Feature Request: Add comments & Upload Photos from app

This is self-explanatory, but I can't stress enough how helpful this would be.

The most logical time to add useful comments is on the way home from climbing, when you're sitting in a car or waiting for a train, the route is fresh in your memory, and you don't have much else to do. It should let you post comments offline, and sync along with the rest of your info, so you can do this on the subway (again, when you have few other distractions due to lack of reception).

For uploading photos, in addition to the above, you have the added pain in the ass of having to send the photos from your phone to your computer (via google drive, email, etc), then upload them from your computer. Since most of us take photos from our phones, uploading via the app just makes sense. Even if I'm at home by my computer, using the app would be a lot easier.

+1

This feature would be an invaluable asset for 'crowdsourcing' the reporting of bad bolts and for cataloging existing hardware locations/types/conditions.

I agree about photos as well. A way to directly upload your beta photos you just took and add them to your own notes and comments about your routes you climbed that day would be awesome. So very helpful when returning or deciding if and when to go try the route again.

+1

Being able to queue posts offline and have them sync when connected would be amazing.

Really would love to be able to comment in the app.

Spent time today figuring out how to comment in the app, only to realize it’s not possible! Wanted to post pictures of damaged slackline creek crossing, but couldn’t. Shame, seems like a no-brainer!

Yo bump for this thread. Would be great to be able to upload photos on the app, and leave comments offline and sync.

The database is bulging at the seams with photos and comments on many of the routes, especially the classics. If I want to read up on the beta for a well-travelled route, sometimes it can take an hour or more to wade through useless comments to get to the key points.

If the floodgates are opened up, as suggested here, and people are permitted to post via the app, the additional bloating of the database will kick into hyperdrive. Maybe the bar for posting should remain where it's at and perhaps people should have to invest at least a little time and effort before they post an unhelpful selfie or repetitive comment.

I do see that it is already possible to star rate and tick a route via the phone app and short comments can be made on those ticks.

I could be wrong and maybe Mountain Project stands to accumulate so much more valuable route beta from app submitters, but it is also possible that a lot of the good content could just get lost in the noise.

Maybe the problem I see here could be addressed by more stringent moderation of the route database and the removal of useless content.

John Hegyes wrote: 
If the floodgates are opened up, as suggested here, and people are permitted to post via the app, the additional bloating of the database will kick into hyperdrive. Maybe the bar for posting should remain where it's at and perhaps people should have to invest at least a little time and effort before they post an unhelpful selfie or repetitive comment.

I don't know about you, but I find it much easier to type on my computer keyboard than on my phone. Therefore I'm probably more likely to keep my comments concise if I'm typing on my phone, and if anything I think adding comments from a computer is much more conducive to bloviating.. And as mentioned, comments posted from my phone are probably going to be made more immediately, when the route is fresher in my memory, so they will be more accurate and relevant. Perhaps we should only allow commenting from the app, and not from a browser.. (I don't actually support this idea, just making a point)

In any case, if I think a comment provides value, I'm probably going to make it either way, and if I don't think it provides value, I won't. But for reasons mentioned, I think allowing posting from the app will improve the quality of comments, not the opposite. I also frequently climb routes that haven't had a comment in years, so I question whether the comment sections are as bloated as you describe..

John Hegyes wrote: I do see that it is already possible to star rate and tick a route via the phone app and short comments can be made on those ticks.

Speaking of ticks, I was recently reminded of another bug:

The other day I was trying to leave a tick with a short note (as I often due, to make a note to myself for future reference). And as is often the case when I'm using my phone, i was multi-tasking, and halfway through writing the tick I would switch to another app (I don't remember what for, maybe checking a message, checking the subway schedule, calling an uber, etc..).

Anyway, every time the MP app left my screen, everything I had written was erased from the screen. Mind you I didn't exit the app, or hit the 'back' button (I use Android) or anything, just switched tasks, and when I returned, the screen was blank. This even happens when I turn off the screen (i.e. to put my phone in my pocket for a moment), even if I never switch apps. My note was deleted at least 3 or 4 times as I was writing just one tick (I was very busy at the time), but fortunately after the first time I made sure to copy the text before switching tasks, so I was able to just paste it and continue.

Obviously this is super obnoxious, and is unusual behavior for an app. Even if you don't switch tasks like I do, simply receiving a phone call, or your screen timing out and going black while you're making a tick will result in your note being erased. Almost every other app does not have this behavior- With most apps when you switch tasks and return, any progress you have made or anything you've typed remains on the screen. Developers, please fix this!

John Hegyes wrote: The database is bulging at the seams with photos and comments on many of the routes, especially the classics. If I want to read up on the beta for a well-travelled route, sometimes it can take an hour or more to wade through useless comments to get to the key points.

If the floodgates are opened up, as suggested here, and people are permitted to post via the app, the additional bloating of the database will kick into hyperdrive. Maybe the bar for posting should remain where it's at and perhaps people should have to invest at least a little time and effort before they post an unhelpful selfie or repetitive comment.

I do see that it is already possible to star rate and tick a route via the phone app and short comments can be made on those ticks.

I could be wrong and maybe Mountain Project stands to accumulate so much more valuable route beta from app submitters, but it is also possible that a lot of the good content could just get lost in the noise.

Maybe the problem I see here could be addressed by more stringent moderation of the route database and the removal of useless content.

I agree on the most popular routes. However, the vast majority of routes could definitely do with a little more info. 

I don’t see why commenting, photo adding and all the other “full site” features would be a problem especially with the cost of storage space being what it is.

On the subject of adding comments to an area or route it would be VERY easy to add a “Type” to the comment. I.E. Beta, Approach, Conditions, Bolt Issues, etc... that would allow for quick searching and filtering through  comments to get to the info you really want or need. 

Additionally the database would then contain all the bad bolts people report on the app via a “Bad Bolt” comment allowing people or organizations who replace bad bolts an opportunity to utilize the crowdsourcing to find bolts in need of replacement and mark them as replaced or repaired or whatever so people can see whether or not the bolts are still bad. 
A note as to maintaining the quality of data. I agree that not all comments are created equally. I have two solutions. The first is to add an up/down voting system for community quality control and the second is to have volunteer moderators. These would be people who would, ideally, climb the area frequently and have the authority to, maybe not delete but, mark comments as helpful/accurate or unhelpful/inaccurate.

Jason Beaver wrote: I don’t see why commenting, photo adding and all the other “full site” features would be a problem especially with the cost of storage space being what it is.

On the subject of adding comments to an area or route it would be VERY easy to add a “Type” to the comment. I.E. Beta, Approach, Conditions, Bolt Issues, etc... that would allow for quick searching and filtering through  comments to get to the info you really want or need. 

Additionally the database would then contain all the bad bolts people report on the app via a “Bad Bolt” comment allowing people or organizations who replace bad bolts an opportunity to utilize the crowdsourcing to find bolts in need of replacement and mark them as replaced or repaired or whatever so people can see whether or not the bolts are still bad. 
A note as to maintaining the quality of data. I agree that not all comments are created equally. I have two solutions. The first is to add an up/down voting system for community quality control and the second is to have volunteer moderators. These would be people who would, ideally, climb the area frequently and have the authority to, maybe not delete but, mark comments as helpful/accurate or unhelpful/inaccurate.

THIS. Where do we petition to make this happen?