A welcome to connect hand


Welcome to connect.Welocome to the new and Improved connect forum..Welcome to the official hub of local guides where we connect. I have written a Welcome to connect card before and I have often given local guides a Welcome to connect card. Now I’m writing this topic as a Welcome to connect hand. It’s a friendly and inviting hand. It’s a hand held out in friendship and love. Hoping that all local guides will feel Welcome and get a good handshake in here.
This welcome to connect hand topic is meant to;

  • Show you around connect
  • Give a brief orientation on connect.
  • Inspire your stay on connect
  • Guide your interactions on connect
  • Help you to love and use connect
  • …and help you to keep connected on connect.
    As local guides,we often get so motivated and excited that we neglect or forget that there are set rules and guidelines to participate as a local guide. There are rules and regulations on The local guides program itself. . There are also rules and regulations regarding Connect as forum. . It is very important to learn to use the forum before starting. It is also important to know the rules of the game before starting to play the game. That will go a long way to avoid embarrassments and difficulties. If we know and follow the rules,it becomes an enjoyable experience.As a user or newuser on connect what do I do or where do I go? Am new here can anyone help me? I need to write a new topic or comment on a topic? The forum is still all new,but I can share a few tips and links to posts that you need to go through to help you operate smoothly. Just click on the links and read through. The first place you want to go is down the bottom on the opening page of connect.
    HOME TOPICS CATEGORY GUIDELINES

Please click on guidelines. That takes you to a page with community guidelines on it. Please click START TUTORIAL !!! If you click on that you’ll get a;

  1. Welcome to connect
  2. A video from Kristin
  3. How should I use connect
  4. What can I post on connect
  5. Get started !!!
    After going through that tutorials you should be ready to connect as a local guide. Nevertheless I will share a few more necessary and helpful links. Please note that the term post now means Topic on the new and improved connect forum. Therefore How do I write a topic on connect??? Meanwhile we have a range of topics that are acceptable and other topics that are off or not acceptable on connect. Topics related to Google maps and the local guides program. Food and Drinks other local stories that are relevant to us in general. Now to write a topic,you need a heading and then you need to write. To do that you’ll see the create with a little pen, then. New topic and new meet-up. Me topic is the way to go.Now you will be faces with a whole lot other things like tags, category.

Basically we have [four categories ](https://four categories ) and a host of other tags to be chosen from. A Googler wrote here Connect tags and how to use them. . Please try and look up the above link. Its very useful. The four categories are;
Connections and celebrations.
Google maps contributions stories.
Google maps tips and tricks
Meet-up
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What more on the forum,seeing it is improved and new,if you’ll like to give some feedback the team. It’s always welcome. Please do so :point_right:t3: Here on this link ! . Feel free to express yourself and air your view. The team will be happy to hear from you. If you have questions and querry about connect, :point_right:t3: This way please and tell us what you have in mind.


There are other miscellaneous topic you might like to read to help navigation on the new connect;
How to write caption on the new connect.

How to create a post on the new connect

Hope you stay on connect
Keep active
Cheers

42 Likes
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Wonderful post, dear @SholaIB :+1:
This will be useful for new local guides and also for moderators to educate others.

3 Likes

@SholaIB que genial post!

1 Like

This is well thought out @SholaIB and a valuable resource for local guides especially newbies.

2 Likes

Thank you @TusharSuradkar ,

What inspires me to do posts like this is suggesting lots of links to newbies. If there is a post that contains all the links,its easy to read through quickly. Thank you for your comments.

@MrFreez my homeboy,

I always appreciate your comments. Thank you

Thank you @Maximilianozalazar , very kind of you.
Happy guiding
Cheers

4 Likes

Wonderful attractive style A welcome hand :ok_hand: link
@SholaIB

1 Like

Awesome post, thank you for breaking it down|

1 Like

You’re welcome @acuhsamu

Feel free to reachout anytime as necessary

Cheers

1 Like

Very well done @SholaIB. All the important details are covered in this wonderful introductory post. This will be an excellent resource for all newcomers.

Hi @SholaIB

I am new here!!!

Hello @Akpoka

Good to have you on board as a local guide.

Happy guiding
Cheers

Very informative post, thanks for sharing this.

Wonderful :ok_hand: :rose:

1 Like

Good day everyone,

I’m truly honored to be part of this connect hand Guides subgroup.

To me, being a Local Guide is about more than reviews—it’s about telling real stories and helping people make better decisions. As a cinematographer, I bring places to life through visuals, and as an oil & gas professional, I value accuracy, trust, and impact.

I’m committed to sharing honest reviews, creating quality content, and supporting this community as we grow together.

Thank you for the trust.

— Leweanya Okechukwu

Cinematographer | Local Guide | Oil & Gas Professional

My name is Manjie johm, and I’m a Local Guide based in Banjul, The Gambia. I enjoy exploring new places, especially local restaurants and hidden spots, and sharing honest reviews and photos on Google Maps.
I joined the Local Guides program because I want to help people discover great places in my area and support local businesses by making them more visible.
I’m excited to connect with other Local Guides, learn from you all, and possibly join or organize meetups in my region.

Thanks a lot, @SholaIB for this wonderful introductory post. It’s incredibly helpful for new Local Guides navigating the forum.

Adapting to the flow and guidelines of a new platform can take time for new users. Especially for those who are not fluent in English, Connect might easily be confused with conventional social media platforms. I believe that improving language options and offering a more localized experience is crucial. It will help users feel more comfortable, understand the unique spirit of Connect, and blend into this global community much faster! :globe_with_meridians::light_bulb: