As a user, I like Google Maps for a variety of reasons but what I like the best, is the element of visual information - photos and videos.
I think that visual information is important, because it’s completely objective, an impartial reality, for each user to interpret in their own way and often a strong proof that the place exists.
- A cafe got poor ratings on Google Maps because they didn’t have comfortable seats but you discovered that they made your favorite food items, that not many restaurants in the area did and the seats didn’t matter as much to you.
- A hotel on Maps had good rating and reviews, but you just wanted to see if they had windows in their rooms and nobody had mentioned anything on that.
- You visited a popular sunset point only to realize that it was too crowded for your taste and you would’ve rather preferred one with a difficult trek but a serene environment.
- You walked a kilometer to get to a pharmacy but it doesn’t exist. This actually happens quite often. Among all nearby pharmacies, one with a recent photo is perhaps most likely the one you’d trust to exist.
- You got selected for a job in a new city. Everything seemed good but you felt nervous about moving to another city when you didn’t even know what the ambiance of the workplace was like.
I can list many more cases from my own experience. This is why, I love to share photos of all the places that I visit, be it a monument, a cafe, a hotel room or an office space.
When I have a distinctive experience (good or bad), I like to share that in a review. But for almost all the places, I share the photos and videos, from different angles.
I don’t add selective photos as I do on Instagram. On Maps, I share them unfiltered, just like I see them in front of me.
Some of these pictures that I’ve clicked and added on Maps,
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I want the users to get the real picture and then leave the interpretation to them. Thereon, it’s on their preferences, and perspectives.