I agree that it's time for a revamping of the guidelines and rules for the POTD thread and the Digital Photography subforum as a whole. I suspect that some confusion comes in because there are two areas for photography, one being the Digital Photography subforum and the other being the Picture Gallery subforum in the MR Community section.
Back at the time that the POTD thread was started, there were no iPhones, and the Digital Photography subforum was inhabited by those who shot with dedicated cameras (film was still pretty much the norm but digital cameras were just coming into their own as well. I'm not sure when "The Picture Gallery" was started -- I should take a look -- but at any rate that is the more "social" area of MR in general, and it makes sense to have an area for members to post (usually iPhone or other cell phone) shots of their meals, cars, pets, family members, selfies, casual social activities, etc.
The Digital Photography forum was intended for those who were serious about photography and who wanted to share images and discuss the art and science of photography. We didn't yet have iPhones. We were all just really getting into the new world of digital imaging, which was a heady experience back in those days. Each new digital camera release brought new and exciting features and functionality. Many of us were learning from each other as we transitioned from film to digital. It was during that time frame, back in 2005, that the POTD thread was started with the idea of participants sharing their best images. Since many were traveling with their new gear, too, that was one reason for the request that the person posting an image tell where it was shot. Photographers also like to share EXIF, and at that time it wasn't possible to see that on MR itself. Now we can with MR's Media gallery section and info, so it isn't really necessary any longer to provide the EXIF info within the post with the image itself.
The POTD thread was meant for members to share their best, most interesting and varied images.... Why not try to keep it that way?