What are ways to make money providing content to Google on Maps

Google Maps contribution stories
1

Hey everyone!!

My name is Albert and I was wondering why Google does not pay for content creation and reviews on Google Maps.?. I would have

thought that by now Google would have some sort of a comp model… Maybe I am missing something how do you currently get

compensated from Google? Please do tell… Time is the most precious commodity in the universe!!

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2

Sorry, it is not possible, @Imakeumoney1

Imagine the amount of worthless contributions it would result in.

Cheers

Morten

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@Imakeumoney1 ,

If you became a local guide make money, then you might as well stop.

Local Guides freely donate their valuable time, because they enjoy taking photos and videos, like promoting local businesses, and want to make Maps better, more accurate, and more useful.

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@Imakeumoney1 We’re not doing it for Google. We’re doing this for places we love and want to promote. We do it to help places we don’t love get feedback to improve. We do it to help others explore our hometowns.

Want money? Start a travel blog, become a food critic, start a photography business. The irony is that you’ll pay Google if you want to advertise your business… but at least the reviews would be free :wink:

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Hi @Imakeumoney1

The question is indeed interesting, and can have a lot of different answers, depending of the point of view.

  • Would you trust a “paid” review , as @MortenCopenhagen seems to suggest?
  • Would you be happy to pay a monthly subscription for a navigation app that it is actually free?
  • Would you feel free to write a negative review, if you are paid for writing it?
  • Getting paid for our contributions would mean having a contact with Google. How should our customer (Google) react if they discover that we are violating the terms of the agreement, for example by uploading the same images twice, as in your case? Would he simply break the contract, or would he ask you for compensation for the damages?

I would like to know your opinion about the above points.

Of course there are professionals that are being paid for creating contents used in Google Maps. They are professional photographers and 360° photographers that are hired by the businesses, to create contents for them. Of course they do not upload directly their contents in Maps, and they are NOT local guides

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Google gives us so many things Free

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Maybe Google is capable of doing more than offering a pair of socks to Local Guides

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I’d agree there needs to an incentive structure that will not promote misuse and abuse of Reviews

  1. Reviews shoult NOT be paid. Remuneration for Guides should only be considered on how helpful a Guide is to others. Similar to viewers on youtube
  2. Why would a subscribtion be needed? All Google need to do is monetise ads
  3. I would write a negative review because it is the truth and because I want to help others avoid a mistake. Again, the value is supporting others, not getting paid directly. Take Joe Rogan, he gets paid by Google on his viewcount. Whatever ads he does in person within his videos is his business and separate to the video content.
  4. Maybe a rule structure can be created. ie, 2x different photos 20 points each, 2 photos similar: 20 points and 10 for the second. 2 identical photos, 20 points for first and 1 for the second. Photos that are proved to be incorrect and not representive: give 20 photos each at upload, if confirmation is given later for bad photo then either give yellow card or have a negative effect on points, ie minus 20 points for each wrong
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Hi @mike_p
I am a bit confused about one part of your last reply.

Two “similar” photos and two “identical” photos are in fact a violation of the Local Guides community policy so why to give point for this kind of contributions, and how this will not promote misuse and abuse?

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Nobody wants to promote misuse and abuse ErmesT. We’re all here because we enjoy the platform and would like to see it grow.

These are really nuanced matters and in the software engineering world, solutions can be designed. I am in product development as part of my work. I find it very hard to believe that it is impossible to ever monetise Maps.

Should there be a serious conversation about monetizing Maps, I’d be happy to volunteer to a Product Development team and go through the devil in the detail. It will be worth the hours.

KR

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Feel free to continue the conversation here, @mike_p : G€t Paid for Our Contribution$? What could happen if that were the case?

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