Most days, the biggest drama on a Google Maps listing is a one-star review because the chips were cold. I did not think Maps and “real world” news and politics ever meet.
This weekend I witnessed something bigger happen to a pub listing, and us Local Guides need to be aware and responsible to keep maps out of this type of drama.
I will keep politics out of this post - I do not believe it has any place on maps.
What happened at the location is for other people to argue about in other platforms.
What interests me is what happened to the Maps page afterwards, because it shows how fast the tool we all care about can be pulled into an argument it was never built for.
BAckground - What happened
On Sunday 25 October, a video spread online from “The Star”, a Wetherspoon pub in Gosport, England.
It showed customers being turned away at the door for wearing a remembrance poppy. We all are aware of how social media can be easily used to push messaging and spread information - not all of it is fact checked.
I am not here to judge who is right and what really happened - it is not important in this context.
Context - What is a remembrance poppy?
A remembrance poppy is a small red flower worn in the UK to honour the soldiers who died in wars. You will see them most often at the end of October and the start of November, in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day (11 November and Remembrance Sunday).
I know few people that wear one all year round.
The traditional version is made of paper, with a green leaf, and is sold by the Royal British Legion to raise money for the armed forces community. Many people also wear a metal enamel pin instead, which can be reused.
Paper. The traditional poppy, with a green leaf.
Enamel pin. A reusable version, here with the words “Lest we forget”.
The idea comes from the red poppies that grew on the battlefields of the First World War in France and Belgium, and from a poem written in 1915 by a Canadian army doctor, John McCrae.
The first Poppy Day organised by the British Legion took place on 11 November 1921. The Royal British Legion describes the poppy as a sign of remembrance and hope, not a symbol of politics or religion.
For most people it is a simple sign of respect, but like many symbols, it can mean different things to different people.
Context - Why this a Wetherspoons pub matters
It is one of the biggest pub chains in the country.
Sir Tim Martin opened the first pub in Muswell Hill, London, in 1979, and today there are hundreds of them in towns and cities everywhere.
The reputation is simple. The prices are low, the menu is big, and it is a place where families, workers, retired friends and students all sit in the same room.
For many people it is the pub you go to when you want a good meal that does not cost much.
I have ate (and drank quite a few beers) in this chain and reviewed many of their branches.
That is why a story about one pub in the chain spreads so fast, and why so many people feel they have an opinion about it, even if they have never been to that branch.
What does REVIEW flood looked like
When I read a new article in local news, I wondered where the pub was and when checked it on maps I was horrified.
As the story spread, the pub’s Maps listing was flooded with negative reviews.
In the first hour or two I counted dozens of new ones. Many were one star with no written text, just a template: “Food: 1, Service: 1”. Some were about the news story and not about a visit, for example reviews saying it was shameful that someone else was refused entry. A few used the optional details, like parking and kid-friendliness, to add extra complaints.
Worst, someone uploaded a fake (wrong location) image that replaced the main photo of the place.
The newest reviews, names hidden. The four-star review circled in green is from 3 days ago, the last one before the story spread.
The reviews above it were posted or edited in the hours afterwards.
When I checked in this morning the listing showed 2,384 reviews and an average of about 3.0 stars, and 847 of those reviews were one star.
A pub that normally sits around ~4* had fallen by almost a full star in hours.
The Local Guide part
I looked at the newest entries on the list, and MANY of them came from accounts with a Local Guide badge. Some were big accounts with hundreds of reviews and photos.
A badge does not make a review authentic.
A review of location is meant to describe your own visit to a place.
If you are reacting to a news story, the review does not follow the contribution rules, whatever your level is.
How Google reacted
I reported the fake photo. It was replaced very quickly. I do not know if that was automation or a person (or others that reported the same issue), but either way it was impressive.
An hour later after I reported the photo and the fake reviews, the review count had dropped from 2,384 to 1,677, and the rating was back to 3.8.
That is a clean-up of about 700 reviews in a matter of minutes.
The numbers keep moving, though. In the screenshot below, the listing shows 3.7 stars from 1,757 reviews, with the pub front as its main photo.
The listing afterwards. 3.7 stars from 1,757 reviews, with a real photo of the pub front back in place.
I believe maps do watches for unusual spikes, removes content that breaks its policies, and can switch off new contributions on a listing for a while.
For the time being I can see new 1* reviews added - I assume these would be cleaned later again.
Will Local Guides be warned?
Google’s Local Guides help page says that a policy violation, even an unintentional one, can restrict a guide’s features.
Meaning this type of reviews guideline violation, can harm Local Guide’s profile.
We should all keep maps to what it was intended for - authentic experience sharing:
Write about your own visits.
If you see a listing hit by a sudden wave of reviews or photos, report them instead of joining in. And please do not fight back with a wave of five-star reviews either.
Fake praise breaks the same rules as fake complaints.
This specific case will probably take days to calm down.
I expect more reviews and more removals before it settles.
), I think I’ve read somewhere that it was a misunderstanding because other political demonstrations were taking place nearby.