Brings easier access and a ranking user system

Jan 16, 2009 07:59 GMT  ·  By

Those who use Google Earth and Google Maps on a regular basis have surely visited at least once Google Map Help Group and they will be pleased to find that this forum has been recently moved to the new platform of Google Help Forums. It remains a place where users can share their knowledge and discuss aspects of Google Maps or the Local Business Center, but now it comes with a fresh new look. The main innovation resides in the fact that it is much easier to access the forum when people are exploring the help center. This way, it is even possible to browse for answers on the forum itself as well as on the help center.

All the new features of the new system strive to turn Google Maps Help Forum into a more efficient resource for everyone. Not only will it acknowledge helpful posters, but it will also allow visitors to vote on the quality of the answer they receive, (marking the most useful with a “best answer” note) or select the solution to an issue proposed by another Google Maps user.

For those who do not know much about the new platform, it should be mentioned that, for quite a long time, the Google Help Forums have been a great resource for numerous developers and users who wanted to share an opinion about Google as a whole or some of its specific products. This way, the company representatives have been able to pay attention to users' feedback and get in touch with those who actually understood the products and were willing to help others with their knowledge. These people have been organized into specialized groups like the orkuteers, Webmaster Help Bionic Posters, Google Apps Power Posters and several others and their purpose has been to provide beginners with valuable solutions, to report bugs, to share tips and tricks or to suggest product improvements.

In order to increase the functionality of its Help Forums and to enhance the response time, Google has decided to change the old system with a new one where visitors are encouraged to interact and even rewarded. Among the newly-introduced benefits, users will appreciate the possibility to designate certain helpful members as “Top Contributors” or the innovative ranking system. The search results have been optimized and they will include posts both from the old and the new locations of the forum. Furthermore, everyone will be able to highlight their forum activity through their expanded user profiles.

Some of the well-known Google products (AdSense, AdWords, Android Market, Google Chrome, Google Apps and most of their Polish products) are already part of the changed system. All visitors who need to send suggestions or post a question are encouraged to write their comments and their inquiries will be solved by one of the people 'in charge,' a.k.a. a Googler.