I love to travel and I’ve been using google map to get directions for some time and I occasionally upload some photos of the place that I go to. These were the functions that I usually use and I thought they are all that google map is about until I discovered local guide.
I became a local guide in 2017. At that time, I had to go to Columbus, Ohio for a trade show. And it was a completely strange city to me; I knew nothing about it and I was kind of nervous because I had to stay 3 days in Columbus. You know how it feel when you go to a place that you don’t know, especially when you are a foreigner.
So I looked up online to see what restaurants people recommend and get the directions on google map and I just realized that google map has some reviews of that restaurant. (forgive me that I never noticed before) So I started to use google map to find restaurants nearby and read the reviews. They helped me to make my decisions and made me feel that my world is better 
After I discovered this function, I started to write reviews on google map and then I discovered another stuff called local guide because in one of the emails google sent me mentioned about local guide and helping others. Then I thought “yeah, I can be a giver instead of a taker.” That’s why I clicked the button and became a local guide.
Because I love to travel, I like to share the places or restaurants I have been to. There is no specific type of destinations, shops, or restaurants I would choose to write a review. I would just leave comments about my real experience and feelings no matter it’s a fancy shop or a street vender. Also, I am not pursuing the points or levels of my local guide account; that’s not the reason I share my opinions on google map.
I do so because I took credits from others on the google map and now I want to contribute. As long as one person thinks my reviews are helpful, everything I’ve done is worthy.
