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How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

wired.com

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Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#21

Post by vdaniuk »

vinceguidry wrote: post #15
woodchuck64 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the article actually thoroughly discredit its own title? People don't write anymore.

The article didn't discredit anything. The title is "How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will" not "How Google Map Hackers Destroyed Serbian Crown".

But the article didn't support the title. The title supported by the article could be "How Google Map Hackers Can Contribute To The Demise Of The Restaurant On A Downhill Trajectory". This is just one sensationalist title.

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#22

Post by nnnnni »

post_break wrote: post #6
boobsbr wrote: post #3

One more reason why I don't trust POIs I find on Google Maps. I always try to find the actual business' page to check for phones and opening and closing hours.

But it's a restaurant so you know they like to not list the phone number, hours, or menu (sarcasm).

You've also got to love how the menu is always done in flash, so you most likely can't view it on a phone...

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#23

Post by joeatp »

j_m_b wrote: post #5

"The Serbian Crown closed its doors after nearly 40 years in the same location." Oh sure... blame it on Google Maps telling people you aren't open on Sat, Sun, Mon. I guess your regulars, who you've built up over 40 years, don't know when you're open unless they look at Google maps. Even the owner himself says "If you’re going there, it’s because you’ve planned to go there." I imagine his problem could be more accura…

They offer an easy way for business owners to update their information. It's not difficult at all, just have to order a confirmation code to a current business address and take some other verification steps, then you can modify your business page however you like.

If the business owner doesn't understand technology, contract it out.

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#24

Post by sharth »

twoodfin wrote: post #16
bhartzer wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can't even rely on a business' website anymore, though. You have to actually call them on the phone and talk to a real person there, at the business. Too often even the business owner doesn't have time to update their website or get the "web guy" (read: his brother in law's son) to update the website in a timely manner.

If I were Google, Yelp, or Facebook, I'd give serious consideration to selling local businesses pre-created, theme-able web sites on a subscription basis. They already have essentially all the content such sites would need, and better designers than most small businesses would have access to. I regularly run into local places that use their Facebook page as their de facto virtual storefront, but that format could be…

There are companies that exist who target that market. squarespace.com for example.

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#25

Post by woodchuck64 »

vinceguidry wrote: post #15
woodchuck64 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does the article actually thoroughly discredit its own title? People don't write anymore.

The article didn't discredit anything. The title is "How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will" not "How Google Map Hackers Destroyed Serbian Crown".

So where's the evidence that Google Map Hackers Can Destroy A Business at Will? I can't find it in the article. Certainly the article lists a few tactics that have worked in the past, a few loopholes that have been closed, but all of these appear to, at worst, provide temporary inconveniences.

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#26

Post by Vik1ng »

drivingmenuts wrote: post #10

This is an example of one of the major problems of crowd-sourcing: trust. There is no way to verify that the integrity of the submitter, who could be giving wrong information due to malice, incompetence, or as a prank. There's entirely too much trust in crowdsourcing.

I think the real problem is this google has the half baked crowd-sourcing. Where you actually have a closed system and then let some people crowd source on top of it and have different ranks and people approving. It's the same reason Wikipedia is losing editors, because people don't want to wait for some admin to approve it.

In OpenStreetMap as a community project which is know as such people are much more likely to report things (on the German website there is even a big button for that). It takes longer for a edit to be approved in google map maker than people get easy stuff fixed in OpenStreetMap in my area. If I check my notes RSS feed after 1 week then most of the errors are already fixed.

Edit: +1 Cthulhu_ Google=private company

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#27

Post by Cthulhu_ »

drivingmenuts wrote: post #10

This is an example of one of the major problems of crowd-sourcing: trust. There is no way to verify that the integrity of the submitter, who could be giving wrong information due to malice, incompetence, or as a prank. There's entirely too much trust in crowdsourcing.

It works very well for Wikipedia though, but that's because Wikipedia has much more people that care about the information and maintain it. Google Maps lacks that community feeling of providing correct information, probably because it's owned and operated by Google.

Maybe local business organizations can provide help in this, have a few people dedicate some of their time to making sure all listings are correct. Alternatively, counties / local governments could take this responsibility upon them; after all, local governments dislike seeing local businesses go out of business or get less customers because they can't be found on Google.

At the same time, Google could do better in verifying changes; cross-check them with official address books and business registries and the like.

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#29

Post by pmontra »

benihana wrote: post #17
VikingCoder wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The business owner needs to care what their online presence (including their Google Places) looks like. There is nothing Google or anyone else can do, if the business doesn't care. When the business does care, there are lots of options to clean up their online presence.

Did you read the article? This isn't a case of the owner not caring; he didn't know that google maps was incorrectly reporting his hours. It took a phone call from a customer. And that's the problem - why would he ever think that people weren't coming to his restaurant because a map service messed up his hours? As is clear from this article, that was very low on his checklist of things that might be killing my busine…

Yes, and more than that: he didn't know what Google Map is. He is 74 and can be excused for that. Fast forward ourselves into our 70+: how many new things we won't know or care about then?

Re: How Google Map Hackers Can Destroy a Business at Will

#30

Post by troymc »

Aren't there large-scale services to whom a small business owner can pay an annual subscription fee, where the service will monitor the accuracy of their Google, Yelp, Open Street Map, Wikipedia, Yellowpages, etc. information?

The article mentions some person on a retainer who does this on a shop-by-shop basis, but it seems to me that this is something that can be automated and scaled.

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