# Editing Guidelines and Best Practices

Thanks for helping us build and maintain an amazing places database! Here are some guidelines and best practices to keep in mind:

## Overview

- Be open-minded, and don’t be too hasty when editing! General rule of thumb: places are legitimate if people like to check in there and the place is not negatively affecting others’ Foursquare experience.
- Get to know other Foursquare enthusiasts and superusers in your area! Build a local community of experts and create editing guidelines that are relevant to your city and country. If you’re a pro and encounter a new person who doesn’t know the rules, help mentor and educate them!
- Play nice! Remember that we all share the same goal: to make sure every place on Foursquare has accurate and thorough information.

## The Basics

**Good places**  
Real places. Places people can meet up. Places that already have a Foursquare category. Places where people like to check in.

- Okay: Terminal 4  
- Not okay: "I'm on a plane!"  
- Okay: ABC Company Headquarters  
- Not okay: "Doing work all day"

**Private places**  
Homes can only be edited by the person who created the place on Foursquare. Make sure homes are properly categorized under Residence → Home (private). Flag places incorrectly categorized as Home by clicking ‘Report a problem.’

**Duplicate places**  
Flag exact duplicate locations (same name, same address). Please do not mark a place as a duplicate if it is a distinct place contained within another place.

## Pro Tips

**See something? Say something.**  
See something weird or wrong? You can report issues with places by clicking ‘Report a problem’ on any webpage. What about users checking in to places illegitimately? Tell us by filing a help ticket. Offensive tips or photos? You can flag them.

**Relevancy is key**  
If you’re ever confused about whether to close a place, just think about whether the content on the page (tips, photos) is still relevant and useful for others. For example, if your office closed and moved to a new location, the old tips about taking the freight elevator are no longer relevant. Same goes for festivals/events that have ended.

**Remember that your edits affect people’s check-in history and experience**  
Pretty self-explanatory. Edit places based on our guidelines, not based on personal opinion.

**Ask questions!**  
Engage others in discussion in [our forums](http://superusers.foursquare.com/)! Build consensus by talking and listening to ideas, taking into account people’s concerns, and coming to wide agreement on a compromise. See how the Wikipedia editor community reaches consensus [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Reaching_consensus_through_discussion).

## Resources

- [Help Center](http://support.foursquare.com/)  
- [Style Guide](http://support.foursquare.com/entries/214565-what-is-the-style-guide-for-adding-and-editing-venues)  
- [@4sqSupport](https://twitter.com/4sqSupport)  
- [House Rules](https://foursquare.com/info/houserules)