If you think it's difficult to keep track of how quickly technology changes on the internet, try keeping your head screwed on straight as you keep up with the associated names of the technologies as they change. If you feel our information also makes your head spin, you should take the time to read this Nugget; it's not technical and if you don't, well, then we are not getting through to you and you might as well quit jWAG.
Our Daily Golden Nugget #1 will forever be immortalized because above all other topics, we felt it was important to start our Nugget series with the topic of Google Maps.
Then, a little more than 2 months later, we revisited the topic again, but referred to it as Google Places.
You may not realize it today, by you are living in a transitional point in human history. The last major shift due to technology was 1890 - 1913 when Radio changed the world. Today, starting back in 1990, and let's assume spanning through 2013, we are living through the same type of transitional point.
"Istanbul Not Constantinople… Now it's The Internet not The World Wide Web."
Google has helped bring about global acceptance and usefulness of the internet through all of its free services. It's easy to jump on the band wagon when services are free. Who pays for the service? Advertisers do, and Google surely has figured out how to capitalize on that market.
Okay, so what's new with Google Maps, um Google Local, no that's Google Local Business Center, errr um… Google Places?
You might be aware that Google Maps was the original name for all services related to stuff that can appear on a "map." But then Google created Local (Beta) to help us all specifically manage our business information. Excellent!
Local (Beta) converted to Local Business Center, but then once more services were added; Google decided to merge many of the map features, reviews, and advertising techniques to create a new service called Google Places.
Transformation has occurred once again this week. Back in August 2010, while researching other Location-Based Services we were wondering where Google's LBS was. They are financially backing SCVNGER, but they were supposed to have their own product; some rumored it was called Google Latitude, but little was available researching it.
On Monday November 15, 2010 Google launched an early release of a new service to users of Android Mobile devices. The service is called Google Hotpot.
To quote Google Lat Long Blog: "Hotpot [is] a local recommendation engine powered by you and your friends. With Hotpot, we’re making local search results for places on Google more personal, relevant and trustworthy."
With this service, we see a marriage (sadly without a visit to your bridal showcase) between Google Places and Google Profiles. Don't know about Google Profiles? They've been pushing that for several months, too.
The result is this process:
1. Take Google Places information that YOU the business owner provide when you CLAIM YOUR PLACE and 100% fill in your details.
2. Monitor the other places that a user has visited or written reviews.
3. Cross reference if those other places are relevant to the mobile search that the user is currently doing.
4. Sniff the user's Google Profile and look at the reviews and visited places by their friends.
5. Provide the most relevant local business results.
6. Give the reasons for the results, as in "you friend Joe likes this" or "you ate pizza at this other place, so you might like this pizza joint."
Wow, that's a huge process. In reality, it's simply Google's answer to what Foursquare, Facebook Places and Yelp are also doing. The key ingredient is the location-based service aspect. Google's late entry into the LBS forum might help their approach. They have the benefit of seeing what everyone else is doing and making it better.
Other than interesting history and new technology, what's the bottom line to this Daily Golden Nugget?
Simple: GO SET UP YOUR GOOGLE PLACES ACCOUNT! RIGHT NOW! STOP WHAT YOU ARE DOING; NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS TODAY! YOU ONLY HAVE 1 WEEK UNTIL BLACK FRIDAY!
YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN IF YOU MAKE THE BLOODY TIME FOR IT.
Today you are NOT allowed to think for yourself; you are NOT allowed to question OUR authority. If you don't make this a priority before Black Friday next week, you might as well just cancel your membership to the Jeweler Website Advisory Group because obviously we are not getting through to you!!!
jWAG is supposed to be a no solicitation service. But in this special case, if you want help please call 888-872-0274. Let's stress again that setting up Google Places is an easy process; you can do it yourself. We usually charge $247 to set up your Google Places account. If you mention this Nugget, we'll drop that to $237. We can have it up and activated by November 25th or sooner using our proven techniques and keyword research to do it right for you.
Tough Love.
