3rd spot, mostly used for the name of the location, (Big Bad Bobs Place) then the 4th is used for all other data.. (555 pathen place, anyware, mystate, 10572, 555-665-5555, best place to be), not much to work with.. not everyone can make other types of files but only csv files..
Not sure what else we can do..
Any ideas?
Bobkz - Garmin Nuvi 3597LMTHD/2455LMT/C530/C580- "Pain Is Fear Leaving The Body - Semper Fidelis"
Re: Adding Phone Numbers - CSV Vs. GPX...
I was under the impression that only GPX files could make use of the phone number info. Most of the POI files I see here are in CSV format. Does CSV support the phone number fields?
Hi thrak,
As Motorcycle Mama stated:
"The phone number will show up. It just won't be dialable".
This is true, however, there is a workaround...
If you save a custom poi.csv file as a "favorite" on your unit, you can then edit it an add a dialable phone number, even if there wasn't a phone number, in the original custom poi.csv file.
Regards,
Tailspin
Nüvi 670
Mac User
Sullivan's Law: Murphy was an optimist!
Simply a good suggestion
I just read this thread particularly the OPs first post in which each paragraph was started with:
"I love Poi Factory and appreciate all the work...
I would like to make a suggestion to think about....
I would suggest that...
Please consider putting..."
Any response other than "good suggestion we will try when possible" smacks of push back for the sake of push back.
Xnman made a reasonable suggestion and merely asked those who can to consider that option. I do not understand some of the long, and pointed soliloquies in response to his reasonable and polite suggestion.
Nuvi 3490
RE: Google 411 service
I use Google's 411 service all the time. The number is 1-800-466-4411. You can use touch tones or voice prompts to find phone numbers. Here's some information on Google 411: http://www.google.com/goog411/
BTW, I vote for including phone numbers in POI files as it makes it easier to contact the place of business if necessary. I'm not mad if someone doesn't include them, but I appreciate it when they do.
nuvi 285WT