Apparently, there is a new tactic being used by some very shrewd and seedy business owners. In the hopes of stealing customers from a successful competitor, some shop owners have been going on to Google Places and flagging their competition as "Closed." It seems that Google has almost no vetting process for these flags (which just makes them switches). Because of that, some shops have been packed one day and empty the next as some guy at the place across the street decided that his biggest competition is now closed. So, until Google figures out how to begin managing this, it would behoove anyone with a presence on Google Places to keep up on their business profiles.
Just another example of why you should always remain aware of what is going on with your entire online presence. You never what might have gone wrong whether by some technical error or malicious intent.
Check it out: NYT - Closed, Says Google, but Shops’ Signs Say Open
No comments:
Post a Comment