1. Forum
  2. Usenet
  3. MISC.NEWS.INTERNET.DISCUS

  • Google Maps fake business reviews

    From Retrograde@21:1/5 to All on Wed Oct 2 00:45:26 2024
    From the «people suck in any format» department:
    Title: Google Maps is cracking down on fake reviews
    Author: Jess Weatherbed
    Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:13:15 +0000
    Link: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/26/24254882/google-maps-removing-fake-business-reviews-warning-message

    [image 1]If a place is caught using fake reviews, Google will temporarily limit its reviews entirely. | Image: The Verge

    Google Maps is reeling in business pages engaging in fake reviews, and highlighting such activity to its users. Google will now impose restrictions against business profiles[2] that violate the search giant’s Fake Engagement policy, such as temporarily removing reviews, blocking new reviews or ratings, and displaying a warning message on profiles that have had fake reviews deleted.

    The business profile restrictions were introduced in the UK earlier this year, but Search Engine Roundtable notes[3] that the support page was updated in mid-September to seemingly apply globally. For the moment, however, only users in the UK are seeing the business warnings, such as the example posted to X by Mike Blumenthal[4].
    Image: Google / Mike...[4]

    Continue reading…[5]

    Links:
    [1]: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TiO_23vYCDuKiMmkSnmfH8WfUSs=/0x0%3A2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73611927/STK270_GOOGLE_MAPS_D.0.png (image)
    [2]: https://support.google.com/business/answer/14114287 (link)
    [3]: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-reviews-restrictions-business-profile-violations-38068.html (link)
    [4]: https://x.com/mblumenthal/status/1835746813032177806 (link)
    [5]: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/26/24254882/google-maps-removing-fake-business-reviews-warning-message (link)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to Retrograde on Thu Oct 3 22:48:26 2024
    This message is in MIME format. The first part should be readable text,
    while the remaining parts are likely unreadable without MIME-aware tools.

    On Wed, 2 Oct 2024, Retrograde wrote:

    From the «people suck in any format» department:
    Title: Google Maps is cracking down on fake reviews
    Author: Jess Weatherbed
    Date: Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:13:15 +0000
    Link: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/26/24254882/google-maps-removing-fake-business-reviews-warning-message

    [image 1]If a place is caught using fake reviews, Google will temporarily limit
    its reviews entirely. | Image: The Verge

    Google Maps is reeling in business pages engaging in fake reviews, and highlighting such activity to its users. Google will now impose restrictions against business profiles[2] that violate the search giant’s Fake Engagement
    policy, such as temporarily removing reviews, blocking new reviews or ratings,
    and displaying a warning message on profiles that have had fake reviews deleted.

    The business profile restrictions were introduced in the UK earlier this year,
    but Search Engine Roundtable notes[3] that the support page was updated in mid-September to seemingly apply globally. For the moment, however, only users
    in the UK are seeing the business warnings, such as the example posted to X by
    Mike Blumenthal[4].
    Image: Google / Mike...[4]

    Continue reading…[5]

    Links:
    [1]: https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TiO_23vYCDuKiMmkSnmfH8WfUSs=/0x0%3A2040x1360/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73611927/STK270_GOOGLE_MAPS_D.0.png (image)
    [2]: https://support.google.com/business/answer/14114287 (link)
    [3]: https://www.seroundtable.com/google-reviews-restrictions-business-profile-violations-38068.html (link)
    [4]: https://x.com/mblumenthal/status/1835746813032177806 (link)
    [5]: https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/26/24254882/google-maps-removing-fake-business-reviews-warning-message (link)


    I tried to write a review once, when I was very happy with the service,
    and google rejected it because it was too positive. I did not have the
    time or energy to fight it, so I feel sorry for the business that never
    got the review.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Retrograde@21:1/5 to nospam@example.net on Thu Oct 3 23:56:07 2024
    On 2024-10-03, D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
    I tried to write a review once, when I was very happy with the service,
    and google rejected it because it was too positive. I did not have the
    time or energy to fight it, so I feel sorry for the business that never
    got the review.

    That's really pretty outrageous.

    Similar, my spouse went to look up a hotel I know and have used. Not shown on Google. I went to Google, and it appeared. Those fuckers show you not
    what you want to see but what they have been paid to let you see.

    The internet is a failure.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From D@21:1/5 to Retrograde on Fri Oct 4 10:28:47 2024
    On Thu, 3 Oct 2024, Retrograde wrote:

    On 2024-10-03, D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
    I tried to write a review once, when I was very happy with the service,
    and google rejected it because it was too positive. I did not have the
    time or energy to fight it, so I feel sorry for the business that never
    got the review.

    That's really pretty outrageous.

    Yep, but google cares little for their customers.

    Similar, my spouse went to look up a hotel I know and have used. Not shown on
    Google. I went to Google, and it appeared. Those fuckers show you not
    what you want to see but what they have been paid to let you see.

    This is the truth!

    The internet is a failure.

    Well, that's a bit dramatic. Maybe we could say the internet is
    suboptimal? ;) But google definitely is a failure and has done a lot of
    harm to the world. Does the bad outweigh the good? I don't know.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From JAB@21:1/5 to fungus@amongus.com.invalid on Fri Oct 4 17:07:45 2024
    On Thu, 3 Oct 2024 23:56:07 -0000 (UTC), Retrograde <fungus@amongus.com.invalid> wrote:

    Similar, my spouse went to look up a hotel I know and have used. Not shown on
    Google. I went to Google, and it appeared.

    I know some sites will attempt to suck a person in, despite not
    knowing about a location, etc.

    Somewhat analogous to phone book listings, years ago.


    UPDATED: August 10, 2021

    A ALPHABETICAL ADVANTAGE' HELPS BUSINESSES LISTED IN YELLOW PAGES

    Are you willing to trust your business correspondence to a firm listed
    in the telephone directory as "A AAA Aability Secretarial Service?"
    Trust your car registration to the ungrammatical "A Attorney for DMV
    Matters?" Open wide for someone listed anonymously as "A Business
    Person's Dentist?"

    There's no reason not to, unless you object to business operators
    trying to get an alphabetical leg up on their competition.

    "We've never conducted any studies on which listings get used the
    most," said Bob Johnson, product manager of listing services for
    Pacific Bell. "But if you look through the high-use categories of the
    yellow pages, you'll find this phenomenon going on. Obviously,
    businesses think there's some value there."

    The English language takes a beating two ways because of the scramble
    for phone-book position, the first of which is spelling. Orange
    County, Calif., directories now include such proper names as
    "Aaaaction," "Aaaamerican,”

    ”Aaaansafone” and ”Aapollo."

    https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/11/08/a-alphabetical-advantage-helps-businesses-listed-in-yellow-pages/

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)