In November Google rolled out its Hot Oot platform as an add on to Google Places.  It is a further development of socializing the web and displaying user generated content.

In Hot Pot you can add reviews of your favourite shop, restaurant or business. The community has grown very fast and now there are more than one million ratings per month. Why is Google Hot Pots important for your business? Because it is another showcase for your business. Reviews add weight to your product, service and business. If you are confident of your wares you should be encouraging people to review your business and spread the word. The first step to getting on Hot Pot  is setting up a Google Places account.. If you don’t have a Google Places account yet I would recommend setting one up. It is a free promotional tool and can be a great way of getting people to find your business.  Also with Google Places your business map will appear in localised search results. Free SEO! You can setup your Google Places Account Here.

In the example below you can see the ratings for Shop 4 Glasses. The interface for Hot Spot is very clean and easy to navigate. Google have stated that they will be rolling out more developments for Google Places in the future...so watch this space!