I really liked answering those yes/no questions that Google Maps threw at me every now and then without warning, simply because doing that sometimes presented a welcome diversion from some stress in that moment. Even though I had no inkling of something called Local Guides, the points that the app displayed seemed to be accumulating, giving me enough motivation to continue. That the questions kept getting more detailed and needing more effort, kept me engaged. We are avid explorers, my family and I, and keep trying new places to eat, shop, and travel. Being very particular with where we took our toddler to, we sought extremely specific information about potential places. Google Maps sometimes gave us that information, or at the very least provided us with business hours and contact information to call and figure it out ourselves. It was then that the usefulness of those contributions dawned upon me.
From then I have made it a point to rate most places that we visited, and also write reviews whenever I can. Writing reviews provides a satisfying outlet for my expression, which only improves when I see the number of views that those reviews are getting. Those ascending Local Guide Levels are the proverbial icing on the cake. Even when the app doesn’t ask for contributions, I now go to My Contributions and find something to add. Being a Local Guide has integrated itself into my current favourite activities, some of which are exploring vegetarian restaurants and dessert parlours, and long road trips with family.
What began with answering yes/no questions without a sense of purpose has now transformed into a meaningful hobby, one that is taking me places, both literally and metaphorically.