Unexpected local guides reaction, what to do?

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176
Name
Damian
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi all,

I don't know how many of you are familiar with Googles local guides so I will just do a quick overview. Guides is a community project that is designed to get users (us) out and about documenting places, businesses, attractions and so forth so Google can build a massive back catalogue of data which helps with search and in return you earn points. The more points you get the more prominence your reviews and photos get and if you get to level 10 then you get invited to san fran for conferences and so forth. I love doing it, it is a like a little game. We went to Busch Garden in May and saw the elephants and I took this photo...

IMG_20190508_125819.jpg

As you can see, nothing special. Just an elephant taken on my phone. However I got this message...

ab3481a6-54be-4a5e-ba4b-58020d14db1f.jpg

That was sent to me on the 5th. My new view count is 4,348,311 and the image itself...

0dd309ee-d39d-448f-9192-6a6f13e62663.jpg

Now I posted that say on the first of June and this is now the 6th of November. Based on simple math this would net nearly 6mil views in a year. I am not quite sure what to do as this is obviously giving them quite a lot of publicity but I am not getting anything from it directly. What would you do?
 
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From your screen grab, the 4M views thing looks like it's for you as a photographer and not one single image. Do you have multiple images uploaded? (i.e. are you seeing what you think you're seeing?)

Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. I'd re-read the terms of submission/upload I'm guessing they give you the disk space to upload it and in return they have the right to display it to advertise or promote Google maps or whatever. In which case there's not a lot to do. Best to have another look at the T&Cs.
 
From your screen grab, the 4M views thing looks like it's for you as a photographer and not one single image. Do you have multiple images uploaded? (i.e. are you seeing what you think you're seeing?)

Ultimately though, it doesn't matter. I'd re-read the terms of submission/upload I'm guessing they give you the disk space to upload it and in return they have the right to display it to advertise or promote Google maps or whatever. In which case there's not a lot to do. Best to have another look at the T&Cs.


The 4 million is the overview of all my photos, but that single image currently sits at 2,574,374 on its own (second grab). My next highest photo is 74k.

Without having a full read of it I would guess the words "no monetary value" would be in there somewhere, but there must be an angle. Part of me is feeling asking for a news article.
 
There you go then ... your just reward. :)

Normally that would just be the case. I do it for the love of doing it. However, this isn't the standard couple of 100 views, this is millions. If my photo inspired 1 in say 10,000 people to buy a ticket that would be an additional 258 tickets would be worth about £25k. I am sure if you found your photo on another website there would be a question about royalties. I appreciate I have probably forgone my right to that as I have freely posted it. That is why I am asking if anyone has ever experienced this scenario, what other options did you discuss with the owner of the business, where did it end up going etc.
 
Sorry. Don't get it. You 'gave' the pic to Google. Their platform gained it 2.5m+ views. You had no idea it had any value.

This really. The 'reward' may be going to SF, but this is a game you're playing with them. You already knew that they would use your content with no guaranteed monetary reward and I can't see how you can expect something in return for them promoting your image as part of their business. If you'd given them a limited license then certainly, if that was written into the limitations, but that's plainly not the case here. I should guess that in their T&Cs you have given them unlimited use of the image for any and all purposes they wish.
 
I agree. Google really isn't doing this out of the goodness of its (cold, calculating) heart.
 
Normally that would just be the case. I do it for the love of doing it. However, this isn't the standard couple of 100 views, this is millions. If my photo inspired 1 in say 10,000 people to buy a ticket that would be an additional 258 tickets would be worth about £25k. I am sure if you found your photo on another website there would be a question about royalties. I appreciate I have probably forgone my right to that as I have freely posted it. That is why I am asking if anyone has ever experienced this scenario, what other options did you discuss with the owner of the business, where did it end up going etc.

How on earth would you prove that anyone bought a ticket on the basis of your photo?
How do you know that the views are anything more than 'bots'?
If I "found" my photo on another website without my permission then yes I would feel entitled to compensation but you gave your photo to Google!
 
I agree. Google really isn't doing this out of the goodness of its (cold, calculating) heart.

Yep. We are the product, not the consumer.
 
We are the product,
I see that a lot and I don't think it really reflects reality. We are much more like the cows on a dairy farm, the product is milk, the cows are part of the means of production. In the context of this thread, the OP is not the product, the OP's photo is the product which he gave in return for Google giving him grass on which to graze. Getting back to the point of the thread though, the OP’s photo probably would not have got anything like that many views without Google promoting it so they get the benefit.



(And I bet you have to pay for your own ticket to San Francisco ;-) )
 
With the greatest of respect it’s not an exceptional photo and I know your not suggesting it is. It’s Google’s platform that has netted it so many views rather than the image itself. Maybe there wasn’t much competition from other images of elephants from that zoo but either way google has rescued it from obscurity so I’m not sure what more you would want.
 
You posted the photo freely , the owner of the business did not ask you too, they did not use it, they have no input in its use..
You are owed nothing imo.
 
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