As we are advocating Quality content, my main focus on Google Maps and LocalGuides program has always been quality and comprehensive reviews.
Here's an Idea to prevent Fake/obnoxious/sub-standard reviews & also a strategy to present them in a more comprehensive way on Google Maps.
Possible Scenario:
- Sometimes, local guides copy/paste the same review just to get points
- Sometimes, the reviews are inappropriate and just a bunch of characters. Again, intended to gain extra points
- Sometimes, local guides just go to random places (places they have never been before) and hit stars to get points.
- As mentioned above, most of the local guides just right reviews about any place to get a point
Solution:
Quality Review Meter
- There should be a quality review rating system other than just likes.
- g. if a local guide reviews a restaurant, The review must present options like
- Food Quality
- Menu
- Price
- Ambiance
- Quality of Service etc
- g. if a local guide reviews a shopping mall, the review must present options like
- Parking
- Wheel chair accessible parking
- Facilities
- Brands, etc
- That way, when general public will see a review of a place, we can have a top bar that will give the featured highlights of that place (e.g. the ones discussed above). The user can then scroll down and continue reading reviews.
- That would be beneficial for both, the general public and the local guide as well
- For general public, they will get a bird’s eye view on a certain facility and see the ratings based on featured highlights other than just stars. They can then read the reviews
- For a Local guide, it will take great effort, passion and honesty to write a review and eventually fake reviewers won’t stand a chance
- Also, other local guides can then rank reviews of a fellow local guide based on authenticity, completeness of information and other factors discussed above. This will help Google moderators to see which local guide is actually working actively and passionately in his/her community.
- If in future, Google decides local community moderators on Google Maps (just as we have on Local Guides Connect), it will become very easy to pick up the good guys