Question: What does the Local Guides program mean to me?
Answer: Local Guides = Lifestyle + Connect + Endless Opportunities
Lifestyle
As an almost Level 9 Local Guide for the past 5 years, I find being a Local Guide as ever-changing. No matter what my interests are, I am always a Local Guide. Whether I am home in the San Francisco Bay Area or travel outside of it, there is always something I can review, add and/or update on Google Maps.
When I first started in 2015, my reviews were based on places and businesses I could take my dog. I started then to review San Francisco restaurants that could take my quadriplegic uncle, who is in a wheelchair. Then, my life changed after having twins in 2016. My Local Guides reviews became baby, then, toddler-focused.
I found I could review, and then, go back over and over to many of my same Local Guides reviews, places and businesses that I go to as part of my daily life. I continually add new photos and update to a subset of my existing reviews because of seasonality or having a new or different experience:
- Shopping (grocery, clothing, hardware, garden nurseries, discount, etc)
- Restaurants & coffee bars
- Green lifestyle, which includes thrift and consignment shops
- Kid-friendly, specifically from baby to toddler
- Parks & Gardens
- Annual family trips to Hawaii and Lake Tahoe.
#LetsGuide
After 8 years of annually traveling to Kauai, here is my personal go-to Kauai on a Dime Google Maps list. During our annual family trips, we do return to many of these 23 places on this list. I, then, will update these Local Guides reviews.
Connect
It is part of my DNA to share and help people, be curious, and always want to keep learning. Being a Local Guide and being active on Connect is the best of both worlds for me.
Connect, in my opinion, is the heart and soul of the Local Guides program. It is where we connect as a global community. There is so much access to knowledge and cultural-sharing 24/7. Through our posts, we learn and share each other’s cultures, holidays/celebrations, foods, interests, hobbies, cities, countries, etc.
Being here has made me become a “goodwill ambassador” of my community (the SF Bay Area), my state (California), and my country (United States) and a “global citizen.” Connect encourages me to share what it’s like to live in America as much as I want to learn and ask questions about how my fellow Local Guides live, eat, and their interests through their posts.
What Connect has shown me is that we Local Guides no matter where we live, we are more similar than different. We have similar interests, tastes, and passions.
Finally, being on Connect has allowed me to help, motivate, and inspire my fellow Local Guides as a Connect Moderator for almost three years now.
Endless Opportunities
The Local Guides program to me also means constantly testing my limits, to be a better Local Guide, to be a better person:
- Empowerment
Being a Local Guide means being empowered. Each of us can make a difference in our communities. We can add and update Google Maps in good times and during disasters.
For me, I am always blown away when I receive these Google Maps Photo Views emails because I only use my phone and am not a trained photographer!
I can share my passion for the environment and encourage my fellow Local Guides to do so in their communities such as in Argentina.
- Strong Friendships
To me, the best Local Guide program perk Is the incredible friendships I have made both here on Connect and at the annual Connect Live event itself.
It’s possible to become friends with Local Guides from every continent, except Antarctica. I am living proof!
Geographical distances and multiple time zones are now meaningless to me. I interact with many of my Local Guides friends more frequently than I do with my friends who live in my community. You know who you are!
- Becoming a Techie by Chance
I am not a technology “early adopter,” but being a Local Guide has made me “technology confident.” I now have no fear of learning new tech-related things because:
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I learned to use the Google Photos app to create “blog” links to better share my Local Guides experiences using shared Google Photos albums and have taught other Local Guides how to do so.
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I learned how to take 360-degree videos for the Google Street View app after I received the gift of a Ricoh Theta V 360 Camera during Connect Live 2018.
- I owe my video making and editing skills and the launch of my YouTube channel all due to being selected to attend Local Guides Summit 2016. Although these skills have never been required to create a Connect Live application video, I wanted to learn how to better visually tell my stories after #LGSummit16. For Local Guides Summit 2017 and beyond, I have learned how to use the iMovie video editing app. I now can easily create, for example, my meetup recap videos for my Connect posts as much as I can create videos outside of Local Guides too.
Enjoy watching my Connect Live 2020 application video
What new skills or opportunities have you gain after becoming a Local Guide? Please Comment below.
Cheers,
Karen
You are truly a superstar - a great mom, a great friend and for sure a goodwill ambassador for this amazing Local Guides Community. I’m so grateful to have met you in person - really really enjoyed your company. Thanks for always being there forall of us 
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