5 tips to become a top Local Guide

When you have been lucky enough to be selected to attend to Connect Live or receive some distinction such as being part of the Guiding Stars of the Year league, people start asking you for advice on how to succeed as a local guide.

My first answer is that this is not a competition, there are no winners and losers.

In fact, the best reward is knowing that by contributing we benefit not only ourselves but society as a whole.

However, in all my time as a Local Guide, I have gained some experience and I have a few tips to share to help you raise your game

1- Define your purpose as a Local Guide:

When we start a new activity, whether it’s running or changing our eating habits, everything is easy because we are motivated. But as time goes by, it’s common to lose enthusiasm. To be able to stay motivated, it’s crucial to know what your purpose is.

Why did you become a local guide in the first place?. Maybe it’s because you want to help people with disabilities find places where they feel 100% comfortable and included.

Or because you would like to help small businesses gain visibility.

Knowing…and remembering your purpose as a Local Guide, will keep you engaged with the program.

2- Schedule your contributions

We are all busy and our calendars are bursting with to-do lists.

Let’s face it, contributing to the map may not be one of our priority tasks, so unless we make a firm commitment to get it done, we are likely to procrastinate and may never complete the task.

Choosing a time of the day or the week to contribute to Google Maps, writing a post for Guides Connect or responding to comments from other Local Guides is the most effective way to get it done.

In my case, I block 40 minutes a day for activities related to Local Guides Connect, the Argentinean Local Guides community and Google Crowdsource (my other passion).

This way I have managed to stay involved with the program consistently over time.

3-Set goals

We all love the wonderful feeling of triumph that comes from having accomplished a goal.

Whether it’s earning a new badge

or moving up to the next level before the end of the year

or receiving the much-anticipated socks from local Guides,

having a clear goal keeps us motivated to stay in the program.

4-Create a community:

“No man is an island” -John Donne

Local Guide activity can feel very lonely.

People often give you strange looks when they see you photograph your coffee.

And you will frequently get mean comments from people telling you that you are wasting your time and that no one will recognize your effort.

But that feeling of loneliness ends the minute you meet other local guides, and you discover that you are not a freak and that there are thousands of people who share your passion.

Together you can clean a beach, go on a photo tour and build a community where everyone feels included and able to grow.

Check if there are Local Guide groups in your town, city or country. And if none exist, create them yourself. Use your social networks to reach out to local guides in the area and get ready to have fun.

5-Share your story and inspire:

Everyone loves a good story, so does Google.

How did you discover the program?

What’s the most extraordinary thing you’ve done as a local guide?

Don’t be shy.

The only way to stand out as a local guide is to own your story and share it with others.

Mine is simple but beautiful: I used to travel around the world because of my job in the tourism industry, until a cancer forced me to stay at home for a long time. When I looked at the map of my town I discovered that there was a lot of data missing (in fact, it looked like a ghost town). That’s how I decided to upload every business, square and place of interest on the map. And not only did I succeed, but along the way I inspired many people to start contributing and to join the program.

What is your story? I’m sure you have a good one.

These are my 5 tips to succeed as a Local Guide. Just a humble contribution to celebrate the first 5 years of Local Guides Connect.

Now I would like to know you tips.

-If a fellow member asked for your advice, what would be the top 5 tips you would give him/her.

Please leave them in the comments so we can all learn something more.

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Muy buenos consejos Caro! Es muy cierto lo que decís, a veces uno puede comenzar muy arriba pero después hay que mantenerse en el tiempo y éso se logra únicamente si lo que hacés lo hacés porque realmente te gusta y no por obligación. También es verdad que uno tiene vida fuera de todo esto (aunque a veces no parezca jajaa) y no tenemos todo el tiempo que nos gustaría para dedicarle.

Cosas que aprendí en mis 2 años como Local Guide:

  • No preocuparse tanto por los puntos en Maps, vienen solos si uno aporta contribuciones de calidad con regularidad.

  • Tampoco correr una carrera por obtener badges aquĂ­ en el foro, aplica lo mismo que para los puntos en Maps. Todo llega a su tiempo.

  • Leer todo lo que puedan en Connect y cuando disfruten de un post dejen un comentario, es muy interesante interactuar con personas que de otra manera no podrĂ­amos conocer. Tal vez podrĂ­a ser el inicio de una linda amistad.

  • No se preocupen tanto por el idioma (como yo al principio jajaa) escriban en el idioma que les sea cĂłmodo, que no sea Ă©sta una barrera para compartir sus experiencias. El traductor funciona cada vez mejor.

Me encantan los dibujitos @CaroGuiniazu son tu marca registrada :blush:

Saludos.

Silvy.

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muy lindo post. Creo que el propio servicio que brinda Google maps es la mejor recompensa

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@SilvyC Gracias Silvi querida!! Tal cual, nos ree hacemos drama por el idioma, y en definitiva hay que escribir…en el idioma que sea, pero ESCRIBIR!!

En otro orden de cosas…el covid nos separó, pero no te olvides que vos y yo tenemos pizzas pendientes jajajaja!! Que tengas un hermoso finde!!

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Gracias por leer @Angie_DeBortoli !! Qué sería de nuestras vidas sin google maps?. Todavía estaríamos buscando la salida de Río Cuarto jajajajajaja!!

