Between the work that Google is doing now (and has been for a few years) on local/mobile/social, and the early patents Google acquired from Gravitate (through deCarta) last summer, and the Indoor Positioning System (IPS) technology they are working on (and patents covering such ideas acquired from Terahop), you can see the possibility of such scenerios playing out.

I did use restaurants as an example of one type of place Google might suggest that you leave a review for, and Google used the same example in a patent that targets patrons of such places. Apple does the same with another of their patents that tracks places people visit, to possibly come up with a ranking score for local places.

Offers and alerts, instant review suggestions, local ranking signals, smarter data mapping templates, parameterless searches (shake your phone while driving and Google might warn you of traffic conditions ahead) and more, will be part of the landscape coming from Google in the world of smartphones, navigation devices, and Google Glass.

@earlpearl,

Sounds like you’ve been watching old black and white James Stewart or Gary Stewart movies, about the guy who ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, (Meet John Doe, for instance)

In many ways Google is the opposite and wants to be the opposite of Yelp… on reviews they have become a PITA but that will likely change… Google will keep changing till they get it right from their pov.

so what you’re saying is that Google’s yelpification is complete?!? Higher quality reviews are better for everybody, but still…

I can see it now. You enter a whorehouse. Now it could be because:

A) your sister works there and you are going there to free her from a lifetime of degradation

B). the other more traditional reason

whether you went there to protect your sister and defend the family’s honor becomes irrelevant as google keeps sending you ads for hookers and whorehouses. Maybe if you are “lucky” they’ll provide those keen insights to some partners of theirs who wants to have access to the only data base in the country that will have data on your every move.

Scary.

I think this sort of tracking and suggesting and review filtering are being done on different sides of the house.

The way to get reviews published at Google is clear:
Don’ts
- Don’t use Review stations or the same IP addresses
- No URLs in reviews
- No Duplicate reviews
- Don’t ask newbies
- Don’t ask for too many in too short of a time

Do’s
- have the user use Android or the iPhone/iPad app
- ask users with a review history at Google.

I wonder if this is so? If a reviewer has visited a SMBs website is their review more likely to display? Anyone have thoughts on this?

As they build out their inventory of building outlines they will start accruing knowledge of when you cross the boundary of that building. That doesn’t need to be tied to just a restaurant but could be offers or coupons when you enter the door at Target. Clearly they are building out a range of technologies that will allow them to “touch” you throughout the whole purchase cycle.

You search, they give you a coupon when you enter the building, they give you a “custom price” when you scan an item, they capture the purchase with wallet, and then nag you to write a review when you are done… oh and then send along an offer for followup…. the ultimate in retargeting.

I noticed a couple of weeks ago that Google Now was tracking places that I’ve been visiting when they provided me with directions to the auto repair place I left my car at, a couple of days before and recognized that I was returning to it..

I could see Google start suggesting that I leave reviews of places that they know I’ve actually visited at some point in the future, rather than places I’ve searched for (or only searched for) in the past. I could even see such a request happening while I’m at a place that Google Now recognizes, such as a restaurant.