Can Google Help Zagat Nurture a "Cycle-Of-Courtesy" ?
Google has acquired Zagat! Without enabling a “Cycle-Of-Courtesy”, how effective can local ratings be?
In order to develop Zagat into an exciting social resource, Google will need to encourage and enable people to play a more natural role within the process. The offering should endeavor to celebrate unique passions, experiences and authentic perceptions.
When you are in unfamiliar places, you are open to more quantitative reviews and alignment with trusted sources, like Zagat. But, within local…everything is different. When local, people will tend to make choices based on what friends think and often opt for a real-time impression. The result: a shared emotional connection to dining experiences and a more trusted resource.
Google and Zagat should be careful when considering the emphasis placed on survey based scores. When reviews are shared from emotional occasions they grow organically, and are more likely to lead to lasting connections, accountability and even fun disagreements.
Nurturing people-to-people connections leads to a reciprocal process | What we call a CYCLE-OF-COURTESY...
Respectfully, some of the content feels rather facilitated and not a reflection of original ideas, or real occasions. For instance, surveys offer a very thorough review, but they may also be too much of a homework assignment to complete while still emotionally attached to the occasion. Perhaps a quick mobile review can be connected to a more telling account at a later time. Google must be certain to pay attention to convergence with other social platforms, enhancing mobile ease-of-use for Zagat. Will future print editions offer scan-able mobile connection?
Yes, the quantity of reviews is important, but it is also necessary to enable people-to-people scenarios for a contextual view. Zagat must offer the ability to connect within a specific review and filter posts based on my friends, and what they like today. Immediate upload of original photos and videos will create a more vibrant reflection of the experience.
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