5 ms·

On a related note, am I right in understand that the "Google Experts" [1] do it for free? [1] https://developers.google.com/community/experts/ https://develope

On a related note, am I right in understand that the "Google Experts" [1] do it for free? [1] https://developers.google.com/community/experts/ https://developers.google.com/community/experts/

ocdtrekkie 4y ago
Yes, Google has tricked a massive army of people into doing free work for one of the most profitable companies in the world. Things like "Google Local Guides" give people a gold star (and maybe a pair of branded socks) for doing unpaid labor. It's kinda hilarious, but also sad. I imagine there are Google executives in a room somewhere laughing their full heads off every time they think about how there are people who do free work for Google who think they are making the world a better place or something.
- rurban 4y ago
  When they tried to lure me into a "Local Guide" I was offered a free flight, hotel and food at Menlo Park. Once, but still good enough for no work at all.
- vba616 4y ago
  >laughing their full heads off every time they think about how there are people who do free work for Google who think they are making the world a better place or something. So when you go to a store that Google Maps says is open, and find it's closed, you refuse to correct the hours and go "MUHAHAHAHA...I refuse to help Google, take that, corporate scum!"
  - ocdtrekkie 4y ago
    Why would I bother checking Google Maps? But basically, yeah. If Google wants my expertise and data collection ability, they can pay me for it. As it stands now they just cold call businesses and ask them with an AI thing.
    - nine_k 4y ago
      What other source would you rather check?
      - pietervdvn 4y ago
        OpenStreetMap?
        nine_k 4y ago
        Okay! I just opened OsmAnd and looked up my local supermarket. Sadly, no work hours. And this is a very popular supermarket right next to a train station in central Brooklyn, NY. The thing is that business owners do update the info on Google Maps, and have an incentive to do so, but only volunteers update OSM. OSM shines where businesses don't care but volunteers do: trails in a park, non-commercial POIs, etc.
      - ocdtrekkie 4y ago
        I always check the actual website of the business in question. Search engines are wrong like 40% of the time in my experience.
        reaperducer 4y ago
        At a company my wife worked for, the social media department spent half its time fixing store hours, addresses, and map locations in Google Maps and Apple Maps. I guess it's nice that ordinary people try to do these updates for Big G and Apple. But they're often wrong, or they presume a one-day change is a permanent change, or that it applies to every location on the planet.
  - acheron 4y ago
    What? Why on earth would I correct it?
    - Dylan16807 4y ago
      I'm sure you can figure it out. I believe in you. (And that response is because I'm 100% treating your question in good faith and not "I know why I would, but also I know why I wouldn't and prefer that, so I'll pretend I don't know why I would".)
    - newguynewphone 4y ago
      So the trillion dollar company can be better, of course
- omoikane 4y ago
  I can see how the gamification aspect of points and levels might be more motivating for some people, but mostly I see Local Guides as not too different from people posting pictures and reviews to various social networks, except that it is more discoverable by people using Maps. I submit contents to Maps for mostly the same reasons why I use social networks and expect nothing in return.
- reaperducer 4y ago
  and maybe a pair of branded socks Back when it was new and interesting, TripAdvisor used to send people hats if they reviewed a new or unusual hotel. I wish I hadn't lost my hat before I had a chance to wear it while checking into a hotel.
washadjeffmad 4y ago
This is probably one of the more embarrassing and shameful parts of Google's labor ecosystem. These "Google $title Experts" work as uncompensated customer support (a legal requirement that they treat as such, if the quality is any indicator) on various social media outlets like Reddit and Twitter. They don't just provide free labor, they also go to bat for Google's reputation, acting as marketing and PR liaisons to prevent backlash from users who've been failed by their official support processes. One 'expert' I spoke with justified working for free by the "connections and access" they received. When I asked if Google would be flying them out to the events they have access to to meet with the people they have connections with, they said they were told they would have to cover their own travel and lodging. I suppose if Google doesn't pay them, they never have to worry about any Experts connecting and starting a union. We're talking about a multi trillion dollar company. Absolutely ridiculous.
- kurupt213 4y ago
  Like the Reddit super mods
- rurp 4y ago
  > They don't just provide free labor, they also go to bat for Google's reputation, acting as marketing and PR liaisons to prevent backlash from users who've been failed by their official support processes. This is so true. When I try to find a fix for some broken behavior in a major Google app the most common place I end up is a support forum with zero solution, no comment from any Google employee, and a volunteer support person saying how the defect isn't actually a problem but that you should submit feedback within the app. These volunteers can't be helping at this point. Google's disdain for users is pretty widely recognized by now and seeing a whole bunch of frustrated users being blown off yet again doesn't help.
- rater266 4y ago
  AOL got in hot water for this. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_Community_Leader_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_Community_Leader_Program
- cyral 4y ago

