Those Who Think Points are Important But Not Over Quality of Contribution

[MarkAuchincloss]

With @AdamGT updated points tables in mind, it got me thinking of what motivates most guides to contribute, the gaining of points ! @tony_b this post was moved and I thank-you for concurring with my thoughts.

I've started to look to good practice advice posts to help with this as well as looking at what how others are contributing. I've found that some high up in the rankings value quantity more than quality which I accept can be a delicate balance. However, I note some take photos from virtually the same spot so for each listing they upload way too many similar photos and often with people and their faces in them. I believe this to be contrary to the spirit of Google Maps photos. We all could do the same and upload hundreds of photos for each place we visit but that's got to be overload or too sensitive with people, if I did what they were doing I would have had millions of points by now but I'm careful to select what I'm adding to add value not quantity overload.

I'm already concerned about info overload as with so many Guides uploading photos and detailed commentaries there's only so much the average user can utilise. So I'm finding myself spending more time reporting fellow guides for breaches of the rules uploading photos that have no relevance or are repetitive or comments that are malicious.

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to make this particular point or is there a forum we can use to discuss issues like overuse of similar photos or of people, one word  or commercial comments etc ? It's not only a question of adding points for the sake of it and to go up the leaderboard but to do it in a responsible way that adds value to Google Maps.

[MortenCopenhagen]

Well said, @MarkAuchincloss

I'm with you. Maybe we should collaborate on testing the effect of flagging non-compliant contributions?

In two weeks I will be publishing tips on avoiding duplicates in my Storefront Photography series.

Here is a good place to discuss low and high quality contributions and what can be done.

Cheers 

Morten 

[MarkAuchincloss]

@MortenCopenhagen  thanks for your kind words. I believe you've hit the nail on the head !! Yes I have no idea if I'm ever successful in removing inappropriate comments or photos etc. Surely we should be rewarded with points 😅 like I get for removing a listing that doesn't exist on the ground ? Thanks for the advice, I'm look forward to seeing the latest in the series.

[JustJake]

You make a great point, @MarkAuchincloss, thank you for "pointing" this out. I think 'Big G' might even be guilty of this kind of number obsession by harping on how there are 150million Local Guides out there. Do they really need that many if we're not following the rules? How often is there a purge where LG status is truly removed, rather than just having contributions hidden? 

Are you reporting the offending contribution or the profile itself when you come across these? I have only reported spam accounts that I notice as new followers on my profile. Otherwise, I just report images and reviews as I see them, but never know whether any action is taken on the account.

[MarkAuchincloss]

Hi @JustJake thanks for the interesting comments. I've corrected my Title as it should have said "Quality and not Quantity" !! Yes that's so true. I see people repeatedly posting repetitive or commercial comments but nothing seems to happen.

I report on a contribution by contribution basis and leave Google to form their opinion which should be straight forward if it's flagrant. Yes likewise I hope the reporting is useful and is taken seriously but it would be great to know as it motivates us to keep vigilance. All of this is to make the user experience as good as possible and to remove unnecessary/inappropriate content.

[tony_b]

Thanks for tagging me here @MarkAuchincloss I was a bit confused when I commented on your post and later went back and found your post had changed significantly. So I edited mine, as it seems this platform does not allow me to delete it completely.

Yes, we can learn a lot from @AdamGT and the Leaderboards. Now that there are so many types of leaderboards, there's no reason to do quantity over quality just to get recognition. Each Local Guide can get recognized for completely different reasons in different countries without feeling the need to game the system to compete with the top guns.

For example, I'm from a small country and my numbers are relatively small, and I think I do very little compared to others from big countries, but I'm still top on the country leaderboards and present on all Level 8 boards. 

[Gezendunyali]

hello @MarkAuchincloss , thanks for your article. I have mentioned a similar problem before. In my country, unfortunately, people can act against the rules to get points. However, we are the user of an application that has millions of users, not just a few people. Some shalewr may be difficult to control. I have a small criticism about your article. Although you have told some truths, I think sharing by name is a hurtful and unkind language. It would be more correct to share your ideas without names.

[MarkAuchincloss]

Hi @tony_b not at all, it was a pleasure. You make another very important point. Like you alot of my contributions are in rural Galicia, a remote part of North West Spain, so when I add photos or contributions often there's not much traffic or interest so it's never going to be about getting huge number of visits. However, it is about raising awareness of what the region offers as it has potential and even if there are less people they deserve the same services as bigger places.

[MarkAuchincloss]

Hi @Gezendunyali thanks for your observations, they are most appreciated and it's a great pleasure to communicate directly with a Guiding Star. Yes you are so right, I sometimes forget that Google Maps is so awe inspiringly powerful in its reach and importance and the numbers involved. I accept your point about not mentioning individuals if I have a rant. All the best to you.

[Gezendunyali]

Hi @MarkAuchincloss  Thank you for your kind reply. Keep commenting.☺️👊🏻