I have seen various posts regarding google maps being used to track members, ex mos, etc.

I have first hand information that there is a concerted effort within the morg to build applications that utilize google and other technology to track people who are of interest to the church.

Topics I heard discussed included mapping, and social network mining.

Interesting, and topping to see if there is more info out there on the topic.

I understand that there are some people out there that left because they were just never that committed and they lost interest. However, the church has to realize that many people leaving the church today are leaving over historical and doctrinal issues...they've been shaken out of their mormon stupor and they're never coming back. Why waste money trying to reactivate people that know the truth? Why send the missionaries after exmo's that are likely to plant the seeds that will one day lead those young men and women out of the church?

They might think it is easier to activate an ex-mo than to baptize a never-mo. For instance business corps try to keep customers (spend more money over a long period of time) instead of getting new customers. It is good to have a mix of both. Plus if you are a BIC then the neurons for Mormonism is already planted. I have seen cases where a person has been out of the church for years and have been pulled back in for social purposes at first and then down the rabbit hole.

So a lot of GIS tools, including Google Maps are Big Things these days in marketing.

GIS is a big tool for everyone -- Our State uses it for fire prevention and other big disasters.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2013 11:55AM by cynthus.

Where is that example that somebody on RfM showed us? It was very informative. Angering, but informative.

Google maps is an incredible tool. It has all kinds of uses. when I was in Iraq some Iraqi insurgents used Google maps to acquire grid coordinates of our FOB (Forward Operating Base) to acquire Mortar targets. The Army actually convinced Google to black out certain areas in Iraq to prevent this.

This is about how the lds church will be using it I imagine. I wonder if I can get google to black out areas of my neighborhood.

"Google, stop the kabooms. We don't like the kabooms."

All the technology in the world will not help them.
Their problem is structural.

Knowing where one is or details about the customer will not boost sales of packaged doggie-doo.
Even if ribbon-tied and with a bow.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2013 01:00PM by zenjamin.

Isn't this essentially stalking?

No,more like marketing.

Except, when one of your friends is friends with LDS, the church can mine the walls, looking for posts. Members with differing ideas, match it up to the local leadership, and send the troopers in with ammo to quell any concern.

It is really creepy, and it is much more insidious than marketing.

I find I use the word insidious a lot when talking about the church anymore.

I agree. In that context it is indeed stalking.

Yes, the primary tool is called Yext, which is 3rd party. They've been using it since 2023. It's not used for stalking necessarily - That's what temple visit & "FREE!" English class contact info forms are for. But Yext is used to mass-gaslight people looking for a "Christian Church". #BringBackMoroni



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/17/2025 03:56PM by jeri.studio.

Here's the tutorial for those who'd like to push back against their SEO department using Google Maps' crowdsourcing features: https://youtu.be/Ec4ZuL3AAXo

I think the video is meant to be instructional for people who care about that cause, not entertaining for people who don't care about whether people looking for a "Christian Church" eventually end up getting baptized into tscc because its SEO machine made sure they found its local meetinghouse on Google Maps.

It is indeed kinda crazy - The team that's pushing back against scc SEO & gaslighting on Maps actually spends as little as 6 seconds per location in their spare time thanks to a couple of other tools that introduce a bit of automation (being careful to stay within Google Terms of Use). Thousands of edits in the span of a few months, Local Guide points & level-ups being given away for free (speeding up suggestion approval), & it's all working. That's dedication to keep primarily vulnerable people from getting tricked. But yes, the whole situation is crazy.

jeri.studio Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here's the tutorial for those who'd like to push
> back against their SEO department using Google
> Maps' crowdsourcing features:
> https://youtu.be/Ec4ZuL3AAXo

By the way, you're wrong in thinking the change comes from the ward/stake level. Someone much higher up is doing this.

I also think that Google can keep track of who suggests edits. The church has a lot of shares in big tech.

Hieronymous User Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...By the way, you're wrong in thinking the change
> comes from the ward/stake level. Someone much
> higher up is doing this


Google does know who's suggesting the edits - Users need to be logged in to do so. As for whether it's local clerks, Paul McHardy himself, or people in between... Edit (TLDR - Official "Press Release" from churchof[Joseph Smith]dot org): "This tool will be managed, funded and supported by Church headquarters, but the information for each meetinghouse must be maintained by someone at the local level. This assignment should be given to a member of the stake communication council, where organized, or to a member of a coordinating or national communication council. The assigned individual will be responsible for managing the standard building information (such as address, description, phone number and hours); customizing listings to best suit region, language and local customs; and responding to questions and reviews.

“Individuals called to manage this information will contact local leadership to verify the correct information for each building or congregation. Local leaders can support these efforts by providing that information (this assignment may also be delegated to a clerk or secretary).

“We request that all previous efforts to manage meetinghouse information now align with this new program. Individuals assigned to this responsibility should collaborate with their area communication councils..."
https://web.archive.org/web/20230119230820/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/new-tool-helps-managing-local-search-listings-for-meetinghouses ; https://lds365.com/2023/01/13/church-to-improve-local-search-listings-for-meetinghouses/



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 03/18/2025 10:06AM by jeri.studio.

I talk about how the church uses technology to track people in this thread

https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,2531857

I guess that is mostly about members, but anyone who downloads the church's apps is going to be tracked by it.

They're using tech to stalk prospects, but for that use case it isn't so much maps as it is social media, social media ads, Zoom, & a database system. For example, if you're a newcomer & want to learn English, they'll find you, get you to fill out a form, get you into a meetinghouse on the pretext of learning English or send you a link to a weekly Zoom meeting, & missionaries *will* contact you. If you take a "*FREE!*" tour of one of their real estate assets & you fill out a guest book with a way for them to contact you, they will. Maps is primarily for SEO.