An extension of google maps to rate and review cafes and other public establishments in terms of convenience for remote working or studying
Image credit: https://blog.hootsuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/google-my-business-18.png; Photo by Loe Moshkovska on Pexels
Povilas SSep 12, 2022
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An extension of google maps (or any other popular enough maps app) that lets you rate, review and recommend any public establishment present on the map in terms of convenience to work (with a pc) or study there. As a result, with the extension users can find establishments convenient for remote working/studying easier.
Why?
Convenient for digital nomads, freelancers, and other types of remote workers and students. Working remotely is getting more and more popular and many remote workers prefer changing their working space from time to time instead of always doing it at home.
There are apps (e.g. workfrom) that let you find public establishments convenient for remote working, but since you can only find recommended establishments there, you see a limited number of places, especially if you are in a smaller town. Since popular map apps like google maps host most of the existing establishments on their map, having such an extension would greatly increase the number of reviewed and recommended places.
Could be a start of a separate google app dedicated exclusively to remote workers (include forums, chat rooms, job offers, etc.).
Currently, there's a lack of apps to find public establishments convenient for remote working. Most of them are focused on finding coworking spaces (office type), to my knowledge, there's only one working app (workfrom) that lets you find publicly open places (cafes and so) recommended for remote working . A similar alternative - workhardanywhere is not available anymore.
How it works:
Once you install the extension, when opening the map in the app next to every establishment you see both the ordinary reviews section and one dedicated to people looking for places to work/study in. You can rate/comment on the wifi quality, availability of power sockets, availability of free tables during certain hours, attitude of the staff, etc. - things that are more important for people looking for a place to work/study in.
You can sort and filter all the establishments on the map according to best reviews, distance from you, working hours, etc.
Google could integrate this separate reviewing section into its maps without needing the extension, but the idea is to separate the community with this specific need since most of ordinary users won't be interested in these types of reviews.
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General comments
Subash Chapagain2 years ago
Also, can the extension have some feature that indicates the likelihood of finding collaborators based on the 'domain' of work? This could be made possible by making each user fill in a form that denotes his/her area of work each time he uses the particular cafe. With more users and with time, the data can be useful for people who casually want to meet and collaborate with other people with specific expertise.
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Shubhankar Kulkarni2 years ago
Subash Chapagain The users could also lodge requests with the restaurant. For example, "graphic designer required for logo design" along with a deadline and contact details. If and when a graphic designer visits the establishment (within the given deadline) for work, the request could be forwarded to that person.
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Povilas S2 years ago
Shubhankar Kulkarni Subash Chapagain Both of your suggestions are leaning towards expanding the extension and making it into something closer to a standalone app for remote workers, freelancers, etc. I mentioned that in the idea description. I think with time google might get interested in developing something like that. Alternatively, an independent startup could do this and simply borrow (embed in their app) google maps to include as many establishments as possible.
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Michaela D2 years ago
I would definitely use that! It could also be an advanced filter you can apply when you search for cafes or restaurants, similar to the type of cuisine. It wouldn't bother the rest and there would be no need for an extension.
The owners could also indicate whether the place is suitable for remote work, in other words, if they want people working there. This is very country and area dependent. In some countries, like the US, working/studying at a coffee shop is normal. In some countries in Europe, it is the exception; most people go to coffee shops to spend time with friends. However, with remote workers increasing you see more and more at coffee shops.
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Povilas S2 years ago
Michaela D Exactly, I live in Europe and I see more and more people working in coffee shops. I'd say in Europe it's very common too, maybe in Asia or somewhere else it's different.
Regarding the first paragraph - with the filter-only option you'd again see only recommended establishments (even worse if it's recommended only by the owners). The idea is to let people review any establishment in terms of convenience for remote working. This would increase the number of reviewed and recommended establishments and also, it's always better to read reviews from customers with similar needs.
Yes, on one hand, people who come to work at the establishment might be inconvenient for the owners, because they sit longer, use resources, and it's not in their interest to spend more money while sitting longer. But on the other hand, if the remote worker likes the place, they'd come there often and the place would have a regular client. Also, people who work in coffee shops are more likely to spend money on food there.
Povilas S Sep 12, 2022
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