Anyone can easily follow my whereabouts by looking at my Google reviews. This is a serious privacy risk that will deter users who value their privacy from leaving reviews.
Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
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Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#2This is the downside of social proof. Your review is less valuable without your identity tied to it. This is why I don’t do any reviews that might identify me.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#3The whole point of reviews is to inform others on your experience. If you’re uncomfortable with others knowing you’ve been somewhere, why are you giving reviews in the first place?
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#4The whole point of reviews is to inform others on your experience. If you’re uncomfortable with others knowing you’ve been somewhere, why are you giving reviews in the first place?
generally, you review when you have a really bad experience.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#5The whole point of reviews is to inform others on your experience. If you’re uncomfortable with others knowing you’ve been somewhere, why are you giving reviews in the first place?
generally, you review when you have a really bad experience.
I disagree. I review when I have polarizing experiences (good OR bad), or when I want to show support for a business.
I think tying a review to your google account is also good, because anonymity on the internet is generally used by people to say things they wouldn't say in the real world, often in harmful ways.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#6I’d say don’t publish Google Maps reviews then. They’re explicitly public.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#7Set up a second account for reviews. Easy. Annoying. But easy.
Just use your middle name or a slightly different spelling.
I did that when Yelp forced you to use a real name. Nobody wants to be themselves on the internet. Eww.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#8The whole point of reviews is to inform others on your experience. If you’re uncomfortable with others knowing you’ve been somewhere, why are you giving reviews in the first place?
generally, you review when you have a really bad experience.
Generally, no, you don’t. Reviews can absolutely be positive and if you had a good experience that’s just as much motivation to leave a review. But positive or negative, that doesn’t address the issue that reviews are meant to be seen by others. It’s the entire core concept of the process.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#9Don't review things then.
Re: Tell HN: I'm not comfortable with Google Maps showing all my reviews to everyone
#10The whole point of reviews is to inform others on your experience. If you’re uncomfortable with others knowing you’ve been somewhere, why are you giving reviews in the first place?
generally, you review when you have a really bad experience.
If that was true then reviews would generally be bad, but that doesn't seem to be the case. One example is IMDB (good large dataset) where the average rating is 6.8 (wish I knew the median, but couldn't find that number).