An intern said to me the other day after reading this story. Google to pay users for filling in Maps.
“That is the perfect college job!”
I stand to agree, and I think if Google wanted they could/should go to the universities to find people to do this.
But to a larger point. How smart is this idea? Very smart.
Hoping to stock its database to get up-to-date information about local businesses, Google (GOOG) is trying to turn its users into paid contractors. The company has launched a program that will pay people to take digital photos of local shops and verify their operating hours and payment options – essentially, creating a digital Yellow Pages to layer on top of Google Maps.
Under the terms of the Google Business Referral program, representatives can earn up to $10 for each business they catalog for Google – $2 for the business’s information, and $8 for getting the company to verify that the information is correct by either sending in a postcard or approving it online.
Imagine the power of this database in a few years from now. Imagine when they take this a step further and ask people to go out and film and upload short videos of each business to the database.
To quote Nuemann. “Just remember, when you control the mail, you control… information.”
