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Friend or Foe site update

bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Just wanted to stop in and mention that the Friend or Foe site usage continues to grow at a steady clip.

There are just shy of 2,400 locations listed. Thanks for all the hard work put in to make the site useful for others.

Here's an overview of what the country looks like (you can only see 250 locations on the live site at a time):

Click for larger pic.

I'm working on an update currently and hope to have Version 2 ready soon. If you have any ideas, please share them in this thread.

In case you haven't heard of this tool, you can visit the site at http://friendorfoe.us to check your area for pro and anti 2A businesses.
 
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zack991

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 29, 2009
Messages
1,535
Location
Ohio, USA
Works just fine for me. You put your zip code in and back the miles out to 100 and then work it closer or till you see one, you just might not have anything listed in your area.
 
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sraacke

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2008
Messages
1,214
Location
Saint Gabriel, Louisiana, USA
I'm working on an update currently and hope to have Version 2 ready soon. If you have any ideas, please share them in this thread.
I've put lots of businesses on your map in the Baton Rouge area in the past few months. I think it's a good resource but could use some tweeks.
1-A way to put multiple ratings or comments for the same business. For example, the Bass Pro in Denham Springs, La just east of Baton Rouge. We have had several different postings for the same location. Some positive and some negative. Shortly after the store opened several citizens legally Open Carrying in the store face problems from employees who were misinformed or ill trained on store policy. This resulted in Negative reviews. The Management was contact and things worked out which resulted in Positive reviews in a different posting for the same store. We need a way to edit or add comments or reviewss to businesses as things change. A poster can make more than one comment in a particular review but a different poster can't add to that same review.
This would also help when a store closes and reopens under new management or an entirely new business at that location. An example is here in St Gabriel, La where Violas Seafood catering closed and has been replaced by a convience store.
2-Ability to place all branches of a business as a Foe or Friend with one click. Example, Chase bank has a Antigun policy. By entering Chase Bank we would be able to designate them all as Foes. Here in Louisiana the Circle K convience stores ban carry of guns. The ability to designate all Circle Ks at once would be cool. Of course, the problem with that is when individual stores decide to ignore copr policies. Example- Acadamy sports and outdoors here in La have a policy respecting state and local laws on carry in their stores. No probem in some stores. In other Acadamy stores we've had OCers told that the store does not follow corp policy and guns are not welcome.
3-A way to move the locations of businesses when they are plotted incorrectly on Google. Example- Again I use the Denham Springs Bass Pro. There are 2 ratings, a positive and a negative, shown on the map in the approximate area along Interstate 12. The map puts them about a half mile apart. There is a third rating for the same Bass Pro but the pushpin icon for it puts it on the map about 4 miles north on state Highway 190. Way off course and there's no way that I know to move the review to combine it with the other two.
 
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bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Yeah I am not finding anything but a map when I go to the site.

Works just fine for me. You put your zip code in and back the miles out to 100 and then work it closer or till you see one, you just might not have anything listed in your area.

Zack has the process down. It's possible that no data has been added for your location. If so, you can increase the mileage and you'll see reviews eventually. You can view my large overview map in the OP to see where in the country has the most activity.

If your area has nothing, once you add ratings they are available for everyone else to see.
 

bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
I've put lots of businesses on your map in the Baton Rouge area in the past few months. I think it's a good resource but could use some tweeks.

1-A way to put multiple ratings or comments for the same business. For example, the Bass Pro in Denham Springs, La just east of Baton Rouge. We have had several different postings for the same location. Some positive and some negative. Shortly after the store opened several citizens legally Open Carrying in the store face problems from employees who were misinformed or ill trained on store policy. This resulted in Negative reviews. The Management was contact and things worked out which resulted in Positive reviews in a different posting for the same store. We need a way to edit or add comments or reviewss to businesses as things change. A poster can make more than one comment in a particular review but a different poster can't add to that same review.
This would also help when a store closes and reopens under new management or an entirely new business at that location. An example is here in St Gabriel, La where Violas Seafood catering closed and has been replaced by a convience store.

It actually will combine reviews for the same location by multiple people (this is how it was intended to work, and ratings are calculated on the fly based on neg, neutral and positive reviews), as long as the lat and lon coordinates are the same when returned by google. More on this in a minute. I know it needs to have a 'policy change' option and also a check/balance when a review forces a status change from pro to anti or anti to pro. This is already on my short list.

