Google Decides to Monetize Maps • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#201

Post by soheil » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:43 PM UTC

joshfraser wrote: post #107

Google tracks your exact location every few seconds. They know which stores you visit, which restaurants you frequent, which friends you spend the most time with, how often you go to the gym, who you're sleeping with and much more. The targeted advertising and surveillance capabilities that are possible as a result of this level of data collection are absolutely terrifying.

What evidence is your statement based on? On iPhone Google Maps only has access to your location while the app is in use, that means either when A) the app is open or B) it's in the background and there is a blue background around the clock indicating the map is in use.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#202

Post by agumonkey » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:44 PM UTC

rkagerer wrote: post #137

dininski wrote: post #4

I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. I was stunned when a few days ago I was looking up something on Google Maps and started seeing advertised locations/suggestions. Even though I love the product and have been a fan of Google products for the longest time, their current strategy of monetizing everything they can is very off putting. The direction Chrome is taking is also concerning. Don't know what…

Well said. Thanks Google for cluttering my life with more unwanted spam. I used to think of the Google brand very highly. Lately my subconscious associates it with the expectation of a sub-par user experience and some slightly creepy tendencies.

and filtering your life from more wanted pages..

the side effect of classification is not 100% positive

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#203

Post by agumonkey » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:47 PM UTC

technotony wrote: post #25

dininski wrote: post #4

I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. I was stunned when a few days ago I was looking up something on Google Maps and started seeing advertised locations/suggestions. Even though I love the product and have been a fan of Google products for the longest time, their current strategy of monetizing everything they can is very off putting. The direction Chrome is taking is also concerning. Don't know what…

Why should they offer a free maps service? They are a business with shareholder responsibilities, not a charity, and maps must cost them a ton of money to operate.

It's a surprisingly sizeable mistake to think this way. Google was loved because they gave things that were better than the era state of the art. Hotmail users moved away to gmail because it was dead obvious. Maps used to cost a lot and were clumsy.. now you can fly over them in a browser.

Google's business was to answer query. The rest was philanthropy. If they start to operate like any other crap stock they'll go the way of the loo.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#204

Post by ericol » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:47 PM UTC

The problem I have with Maps is not the eventual monetization (By ads?), but how much Google sucks at doing that in a non disruptive way; not to mention I'm constantly arguing with the app as what is the best path, but I digress.

If they are to monetize it, they should take a hint from Waze (That, funnily enough, was bought by Google few tears ago) as to how do in map advertizing right.

They also have a lot of missed oportunities: The very few times I had to search something when using the app (Be it having to rush to a gas station, or in desperately need of an ATM) Maps has failed miserably.

Finaly, these apps are optimized for "First World" environments, and they also fail just as miserably in other places (Or other dimensions, as the one my country, Argentina, seems to be in)

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#205

Post by treis » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:48 PM UTC

hacker_123 wrote: post #167

wool_gather wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I agree about the utility, MapQuest pre-dated Google Maps by a fair bit.

It's kind of amazing how well Google did without a first mover advantage here. MapQuest launched in 1996. Google Maps launched in 2005.

The advantage of Google Search and the willingness to lose millions (billions?) Of dollars on a product is a powerful combination.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#206

Post by User23 » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:53 PM UTC

I stopped using google maps when they tried to force me to turn history on to update my home address.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#207

Post by will_brown » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:54 PM UTC

dininski wrote: post #4

I can't stress enough how much of a bad idea this is. I was stunned when a few days ago I was looking up something on Google Maps and started seeing advertised locations/suggestions. Even though I love the product and have been a fan of Google products for the longest time, their current strategy of monetizing everything they can is very off putting. The direction Chrome is taking is also concerning. Don't know what…

>But to invest in what?

Maybe now that they changed OpenAI from a non-profit, to what they dub a new type of legal entity: a non-profit that pays out “profits” to investors - and they further claim this will be the most valuable company in history by orders of magnitude - maybe they want to milk google users which they can write off by investing in the non-profit they control effectively own (even though legally non profits don’t have owners).

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#208

Post by sct202 » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 6:57 PM UTC

puzzle wrote: post #52

flukus wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember reading a pop-sci article many years ago about a study that found women were better at navigating by landmark and men were better at more abstract directions like maps and compass directions, with gay men being good at both. So while this is annoying for me it could be great for the other 50% of the population, would be nice if it was optional.

I found in my own amateur UX studies that there are drivers who hear "in a quarter mile, turn right" and don't know how far that is, even after having heard that prompt thousands of times. You'd think that after a while they'd build a mental model of the distance. Instead, they seem to just tune out the "in a quarter mile". This is one of the classes of users for which products need to be designed. (I have similar pr…

Oh yeah I love when people measure turns by the number of intersections to pass. Things like quarter mile or 1000 ft are hot garbage for me in terms of understanding how close I am to needing to turn, since it depends a lot on how fast I'm moving.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#209

Post by grumblez » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 7:00 PM UTC

pas wrote: post #134

rootusrootus wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What killed GMaps for me was the dogged insistence that the correct route through the city involves making left turns onto busy multilane roads at rush hour from a side street with a stop sign, just to avoid a half-block of stopped traffic waiting for a left turn signal.

Interestingly I started using GMaps instead of Waze exactly for this. Waze loves sightseeing and meeting new people on cozy little streets.

This is configurable in Waze at least. There's a "Avoid difficult intersections" option in the Navigation settings.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#210

Post by frosted-flakes » Thu, Apr 18, 2019, 7:01 PM UTC

jedberg wrote: post #129

frosted-flakes wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depends what you use it for. For driving directions, there are plenty of alternatives. An excellent one is a standalone GPS device like a Garmin nüvi or a TomTom, which works entirely offline (except traffic reports, which are received over FM radio or Bluetooth). The only time I actually use Google Maps is when I'm at my PC, and Bing maps works just as well.

I think if you tried using gmaps for navigation you’d find it to be a far superior to those devices. Does your TomTom tell you “turn into the driveway after the Vitamin Shop”? Because gmaps does.

I have used google Maps for navigation. It's not all that much better than my Garmin, at least not in my area. Even in downtown Manhattan the Garmin worked flawlessly.

And Garmin units have had natural directions like that for four or five years. But I find it more of a hindrance than anything. I would rather hear "Turn right onto Wellington St" than "Turn right at the Starbucks", especially because the Starbucks is not always obvious.

But more importantly, I prefer a dedicated device because it's way more convenient. It's always there, it doesn't kill my battery, it doesn't rack up roaming fees when I cross the border[0], it has a large screen that's easy to see[1], it has super useful features like "Up ahead" that shows where the next rest stop, service centre, etc. is, and it leaves my phone free for audiobook duties.

My Garmin has been nearly 100% reliable because it never moves and automatically comes on with the ignition. Google Maps is at best 20% reliable because it's not there when I need it.

[0] Yes, google Maps can download maps to work offline, but they constantly expire, leaving me high and dry when I actually need them, and I don't want to download half the continental US just for a road trip. Oh, and POI search is gimped when offline.

[1] My phone does not have a large screen, and Google Maps' map is incredibly difficult to decipher when driving because of super thin low-contrast lines, tiny labels, and a non-zoomable display (when in driving mode).