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Brilliant post, @CaroGuiniazu

Thanks for writing and sharing it.

Cute illustrations :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: :bouquet:

Cheers

Morten

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Hi @CaroGuiniazu

This is some of the amazing tips and I am sure it will be helpful to everyone. Thank you so much for this informative post.

My top 5 tips for a fellow local guide friend will be as below.

  1. Understand what motivates you to be a Local Guide. For me, Connect motivates me first to be a Local Guide. Seeing amazing contributions from local guides whether it is accessibility or supporting small business or knowledge sharing, it inspires me.
  2. Share your stories in Connect. Whether you become a Local Guide recently or being a Local Guide for years, share your stories in Connect such as how you discovered Local Guides program, your favourite contributions, your Meetup experiences, etc
  3. Host or attend Meetups (Physical Meetups or virtual) Meetups are a great to learn about Local Guides Program and get connected with other Local Guides also. I love hosting and attending Meetups and I have great memories from some of the Meetups.
  4. Keep contributing Being a Local Guide, I love taking photos and adding to Google Maps and with that photography became my passion. I also love to try making any dish or dessert in my home and add recipe in Connect and sometimes I share my Local Guides journey. So do what you love and keep contributing.
  5. Join hands Learn about different ways you can contribute to community whether it is accessibility or supporting small businesses. Learn about it and contribute on it, and share about it with others through Meetups, Connect posts, etc.

Once again, thank you for this super informative post.

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@CaroGuiniazu

You may want to move this post to the How-to section where it is less likely to be buried in other less useful posts.

Cheers

Morten

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Excellent post and tips! @CaroGuiniazu

Thanks for sharing with us.

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Absolutely love your article: very well-written and I have bookmarked the page.

@CaroGuiniazu The illustrations are nice as well :+1:

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Amazing post @CaroGuiniazu ! I loved the illustrations , they are fun ! In addition to the above points mentioned in your post, I would love to add the tip that " No contribution is small and every contribution matters, so keep contributing on Maps !" Another tip is "Think Local Guides program as your hobby and do it with the selfless feeling of love and care for your community rather than how many points you gained… so quality over quantity always!

I have seen the impact myself as a Maps user of how useful the quality photos, reviews and edits are to a Maps user ! Thank you for sharing this post !

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@Globe_trotter_Ish Thank you so much for stopping by to read my post!! :grinning:
I couldn’t agree with you more.
The important thing is not the quantity of contributions but the quality.
And those who join the preogram just for a purely material interest, or because they aspire to get some kind of recognition, end up getting frustrated very quickly. The way I see it, is that my contribution is just a small payback for all that Googe Maps does for me on a daily basis.
Greetings from Argentina! Have a nice weekend!

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@TusharSuradkar It makes me very happy to know that you enjoyed my post. :grinning:
Thanks for letting me know :raised_hands:
I send you my best regards from Argentina and I hope you have a great weekend.

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Muy buenos consejos @CaroGuiniazu , me gustó mucho tu post, especialmente el punto 4, siempre que terminas de tomar una foto todo mundo te está mirando como raro ( y más con las 360 :rofl: ).

Mis consejos serĂ­an:

  1. Toma la foto, sin pena: Muchas veces me he arrepentido por no detenerme unos segundo y tomar una foto, pensando que regresaré al lugar.
  2. Hazlo parte de tu día a día: Así es más fácil recordar tomar fotos cuando visitas un lugar nuevo y hacer contrbuciones valiosas.
  3. Intenta todas las diferentes formas de contribuir: Así puedes encontrar lo que más te gusta y ayudar a mucha gente en el proceso.
  4. Aprende nuevas cosas: Podemos mejorar algunas habilidades como escritura o de fotografĂ­a.
  5. Diviértete: No sirve de nada si no lo disfrutas.

CuĂ­date, saludos!

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@LaloPadilla Muchas gracias por leer mi post y por compartir tus consejos!!! :grinning: Es verdad, es preferible tomar la foto que arrepentirte más tarde por no haberte animado. Sino míranos ahora, encerrados por el covid!!! :joy: Extraño mucho asear en libertad!!

La Diversión me parece un punto clave, porque si lo haces por interés o por competir con los demás, pronto pierdes el interés.

Y con respecto a aprender nuevas habilidades, me parece algo fundamental. Por ejemplo, me encantaría a aprender fotos 360. Espero que algún día puedas enseñarme.

Te mando un gran abrazo desde Argentina!!

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No me olvido de la pizza pendiente @CaroGuiniazu jajaa

** @CaroGuiniazu ajajajajja siii**

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@CaroGuiniazu soy nuevita en el programa y estos tips me vienen de 10! Gracias!

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@CaroGuiniazu , this is one of the posts, which I book marked to read again and again. I was stopped while seeing thumbnails of posts and attractive by the title, but when I opened your post, I really love what you wrote, and how you wrote.

These are really great tips for anyone who wants to be a Great Local Guide. Later I will add some tips from me in my next comment.

But now I want to tag some of my friends who would love to read this wonderful post.

@Zuhralc @Dr_AlwyPaul

@Muhammad_Irfan @KalyanPal

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Genial Carooo¡! :heart_eyes:

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