2-Ability to place all branches of a business as a Foe or Friend with one click. Example, Chase bank has a Antigun policy. By entering Chase Bank we would be able to designate them all as Foes. Here in Louisiana the Circle K convience stores ban carry of guns. The ability to designate all Circle Ks at once would be cool. Of course, the problem with that is when individual stores decide to ignore copr policies. Example- Acadamy sports and outdoors here in La have a policy respecting state and local laws on carry in their stores. No probem in some stores. In other Acadamy stores we've had OCers told that the store does not follow corp policy and guns are not welcome.

This is an interesting idea. I'll see what I can come up with.

3-A way to move the locations of businesses when they are plotted incorrectly on Google. Example- Again I use the Denham Springs Bass Pro. There are 2 ratings, a positive and a negative, shown on the map in the approximate area along Interstate 12. The map puts them about a half mile apart. There is a third rating for the same Bass Pro but the pushpin icon for it puts it on the map about 4 miles north on state Highway 190. Way off course and there's no way that I know to move the review to combine it with the other two.

I've noticed this too, and I touched on the lat and long coordinates above, and it seems that google has gone in and updated the business database and made corrections/adjustments to the coords on their side. So, when I compare my stored version (I store lat and long so I don't have to geocode each time due to overhead) to what the results are now, they are sometimes seen as a new location. I have come up with a solution I think will work (re-geocode the address and store the lat and long on a weekly or monthly basis, so my database will match the google search return), but it will take some time to implement as google has a limit on how many you can do at a time. It's fun relying on another systems data and not know when they change the game...

Thanks for the input, and for updating the map.
 
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KYKevin

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 29, 2010
Messages
323
Location
Owensboro, Kentucky, USA
lol ok I got it to work just fine. However I live in owensboro Ky. And it has Whittackers guns as gun friendly. This is however not the case. I go there all the time. No loaded firearms are allowed in the store. It clearly states so on the door when you walk in. Clearly not OC friendly. :)

The review for the store actually looks like someone is more advertising it than listing it as a friend or foe store.
 
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DevinWKuska

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2011
Messages
300
Location
Spanaway
Not sure where to post updates but
Fred Meyer
17404 Meridian E, Puyallup, WA 98375
the actuyal buildingIs showing up as starbucks... it has one in it but I should think that the main building would be the important part... anyways they are um.. green sticky? Pro-2a?
UPDATE: found the fred meyers on the map but if you look at the satellite image the massive structure to its left is fred meyer. the buildind that it marks is actually a columbia bank?

IHOP
178 SW Campus Dr · Federal Way
This is a pro 2A we have OC meetings... so I hope they are pro 2A anyways. Well cept when squeak harasses the nice ladies. SEE ALSO Winco Foods in same parking lot. Its the massive structure to the north of this IHOP on satellite view

I didnt see any, but a way to add a business and address. Even a e-mail or something to submit would be handy.
 
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Brimstone Baritone

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Messages
786
Location
Leeds, Alabama, USA
lol ok I got it to work just fine. However I live in owensboro Ky. And it has Whittackers guns as gun friendly. This is however not the case. I go there all the time. No loaded firearms are allowed in the store. It clearly states so on the door when you walk in. Clearly not OC friendly. :)

The review for the store actually looks like someone is more advertising it than listing it as a friend or foe store.

Well then post a negative review. That's what it's there for, and they lose more points with one negative review than they gain with a positive review.
 
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bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Well then post a negative review. That's what it's there for, and they lose more points with one negative review than they gain with a positive review.

I went ahead and added the negative review. If you notice, it shows up in a slightly different location due to Google updating their marker locations since 2009 when the last review was added.

I'm going to consolidate the markers and merge the reviews when I get a chance during this update. And, I have to come up with a way to periodically automate such merges when Google does things like this.
 

bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Not sure where to post updates but
Fred Meyer
17404 Meridian E, Puyallup, WA 98375
the actuyal buildingIs showing up as starbucks... it has one in it but I should think that the main building would be the important part... anyways they are um.. green sticky? Pro-2a?
UPDATE: found the fred meyers on the map but if you look at the satellite image the massive structure to its left is fred meyer. the buildind that it marks is actually a columbia bank?

