Today in the Google Maps for Business Group, Maps Guide Jen provided public instructions on filing a Mapspam report:

 

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TOPIC: Report Spam on Google Maps 

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== 1 of 1 ==
Date: Thurs, Jul 10 2008 12:00 pm
From: Maps Guide Jen

To file a spam report with the Google Maps team, please reply to this
thread with the following information:

– Your search terms
– A link to your search results
– A short description of why you believe this is spam

If we don’t ask for additional information, you can assume that your
report has been read and is being investigated.

Kudos to Google for a necessary step. But never one to be happy with a half full glass when it could very easily be more half full, I would suggest that:
1)These instructions be included in the Google Maps Help files
2)That there be an obvious link in the Maps Results that allow reporting of bad results and capture some of the information that Google needs to diagnose the issues involved
3)There should also be a more discreet reporting option for those users that would prefer to make the report privately.

Even more importantly, Google needs to allocate the human resources to Maps to be sure that the Map’s records are truthful and accurate and that these reports DO get read on a regular basis. Obviously the Maps Staff are spread pretty thin and a poster to the group never really knows that the posts have been read AND that the report is being investigated. The Group goes weeks on end without hearing from a Guide and often obvious spam is not always dealt with quickly.

In the end the burden of the process should be squarely on Google’s shoulders and they need to step up to that responsibility. The above statement of procedure is a GREAT first step but it is just a first step.