On Restrictions, Languages and Michael Jackson

Hi there Wazers,

The Waze editors newsletter is back, and it's bigger and better. It's got all you guys and girls - the heart and soul of the Waze community - need to know (and some fun stuff, too!)

Every other week or so we'll bring you updates about what's happening with your favorite navigation app, inside looks at community members, fun facts and helpful tips. 

oh, and you're more than welcome to send us suggestions and ideas for the blog.
let's get started!

Restrictions: Block that Road

We recently implemented the Scheduled restrictions feature in the map editor, letting you guys define roads that are closed on certain pre-defined times. as of now, there have been over 32,000 restrictions added to the map! way to go.

The next step is closures, enabling you to update the map about roads closed due to unexpected events in real time! Sweet.

Localization: Bringing Waze Home (By orit_y, our go-to-girl on all things local)

Hi Localizers, long time no see :) 

These past few months have been even more hectic than usual! Localizers all over the world have helped bring Waze closer to home :) so.. what did we (well mainly you) do?

Waze Languages

Believe it or not, thanks to the community efforts we now support 38 languages worldwide with the addition of Slovenian and Indonesian. 

The Indonesian Emblem 

Waze Features - Toll Roads & Gas Stations

An important part of our localization efforts is giving each local community the option to choose whether or not they want to use toll roads. 

Thanks to the efforts of local communities we were able to activate the toll road feature in Bosnia - great job Wazers! As of today, the feature is activated in 22 countries.

And even more good news: We activated the gas station feature in 6 more countries! Belarus, Switzerland, Austria, Puerto Rico, Poland and Slovenia, Thanks to the community's hard work and determination more Wazers can now update gas prices, save money and help their fellow drivers. That brings us to a total of 35 countries!

ASR (Automated Speech Recognition)

Wazers can now enjoy Waze ASR in 16 languages!

Wow you were busy! Keep up the good work

Wazer Spotlight: orbitc, Turkish and American Champ

orbitc, our man in Turkey (and Jersey)

What do you do when not editing maps?

I'm a Production and QC Manager of a Printing company. I also enjoy watching sports and running. 

Which car do you drive?

A Lexus RX350.

This is how orbitc rolls

How long have you been a Wazer?

I've been using Waze since mid March 2012, and editing since June 2012.

How did you get hooked?

A co worker mentioned the app and the rest is history... 

What's your favorite part about the community?

The Waze community is the BEST community I know. My favorite part is how millions of people from many different backgrounds come together to help others and all that without expecting anything in return. 

...And the worst part.

Having such a huge user base, unfortunately, makes it hard to reach out to every new user.  

What's the funniest Waze story that happened to you?

A minor delay due to Waze... While I was in Puerto Rico vacationing, I mentioned Waze to the taxi driver on my way to the restaurant. He was pleasantly surprised with what I showed that Waze could do. He wouldn't let me go until I installed Waze on his phone and set it up for him. Others in my party who were hungry weren't too happy. This kind of delay is the only delay I don't mind that I get from Waze :)

What's your best Waze tip for newcomers?

Patience and respect for those who paved the road for us. 

What do you listen to when driving your car (aside from the Waze app messages, of course)?

Depends on the day and length of drive. My repertoire includes anything from Jazz to Good old Pop music. Here's a favorite:

What would you consider as your biggest achievement in Waze?

Stepping up to the challenge to get the Turkish community involved. Creating and updating social sites and especially the www.facebook.com/WazeTurkey page which got almost 500 likes in 6 months. By translating thousands of words to help Waze grow rapidly in Turkey. 

Quote of the Week

"Our magic is called patient. Waze magic is called 'soon' :)"

By leocylau

Most Thanked Users

These are the users that got the most "thank you's" in the forum, an indication of their great contribution and the appreciation they receive from their peers:

AlanOfTheBerg 
orbitc 
argus-cronos 
top_gun_de 
antigerme

That's it for now! 

Stay tuned for lots more, and send us any ideas, suggestions and contributions you have for the blog. 

Drive safe...