Are you missing the 360 photography boat?

[armstrongc]

Support for 360 media is exploding. Between Samsung, Ricoh, Nikon, and others announcing 360 cameras, and with Street View, YouTube, and other platforms each adding support for the content they produce, it's clear that 360 is where it’s at. The question is: should you be betting on it too?

 

If your interest is in helping others discover new places, the answer is "yes." Last year, Google engaged an external market research firm to help us understand whether 360 photos, added to Maps listings, influence prospective visitor interest. In that study, hotel and restaurant listings were shared with a thousand respondents. In randomized fashion, equal portions of the audience were shown versions of Maps listings which contained either: i) strictly business details (text and nothing else), ii) business details and photos, or iii) business details, photos, and 360 photos. Respondents were then asked to rank their level of interest in whichever version they were shown. What the study revealed is that hotel and restaurant listings which add photos are 1.5X as likely to be deemed visit-worthy, while listings that included both photos and 360 photos were deemed a full 2X as enticing to respondents. In other words, 360 photos offer prospects a much greater level of understanding and confidence in whether a place is worth visiting.

This has long been suspected by 360 photographers (including Street View trusted pros), but the news should be equally exciting for anyone interested in contributing their local knowledge to the map. The thing is, 360 photography has historically been complicated. You've either needed to own a DSRL kit with post-processing software (which is not to be discounted since this approach still yields the highest quality results), or you've been faced with using your phone to shoot a bunch of images that are then stitched together to form 360 photos (an approach that requires great dedication to master). Fortunately, Street View has invested in a new, third option that splits the difference.

By collaborating with leading 360 camera manufacturers, Google has enabled a seamless shoot, preview, optionally blur faces, publish, and connect workflow that yields linked-together Street View tours in a matter of minutes rather than hours. You can even transfer the published results to others (like business owners). Here's a set of camera and accessory options if this sounds inspiring. The Street View Help Center also offers lots of additional support such as how to videos. Also worth noting: because the Street View app is part of our Maps ecosystem, the 360 photos you publish to Maps listings through the app will show up in Your Contributions at Maps.Google.com, helping boost your Local Guides contribution numbers.

Hop on board and join the movement — and definitely share your results. Here's a recent addition, for example.

Cheers!

Charles Armstrong

Product Manager

Google Street View