IHOP
178 SW Campus Dr · Federal Way
This is a pro 2A we have OC meetings... so I hope they are pro 2A anyways. Well cept when squeak harasses the nice ladies. SEE ALSO Winco Foods in same parking lot. Its the massive structure to the north of this IHOP on satellite view

I didnt see any, but a way to add a business and address. Even a e-mail or something to submit would be handy.

Thanks for the updates. I added Fred Myer and IHOP to the map, and it sounds like you were on the right page (there's an Add Business link on the main page in the top right corner) and once you find the business on that page, click the marker and it will display the popup info window for that location, and there will be a "Rate this business" link, which opens a panel on the right side of the screen. How's that for a run on sentence?

As far as where the markers show up, that's up to google and I suppose the business owner can inform them if it needs updated. Most are close enough.

Let me know if you have any trouble adding other locations.
 

Loneviking

Regular Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
344
Location
Carson City, Nevada, USA
Just wanted to stop in and mention that the Friend or Foe site usage continues to grow at a steady clip.

There are just shy of 2,400 locations listed. Thanks for all the hard work put in to make the site useful for others.

Here's an overview of what the country looks like (you can only see 250 locations on the live site at a time):

Click for larger pic.

I'm working on an update currently and hope to have Version 2 ready soon. If you have any ideas, please share them in this thread.

In case you haven't heard of this tool, you can visit the site at http://friendorfoe.us to check your area for pro and anti 2A businesses.

How do you add in reviews or correct misinformation? I checked my area and I see several listings that I know are wrong, such as stores that are posted as 'no firearms' and yet somebody is saying that they are OC friendly.

Not a bad site, overall, but really tough to figure out how to do anything like reporting a site and adding reviews.
 

bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
How do you add in reviews or correct misinformation? I checked my area and I see several listings that I know are wrong, such as stores that are posted as 'no firearms' and yet somebody is saying that they are OC friendly.

Not a bad site, overall, but really tough to figure out how to do anything like reporting a site and adding reviews.

If you use the link in the top right corner to add a business, it will merge new ratings for any business that already exists. Or, it will get close, depending on if google has updated their database. I'm working on a fix for this issue.

So, if you add a negative review at the same place that has a positive one, the rating will change to negative (negatives are weighted heavier). You can see how many ratings each business has in the popups, and what types.

I don't have any contact info out there, but I'm working on an update that will include a method to flag an incorrect rating.

I thought having a calculated rating would be best, but it doesn't seem like the site is being used that way...so the next version may still allow it, but it won't be the only way the site works. I'll probably have a link on each business that has been rated to flag it for a policy change, inaccurate rating, etc. Comments will be required for negative reviews, or maybe all reviews, etc.

Maybe even have a way to notify others that the business is posted, etc.

The next version will also have more marker types to easily tell what the status is of a particular place.
 

NG19

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2011
Messages
113
Location
Warrensburg, Missouri
lol ok I got it to work just fine. However I live in owensboro Ky. And it has Whittackers guns as gun friendly. This is however not the case. I go there all the time. No loaded firearms are allowed in the store. It clearly states so on the door when you walk in. Clearly not OC friendly. :)

The review for the store actually looks like someone is more advertising it than listing it as a friend or foe store.

I live in Missouri so I don't Know KY laws, but, if it is a Pawn type store then it is referring to when pawning a gun. Ask the store owner and they might say that the store is open carry friendly.
 

bnkrazy

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Sep 23, 2008
Messages
404
Location
Richmond, Virginia, USA
How do you pull up the larger image showing the limit of 250 locations?

I added a couple.. :uhoh:

You can center the map on a location and then select up to a 500 mile radius to display what's been entered. The 250 max limit is so the browser doesn't slow down unexpectedly if you stumble across a heavily populated area (northern VA, etc). The map at the top of this thread was done in my dev environment where those restrictions were removed. It took the page about a minute to render the almost 2,400 markers (due to the map load time).
 

VW_Factor

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 1, 2010
Messages
1,092
Location
Leesburg, GA
You can center the map on a location and then select up to a 500 mile radius to display what's been entered. The 250 max limit is so the browser doesn't slow down unexpectedly if you stumble across a heavily populated area (northern VA, etc). The map at the top of this thread was done in my dev environment where those restrictions were removed. It took the page about a minute to render the almost 2,400 markers (due to the map load time).

My limiting factor where I live is crappy internet. (I spend too much on computer parts, just ask my wife)
 
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