On a related note, am I right in understand that the "Google Experts" [1] do it for free? [1] https://developers.google.com/community/experts/ https://developers.google.com/community/experts/

ocdtrekkie 4y ago

Yes, Google has tricked a massive army of people into doing free work for one of the most profitable companies in the world. Things like "Google Local Guides" give people a gold star (and maybe a pair of branded socks) for doing unpaid labor. It's kinda hilarious, but also sad. I imagine there are Google executives in a room somewhere laughing their full heads off every time they think about how there are people who do free work for Google who think they are making the world a better place or something.

rurban 4y ago
When they tried to lure me into a "Local Guide" I was offered a free flight, hotel and food at Menlo Park. Once, but still good enough for no work at all.
vba616 4y ago
>laughing their full heads off every time they think about how there are people who do free work for Google who think they are making the world a better place or something. So when you go to a store that Google Maps says is open, and find it's closed, you refuse to correct the hours and go "MUHAHAHAHA...I refuse to help Google, take that, corporate scum!"
- ocdtrekkie 4y ago
  Why would I bother checking Google Maps? But basically, yeah. If Google wants my expertise and data collection ability, they can pay me for it. As it stands now they just cold call businesses and ask them with an AI thing.
  - nine_k 4y ago
    What other source would you rather check?
    - pietervdvn 4y ago
      OpenStreetMap?
      - nine_k 4y ago
        Okay! I just opened OsmAnd and looked up my local supermarket. Sadly, no work hours. And this is a very popular supermarket right next to a train station in central Brooklyn, NY. The thing is that business owners do update the info on Google Maps, and have an incentive to do so, but only volunteers update OSM. OSM shines where businesses don't care but volunteers do: trails in a park, non-commercial POIs, etc.
    - ocdtrekkie 4y ago
      I always check the actual website of the business in question. Search engines are wrong like 40% of the time in my experience.
      - reaperducer 4y ago
        At a company my wife worked for, the social media department spent half its time fixing store hours, addresses, and map locations in Google Maps and Apple Maps. I guess it's nice that ordinary people try to do these updates for Big G and Apple. But they're often wrong, or they presume a one-day change is a permanent change, or that it applies to every location on the planet.
- acheron 4y ago
  What? Why on earth would I correct it?
  - Dylan16807 4y ago
    I'm sure you can figure it out. I believe in you. (And that response is because I'm 100% treating your question in good faith and not "I know why I would, but also I know why I wouldn't and prefer that, so I'll pretend I don't know why I would".)
  - newguynewphone 4y ago
    So the trillion dollar company can be better, of course
omoikane 4y ago
I can see how the gamification aspect of points and levels might be more motivating for some people, but mostly I see Local Guides as not too different from people posting pictures and reviews to various social networks, except that it is more discoverable by people using Maps. I submit contents to Maps for mostly the same reasons why I use social networks and expect nothing in return.
reaperducer 4y ago
and maybe a pair of branded socks Back when it was new and interesting, TripAdvisor used to send people hats if they reviewed a new or unusual hotel. I wish I hadn't lost my hat before I had a chance to wear it while checking into a hotel.

washadjeffmad 4y ago

This is probably one of the more embarrassing and shameful parts of Google's labor ecosystem. These "Google $title Experts" work as uncompensated customer support (a legal requirement that they treat as such, if the quality is any indicator) on various social media outlets like Reddit and Twitter. They don't just provide free labor, they also go to bat for Google's reputation, acting as marketing and PR liaisons to prevent backlash from users who've been failed by their official support processes. One 'expert' I spoke with justified working for free by the "connections and access" they received. When I asked if Google would be flying them out to the events they have access to to meet with the people they have connections with, they said they were told they would have to cover their own travel and lodging. I suppose if Google doesn't pay them, they never have to worry about any Experts connecting and starting a union. We're talking about a multi trillion dollar company. Absolutely ridiculous.

kurupt213 4y ago
Like the Reddit super mods
rurp 4y ago
> They don't just provide free labor, they also go to bat for Google's reputation, acting as marketing and PR liaisons to prevent backlash from users who've been failed by their official support processes. This is so true. When I try to find a fix for some broken behavior in a major Google app the most common place I end up is a support forum with zero solution, no comment from any Google employee, and a volunteer support person saying how the defect isn't actually a problem but that you should submit feedback within the app. These volunteers can't be helping at this point. Google's disdain for users is pretty widely recognized by now and seeing a whole bunch of frustrated users being blown off yet again doesn't help.
rater266 4y ago
AOL got in hot water for this. [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_Community_Leader_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AOL_Community_Leader_Program
cyral 4y ago