Mike Blumenthal

Google says mobile usage has surged this summer The Local OneBox has put local on the maps (so to speak). In terms of real traffic to real websites it has had a significant impact as a way to generate traffic in local and regional markets. That being said, Maps is still a poor step cousin …

The recent spate of mapspam at Google left a lot of questions about the future of local: •Will spam define local’s future? •How should Google respond to verified reports of Mapspam? •Is Google’s abuse reporting mechanism adequate? •When and what technical changes will Google make to prevent future abuse? •How can the integrity of maps …

Comparison of Google Maps on the iPhone and N95 Google Maps and the Onebox Hate Advertising Agencies!! EarlPearl has found some interesting aberant results on Google Maps at SEORefugee Local Housing Gets OneBox Treatment from Google  Miriam has noted the replacement of the Local Onebox with GoogleBase results. This seems to be a trend in …

Several weeks ago, I reported on the first cases of large scale mapspam at Google Maps. It was followed up with an interesting interview with one of the companies involved. Yesterday, on the Google-Maps-For-Business-Owners blog, the other company (apparently) responded: TOPIC: Why am I being blacklisted when I have techs in every metro area nationwide? …

From the Google Maps for Business discussion at Google Groups: == 1 of 1 == Date: Mon, Aug 6 2007 6:01 pm From: “Maps Guide Jen” Hi Mike, 1)How soon can we expect to see a technological solution to this problem? Relying on vigilant readers seems to be the proverbial finger in the dam. We’re …

It is Sunday and the “We Buy Houses Mapsspam are no longer visible in the Google Maps index. This particular case was reported to Google on August 1 in the Google Maps for Business Blog. This particular abuse was much more limited in scope than the Computer Repair abuse in that it only targeted large …

The Google Maps for Business blog: == 1 of 1 == Date: Thurs, Aug 2 2007 5:51 pm From: “Maps Guide Jen” Hi Bonehead, Mike, Joe, fowen, and other business owners, Thanks so much for asking about and flagging the unverified listings of TechPros and RentaGeek. We take the rights of those business owners with …

This morning I had a long and interesting conversation with the President & CEO Gabriel Howard of TechPros, one of the companies that was involved in the Bulk Upload issues reported last week. The interview is lengthy and is included at the end of this post in its entirety. The upshot (as reported by the …

Today at the Google Maps-For-Business Group another report of bul upload abuse surfaced. This time the culprit is in the “We Buy Houses” refinance industry. Like the previous case, all of the entires use a common street address (500 Main) and 800 number. Unlike the previous reports, these appear to only be listed in major …