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Google Decides to Monetize Maps

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Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#61

Post by frosted-flakes »

Tsubasachan wrote: post #53
Svip wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OP is not saying they cannot monetise their product as they see fit (it's their product). No one is saying that. But when you have been offering something for free for years, people get used to that being the way of things, users are not going to respond well to the increase in advertisement. Had Google done this from the beginning, people would have been more accepting of it. Generally speaking, if you change a serv…

There aren't a lot of good alternatives to Maps though. I do find that the service is becoming more and more unusable with all the shitty product placements.

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.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#62

Post by cwilkes »

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…

I’m in that camp where I hear the “in X units of measure turn right” and get confused as I can’t really relate to that when driving vs walking or reading a map — which is the entire reason I’m using voice prompts with the app.

Part of the reason is that my frame of reference in a fast moving car is time and not distance. How many feet Is that car in front of you? Unless it is under 10 mph and under 20 feet I have no idea. I do have some idea about how many seconds it is as I have to know that in order to avoid the car if it stops working quickly.

I don’t know why the apps don’t say “in 10 seconds turn right” or maybe “turn right now!” With an emphasis as that’s how I’m used to getting directions from a passenger.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#63

Post by frosted-flakes »

flukus wrote: post #51
puzzle wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not an ad¹. A lot of humans navigate that way, for many reasons. Google has done research on that through the years. Landmarks might be easier to spot and are an useful confirmation that you got the turn right. Do you never ask yourself if you just made a mistake? Perhaps you got distracted by a passenger, another vehicle or a pedestrian. The street name you are turning onto might be not as visible because the s…

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.

Landmarks are fine if it's "the next stoplight", but when it starts naming random businesses I find it incomprehensible because I don't know what to look for. I turned it off years ago because it's really not very helpful (on my Garmin, not google Maps).

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#64

Post by leokennis »

clydethefrog wrote: post #9
pojntfx wrote: post #3

May OpenStreetMap prevail!

I wish there was an app using OSM that had at least some usability and design. I tried some but had to quit out frustration.

Also, all of them (on iOS at least) "force" you to download maps for offline maps.

I don't want some city I visit once in my lifetime permanently taking up storage...

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#65

Post by jfoster »

cf wrote: post #55
jfoster wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OSM has impressive geographical data now, but in the meantime Google Maps has gone well beyond "we can help you find that street address." Their places data, reviews, photos, navigation, and street view are all adding a massive amount of value. They have shifted the goal posts.

I think there is a good argument to be made for crowdsourcing some of those as well.

Absolutely. There could be some amazing projects and businesses built on top of this data if it were in OSM.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#66

Post by JohnFen »

I stopped using Google Maps a few years back. I received a notification on my phone that a store I was near was having a sale. It was clear that something was leaking my location, and that was being used to push ads to me through Android itself.

A little investigation revealed that the culprit was Google Maps. I uninstalled it at that point and never looked back.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#67

Post by jfoster »

ebg13 wrote: post #60
jfoster wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you trying to imply that Google and/or Google Maps have made the world worse?

Are you trying to imply that adtech has made the world better? Are you trying to erase the difference between mapmaking and tracked advertising ? My eyes are about to fall out the back of my head, I'm rolling them so hard. Google's core business is tracking you and shoveling ads at you. Every time they pollute one of their side hobbies with their core business, it makes that side hobby worse and worse for the world.…

You dodged my question, but I'm happy to answer yours. I do think that advertising has made the world better. A majority of the content on the internet is viable because of it.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#68

Post by JohnFen »

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.

I don't think the issue is monetization. I think the issue is the method of monetization. Doing something like offering paid enhancements, or even an option to pay in exchange for being omitted from the ad network, would be more acceptable.

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#69

Post by coldtea »

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.

>Why should they offer a free maps service?

The shouldn't. They should be forced to close, and Maps and Search should be provided by a non-profit, internationally controlled (UN etc), organization, not a for-profit company.

That's my opinion of what would be best. Some services (like "indexing the world's knowledge") are too important to be left to private interests and be monetized via ads...

Re: Google Decides to Monetize Maps

#70

Post by throw_away »

cageface wrote: post #57
Tsubasachan wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are assuming people would pay for an ad free GMAPS. Google tried this with YouTube Red. It doesn't work. Apple users may be willing to pay for apps, Android users don't swing that way.

Ad free won’t be enough. I predict there will be some kind of monthly bundle that includes a lot of different services. News, music, video and premium features on top of things like maps. Getting people to pay small amounts for a bunch of individual services is harder than charging them one lump sum per month for everything.

Heh, following the apple branding, they could call it google+
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