Carter Maslan Responds To Rich Snippet FAQ Language Change

I sent the following email to Carter Maslan, Product Management Director, Local Search at Google for clarification: You have been quoted as saying at Kelsey: “Merchants should be publishing their own reviews and that Google would find them.” Today I reread the new Rich Snippet FAQ and it says (which is a change from October): …

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Google’s Rich Snippets For Local FAQ Update

Google at some point over the past four months has changed the Rich Snippets for Local FAQ. These changes to their Help Files are not transparent in the least (boo to Google!). Google provides no RSS feeds, no history of changes and no date that a given change was published. For a company that proclaims …

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Google Places: Testimonials as Reviews Now Viewed As Spam?

In early October, 2010, shortly after Google announced support for Rich Snippets in Local, Google Rich Snippet FAQ noted the following: How will Google treat businesses posting testimonials with review mark up on their own site? Will these be treated as a review by the Place Page? Testimonials will be treated as business reviews on …

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Google Pushing HotPot to the Big Leagues

Google announced last night that Hotpot friend recommendations are now showing on the main Google search results in the 7-pack. They are also showing in the local organic blended results and branded searches. Google is working on social tools on a number of fronts more or less successfully. You can never count them out though …

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Last Public Comment About Reviews From Google

[countup date=2010/11/10-12:00:00] It has been [dhmstimer], since Google last publicly commented on their losing of business reviews. [/countup] Since that time, reports of Google losing business reviews continue to come in. From both personal experience and reports that flow into the forums, it is clear the Google has yet to solve the lost review problems. …

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I Want My Places Reviews Back – It’s Getting Personal

Ok, enough is enough. My Google Places reviews have been missing since mid summer 2010 and I have waited patiently for their return. Google has had some problems loosing reviews and this problem continues to this day. I understand that. Stuff happens in a complex system and while I don’t like it, at some level …

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TripAdvisor Reviews and Google Places – the Saga Continues

Su from the Inn at Tanglewood Hall, a bed and breakfast in York Harbor, Me alerted me on the 20th to the fact that TripAdvisor reviews were once again missing from Google Places. Today she sent me this missive from the CEO of TripAdvisor, Steve Kaufer inviting questions via Twitter about the TripAdvisor-Google battle over …

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Google Places Review Bugs on the Mend

Late yesterday Google  quashed at least 3 known Places review bugs. Reader Jeffrey Magner of TrumpetMedia reported that the nasty review bug in Google Places first seen last week that prevented anonymous reviewers from leaving reviews has been fixed. All anonymous reviewers with nicknames are now seeing a highlighted publish button and are able to leave a review. …

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