I'm sure just like many of you I find the Google Maps function "Ask a Question" a neat feature, though at present I find it completely dysfunctional. Not only creating frustration, but even rendering it useless, and creating serious privacy issues. A short list of what I have seen and can come up with at the moment.
Non-question examples:
- Putting personal information including date of birth, bank account nr, address, etc. For example to request a refund, apply for a passport etc (sometimes from people 70+ years old, clearly not as tech savvy).
- Posting random words/letters, not a question. For example "New passport" at an embassy listing. It is not a question, and won't lead to anything.
- Writing a review in the question section.
- Redundant questions, such as asking for a phone number or opening hours, when they are clearly listed on the same listing.
- Asking "Are you open today?". This one happens ALL the time, piling up over time. Can't even see the date it was asked anyway.
- Trying to make an appointment at a doctor's office/dentist/embassy/law firm etc.
- Questions that will never, ever be answered, such as at an embassy "How do I start a business in your country?", or at a major department store "Do you have a pink t-shirt size M?"
- Asking an unclaimed restaurant/business something, and getting angry in comments when they don't answer. While they probably don't even know their listing/this function exists.
Further issues:
- A dozen people answering to one same question "I don't know"
- Questions in a dozen different languages, without translation function. Particularly at popular tourist destinations.
- Receiving alerts to answer questions about a place that I visited for a minute a year ago, or once upon a time edited a phone number for, etc, which I really have no further knowledge about. Particularly annoying when it involves places like a train station with thousands of people passing by every day, and getting daily questions.
- No alerts when someone responds.
In my own experience, easily 80-90% of questions are complete non-questions, unclear, irrelevant, etc. It leads to a total cluttering of the question section with trash, especially at frequently visited places, rendering the whole feature useless. And there is nothing we can do about it. Sure, you can report a question as inapppropriate, but this doesn't do anything.
Possible improvements:
- Making very clear, on top of the page, that these questions are in the first place asked to FELLOW USERS, not to the business in question. In languages other than English (such as my own, Dutch) don't refer to 'community', this is often not understood by older users (which most often add personal information).
- Give active, high-level contributors (for example Level 8 and up) a function to temporarily remove questions/answers to be put up for review. Then in addition a review function where these reported questions can be voted out.
- The level should be sufficiently high, as every clown can write some reviews, post some photos, and get a few hundred/thousand points. Users with let's say 15.000+ points have at least proven to make a serious effort.
- The ability to immediately report questions/answers in case of privacy issues, for anyone.
- In case of removal of a question, an automatic message back at the user that their question has been removed. Optionally, stating the reason.
- The option to turn off question alerts for specific places This way you don't get flooded with questions from places you barely know, but can still answer for questions that you do know.
- A way to suggest to archive outdated questions (Q: Is there a sale going on? A: Yes, until 15 October!)
Even though its already a long post, these are just the first points I could come up with now. Let me know what other people think in terms of issues and improvements.
Also very much hoping someone from Google will read this, and will take some action, as the ineffectiveness of this tool, and the amount of nonsensical questions is really starting to get on my nerves.
2022
