Here on Connect, I’m usually in the background as Googler and Connect Moderators take care of all of you. When I’m not in the background, you’ve also seen me sharing posts about the amazing people in the Local Guides program — you — or about the latest and greatest features and news for Local Guides and Google Maps.
Today, I’m writing to you to share some news: as of December 17, 2021, I will be “just” a Googler on Connect. I’ll no longer be a Google Administrator as I have made the very, very, very hard decision to move to a new team within Google after nine years on the Local Guides team. (The Local Guides program officially launched in 2015 but existed in various iterations in the years before that!)
Before I became a Googler, I was just like you: writing reviews (that’s all we had at the time) in 2011 on Google Maps. Writing reviews was so special to me because as a native New Yorker, I always felt that folks visiting NYC for the first time HAD to visit places outside the usual touristy spots. I turned to reviewing on Google because it was new and I felt I could help to shape the future of sharing local information with it. This was especially important to me as I spent 3.5 years away in Orlando, Florida at college, so when I came home, EVERYONE visited me and I got to take them around New York City. When I was able to start sharing reviews, I was able to send my friends a profile link so they could make decisions on what to do themselves.
Fast forward 10 years since I started reviewing and whoa, how things have changed! We can now contribute to Google Maps in so many ways, from editing the Map’s details, to mapping roads with Road Mapper, to answering accessibility questions (one of my favorites) and more. We have the power to influence Google Maps in so many ways, and at the end of the day, I always feel the same sense of pride: what we contribute to Google Maps helps people make the best decisions about where to go or what to do. When you have a limited amount of time or money, you want to feel confident in your decisions and with Local Guides, all of that is possible.
Whether you’re new to Local Guides or have been around for 1, 5, 7, 10 years, you all have an incredible role in shaping the future of Google Maps; every single day. By following your passions, your contributions can help a stranger plan a birthday party for a friend who requires wheelchair-accessible facilities, you’re mapping entire countries that help people get around an unknown place and you’re helping locals to discover small businesses that are the heart and soul of their towns. And those are just a few examples!
Those of you who know me know that I have always been and always will be a Local Guide, right there with you, experiencing the joy when someone likes one of my reviews, or when a photo of mine is featured on a small business, the satisfaction of having an edit approved or being the first to review a new small business (after talking to the owner about Maps!). But, it goes beyond that: it’s about the people! Every single one of you is a part of what I feel confidently is the best global community of people, both on Google Maps and right here on Connect. That is what makes Local Guides so very special: this community we have built together.
While I will be moving on to a new challenge within Google, I will continue to contribute to Google Maps (follow me), and I’ll continue to peek in here, though I will be “just” a Googler.
I know there are great things ahead for all of you Local Guides! This isn’t a farewell, it’s a “see you around here on Connect and on social media using #localguides (I’m @jumpingtraci)” it’s a “talk to you soon, friends I’ve made through the program,” and it’s a “thank you for helping me to grow” as a Local Guide, program manager, community management professional and most importantly a person. I am so very proud of what we have achieved together and my heart swells when I think of you.
So, I guess it’s time: see you around, talk to you soon and thank you, everyone.
and of course, if you ever come back to Buenos Aires we would love to have you in meet-up(s)!
), although you will obviosuly be missed tremendously over here.
It’s been a while and I still remember your from 2016! 
Yay!