Why do you think someone looking for an insight into a particular place would actually prefer a large photo of you, your friends or your family instead?
The guidelines are clear in that you can do a “selfie” but your image shouldn’t be the focus of the shot, the place in question needs to be and you need to be an insignificant components in a corner, yet day after day I come across photos where the person fills 95% of the frame and they’re using the platform like a personal photo album.
So, given how many users are here there are bound to be some selfie enthusiasts reading this… why do you upload them to Maps?
The “Instagram Style” seems influence many useless shots in Google Maps, and the message “I was there” for many seems to have highest priority than “this is the place where I’ve been”.
Thanks also for mentioning the guidelines, as the scope of Maps is to show the location.
That’s a great old post @ErmesT - I hadn’t seen that one before
As someone who doesn’t do “selfies” under any circumstances and rarely even has their photo taken I’m probably at odds with a world where people seem to be obsessed with promoting themselves but whenever I see a selfie on a maps listing I just can’t get my head around it. Are Google not advertising the platform properly so people think it’s just another photo sharing app or is this just a minority of people who would ignore guidance anyway and we’re relying on Google’s AI to pick these up and for our reports to be listened to?
I think selfies are shared because that is the kind of photos they usually takes. It is probably not out of ill-will but a lack of reading and understanding the photo guidelines (and the photo guidelines not being communicated very well by Google). And a lack of reflections on what is helpful to other Maps users.
Our brains are hard wired to spot faces and evaluate if there could be a threat or someone we know when using our eyes. So the faces really steal a disproportionate amount of awareness away from seeing the places.
After being informed most LG understand and improve their photo contributions. But some don’t care.
I wish there were a way to explain the problem better/more effectively.
On the other hand, I am convinced that the algorithm evaluating out photos actually does a very good job on this. Have you ever noticed how few views selfies and group photos get? And I don’t remember ever seeing them being featured. Do you?
I fully agree with you, and when someone ask for a photo of me, I realize that I don’t have photos of myself, and only a few selfies, normally taken in some Google Event just to remember the name of the person who was with me in the photo .
I honestly think that the rules are the simple reflection of the Best Behaviour that we should have when posting. If we “think as users of Google Maps” we probably don’t need rules, @MortenCopenhagen .
But in a world dominated by selfies, a lot of people think that this is the only way to take photos. I’m probably too old to understand…
Thank you for this post and a reminder. It’s a job cleaning the maps of group photos and selfie and bad photos in general.
I seem to have given up when it comes to photos unfortunately. Reporting or flagging them requires half a life time which is difficult. I have seen a few group photos featured and I reported at least one of them here on connect. Well one keeps flagging and reporting just to do the little we can do.
Nevertheless I agree with Morten,some of them is not as a result of ill will they just don’t know any difference. I realise that the AI prompts you to add/post any kind of photo regardless of the quality and type.Most people follow the prompt and the harm is done. It does to me I have just learnt to hit skip. Wonder is there any great awareness we as local guides can create across board???
@ErmesT that’s a great post good man yourself as always. Thank you.
I absolutely agree with you @turbotapeworm . I have seen the photos uploaded to the maps which are mostly selfies instead of the places. It is actually very annoying. I wish if someone comes across such an id and maybe someone working from Google like the moderator can delete these photos. Not sure this is an option.
It also always surprises me @turbotapeworm when I see some Local Guides posting selfies and sometimes many! I too wonder why they do it and who they think will appreciate seeing them
Absolutely right @turbotapeworm I hate to say it but it gives us a name , They don’t seem to realize that the POI’s hate this spam, I repeat spam, A while ago I reported a local guide who ever photo he took included his girlfriend posing ( it just wasn’t right) Google recognized this and took his photos away, I was glad.
Not sure what it’s like in everyone’s home country but here in Canada our Wi-fi usage is expensive compared to other countries across the world, so we kind of rely on free Wi-Fi provide by the restaurant ,but it gets interesting because a post of 20 selfies will slow down what potential customers are looking for ’ And trust me I know a lot of restaurant owners and managers,(substitute any business Here) and they are all in agreement
