Google: Maps editing is back – but, please, no more p*ss-taking robots!

Google is set to reopen its Maps service to user-submitted edits and labels albeit through a new moderating process. The web goliath will use a team of hand-selected users to screen edits to its maps and approve any changes. Previously, Google employees were taxed with monitoring all submitted revisions of Maps. "Map Maker …

[the spectacularly refined chap]

In other words...

...co-opt users as a free workforce.

I wonder what completely pointless and utterly worthless metric they're going to come up with to persuade the suckers users that their contributions are really highly valued?

[Mark 85]

Re: In other words...

For payment? I'd like the idea of not serving ads to the moderators? I think there would be a pretty long line of applicants for that fringe benefit.

[JetSetJim]

Re: In other words...

Took them two months to come up with that?

I'm sure there will be badges for "Gold/Silver/Bronze Contributor" levels, and all that gubbins to hit the dopamine cycle of the masses updating their maps for free

[Gene Cash]

We've got several restaurants listed here in east Orlando, despite being closed for over 4 years, and 3 or 4 attempts at informing Google. We've also got one-way streets with the wrong direction given, ditto.

I'm always told "insufficient information" - what the hell more do they want? I can't send a picture of the closed restaurant, it hasn't been there for 3 years!

Also, a motorcycle accessories shop opened down the street 2 years ago, and I heard the owner continually bitch about how he either disappeared from Google Maps, or was listed several blocks away. He eventually closed shop and one of the factors was "wow, I couldn't find you"

Fuck 'em. I now keep a separate map with personal corrections that I share among friends and riding buddies, plus Open Street Map has no problem with corrections.

[<shakes head>]

lossing interest in maps

this sounds like they are not interested any more, the self driving cars shoul dbe able to use road signs so no need any more, or they are just bored.

[Anonymous Coward]

use a team of hand-selected users

Do you value our time more than yours? Do you want to share the feeling of doing something for nothing for the biggest, priciest company in the world with other countless minions across the world? Click here to subscribe!

And they swarmed in in their thousands, and millions, and Google asked crowdsourcers crowdsourced before to pick the best crowdsourcers from those millions, and so they did and they hailed Google for giving them the opportunity to contribute their time and effort for free, and the ex-Google employees wept as Google saw and laughed with mirth at how much money was saved, and it was good.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have been trying to verify a number of business on GM

My goodness, the process is fraught with fail.

The update/edit process is also a major frustration.

This, just so customers are not mislead by crap data someone else has set.

[Richard Taylor 2]

But

The Apple graffiti was amusing - even as a confirmed Apple user

[thomas k]

asking users to police themselves

Yeah, what could go wrong with that, eh?

[introdium]

there're a number of businesses in our coastal town..listed on GM as miles away from their actual OPEN locations.... smh...