Could you send along some url’s or screen shots?

Mike

It’s your humble servant again. Have you noticed any issues with the listings that went up after that big oopsie announced by Google. All the listings that I have done in a bulk upload are RIDDLED with errors. I don’t mean small ones. I mean great big huge honking ones.

Such has incorrect City & postal codes. Incorrect attributes. Missing attributes.
The list goes on. I’m on my way to the LBC to drop Google Maps Help a few friendly words. Just wondered if you or any of your readership have experienced this.
It was like one day everything was correct… then *poof* it wasn’t.

I have to concur with Mike. I’ve been vigirous in my messages, and haven’t even been given a ” stay tuned” . I too work on behalf of clients and some way to set expectations would be terrific. People can be very patient when expectations are set properly from the onset.

Currently I’m working on 120 days of waiting. That means my clients have been waiting 240 days ( in their minds.. it’s always longer) … It’s a tad worrisome when I can’t provide any type of updates to my boss & ultimately to the client to whom I’m ultimately accountable to.

Many thanks for hopping on and posting.

J

You are always welcome here (even if we do pick on you once in a while). More information is always better and knowing whether to reenter or not is appreciated information.

In this situation, I felt that I did “report vigorously” and I did wait…with no feedback in the Google Maps for Business group I came upon my deadline and made the best guess as to how to proceed. This record went missing the 3rd week in February so when I reentered it in mid-April, after 6 weeks of no communication from Google, I was doubtful of your sense of urgency. My suggestion in this matter, as I noted above, would be for the occasional interim comment from Google so that we really do know that it is under active consideration. If an approximate time frame could be provided that would be even better and might obviate the need for additional comment on your part.

I am in the situation where I am dealing with clients and I find that if I can set their expectations correctly, they will be very patient. If I can’t provide meaningful info they get very antsy. That was what happened in this case.

Mike

You’ve seen me posting as “Maps Guide Jen” on our Maps Help Group, but
I’m hoping to get out in the blogosphere and comment on blogs more
often. I thought I’d jump on over to your post to respond more
directly regarding the interior design business that had an issue with
a disappearing listing. While I can’t provide insight as to the
specific resolution of this issue, I can let you know that if your
listing doesn’t show, the best thing to do is report the issue in
detail and vigorously, and then wait for a fix. Usually in cases such
as this one, I wouldn’t recommend suspending and re-adding a business.

At times, we’ll post something like “Stay tuned!” then go to fix it.
We’re currently talking about a better system for posting when issues
are resolved, but in the meantime, we’ll appreciate your patience as we
work to make our Maps product better. Thanks for the feedback–even
when it may not be apparent that Google is paying attention, we are
working to do better.

Thanks,
Jen

However, with the incredible uptick in mapspam Google started vetting the bulk uploads manually.

Now though in the Local Business Center, if an account hits a certain number of postal/phone verified entries or some other trust criteria is met, the single entry goes live immediately.

Your suggestion makes sense that trusted sources should be able to do bulk updates with greater expediency. It makes sense that Google would have to do less manual checking and the uploader would be more efficient.

It doesn’t exist now, but I wouldn’t doubt that given how things have gone in the LBC, that Google will one day have such an arrangement.

My experience though is that Google focuses on the “end user” first putting bugs & annoyances in the LBC process way down the list of fixes. I think their thinking on this is somewhat “bass ackwards” (as they say down here) but in the end it’s their toy.

Mike

*blows steam off tea* Well what I was noodling over was IF there was an API to do bulk uploads to Google, thus saving some stress time & perhaps provide a bridge to the gap between Google and CMRs such as the company I work for & thusly speed up the process for bulk uploads. The API would allow for Google to “see” that we are not schiztering them with multiple uploads.

Clear as mud?

Thanks,
Joan

Not sure I understand your drift…

I was not aware of any Google API for bulk uploads to Maps.

Mike