RIP Google Places

[Unarmed Gunman]

I thought those two hipster/fad sites had already had their 5 minutes of hysteria?

Yes and no. It's a very expensive business model, but Google is probably the best positioned to make it worth it. For instance, Google has their own business suite for small businesses to utilize, they have a social network for deal distribution, they have their own email platform for deal delivery, they have their own mobile platform with Android, they have Adwords - the list goes on.

Google has decided that the average business owner is a far more valuable user to have than Aunt Millie will ever be for Facebook.

 

[dcodex]

Exactly, who the fuck is going to leave a positive review for a business that should be doing exactly what is expected.

Provide good service.

Giving good service doesn't warrant a positive review going above and beyond a good experience does, but how many businesses even attempt that? ZERO!

Google is full of very smart ignorant people who don't really understand small business. They are just a bunch of brilliant geeks with zero common sense.

I foresee this being more so for negative reviews. I have yet to meet a human that is going to jump through all the hoops needed to leave a positive review for their dry cleaner, plumber or lawn care guy. Sure they may have done an excellent job... but the LEGIT reviews are going to be negative ones.

 

[JCash]

The googleplex is a big weird bubble where everyone inside loses touch with reality. The hive mind there likes things that are "neat" and they deploy (and sunset) "neat" things without much regard for people, and particularly businesses, that might use their "neat" stuff, and don't listen much, if at all, to people who complain when things they rely on from Google are about to go away.

 

[cheshire]

VERY smart move by Google. Watch how many G+ users sign up just so they can get access to those exclusive Google Offers for their local pizza joint/plumber/paintball place.

Doesn't mean they'll use it for anything more than downloading the weekly coupon, then checking in on Facebook once they're at the Pizza joint.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

Doesn't mean they'll use it for anything more than downloading the weekly coupon, then checking in on Facebook once they're at the Pizza joint.

I agree. But which one generates revenue...?

 

[Traquer]

I have yet so see any of my local results in Southern California change, same shit as of 5/31/12.

This is a smart move by Google, because remember at first they were scraping Yelp and other reviews, then when they got in trouble they removed them and started promoting their own Google reviews. That didn't really take off (compared to Yelp), so now they're finally stepping it up and making a decent local/social experience.

This may very well be the way that they finally break into the social market and start getting some traction. Why? Because they're tying (forcing) social into their arguably most-used/loved product--maps.

But wait, Apple is coming out with their OWN maps here shortly... The fun continues......

 

[pocketrockets]

The only reviews local businesses are going to get now are from the SEO industry and Google employees, ha!

Yelp already has won over the masses and is well entrenched. Google could add Groupon/Living Social type deals but they will make it too complicated, confusing and in constant change for the average local business to use (just like PPC and Adwords Express)

Only positive is they give job security to local marketers.

 

[verdeithaca]

im seeing a wide range of results from blended to old gplaces to the new glocal+. itll be interesting for sure.

 

[JCash]

As this change is starting to settle a little, GOOG should be embarrassed. Even though the old Local had become a complete mess with LSO's spamming the crap out of it, the current iteration looks like a couple untalented interns did an after-hours project with the plus API and by some horrible accident it was rolled out as a product. Doesn't bode well for whatever search products are due next for plusification (maybe blog or video search?)

 

[pocketrockets]

Google Readies New Local-Ad Assault

Google Inc. has repeatedly tried, and largely failed, to crack the market for local business advertising. As early as next month, the Internet company will try anew, as it trains its largest-ever assault on the roughly $20 billion market.

Google plans to have its newest small-business service — which at one point it was calling Business Builder — up and running as early as July, said a person familiar with the matter.

Google Readies New Local Ad Assault - WSJ.com

 

[IPfreely80]

VERY smart move by Google. Watch how many G+ users sign up just so they can get access to those exclusive Google Offers for their local pizza joint/plumber/paintball place.

This x 1000 .... google will end up having the least popular social network with the most users.

 

[laurettacartmil]

I would call it a smart move to get attention of lots of business owners. This time google seems pretty serious for its social networking site.