My topic sounds like a question but it a real life experience of a Local Guide (LG).
Being a Local Guide is fun, it’s exciting with all the good vibes and some perks LGs sometimes enjoy. And of course if selected to be at ConnectLive!! It is the culmination of being a Local Guide amidst meeting other wonderful people.
But being a Local Guide is not a profession neither does it pay a wage as normal 9 to 5 jobs do. Everyone who’s a Local Guide has his/her normal job that they go to. So how well do employers understand what it means to be a Local Guide and also what it means to write a review about businesses out there.
An account of a Local Guide that use to have his 9 to 5 while doing Local Guide activities in his spare time. He took a picture of his office building and wrote a review about the company shortly after he was hired by the company and posted on the Google Maps. This is his usual practice as a Local Guide, and he does it with excitement.
There was a day his company sent him with another colleague to work at a client site (a veterinary clinic), after the normal company duties at the client site, the Local Guide decided to take pictures of the client office (reception area, some part of the office and also some areas where pets are treated). He wrote a very good review about the company, stating that it is highly recommended and that people should check it out.
But after about 2 weeks of the post on the Google Maps, his company management got a report about the post from the client and called him to inform him that the client is not happy about the post. And that the client feels their information is being put on the internet. He tried to explain that it is not just a random internet platform, that this is Google Maps and that the review he wrote was a good one to promote the company brand. But long story short, he was fired from the company.
So just for us all to learn, what are the Dos & Donts of a Local Guide while working his/her 9 to 5?
@opeyemisnr in the case your mentioned, the person should have asked the client if it was okay to take some photos and make review on Google Maps. The person was there doing a job and probably breached privacy if photos taken in private areas.
I’m sorry you lost your job. Unfortunately, reviewing your employer is a violation of the Local Guides Program, it falls under Prohibited and Restricted Content:
“Maps user contributed content is most valuable when it is honest and unbiased. Examples of disallowed practices include, but are not limited to:
Reviewing your own business.
Posting content about a current or former employment experience.
Posting content about a competitor to manipulate their ratings.”
So, it is important to keep your “9-5” completely separate from the Local Guides program. Good luck, I hope you get an even better job real soon!
Sorry for what happened to this LocalGuide @opeyemisnr .
Perhaps the company has also fired because it used the time spent working for personal purposes?
If it is not about public places (restaurants, bars, etc.) I think that asking for a permit for the photos and explaining to the owners that they will then be used for free on Google Maps to better make this activity known to all is a must.
Not everyone is aware of this LocalGuides program and indeed, many are reluctant to receive evaluations or reviews of their work!
So it is good to remember that if it is a private place, it is always better to ask permission first!
My view is that this is a no, no and you should not be reviewing a place at which you are there on business, regardless if you have been given approval or otherwise. I had two similar situations but returned on a personal basis and reviewed based on those personal experiences.
Actually, he wasn’t fired for being a Local Guide, but because he disrespected his company rules (client privacy, spending time doing other activities, etc). At the same time he also disrespected LG rules as explained, once his review can’t be considered spontaneous and honest.
The LG in question took a picture of his office building because the building does not have directive information on the Google Maps. And he did that for the purpose of making the place easy to find on the Google Maps.
Permission first is the key word. However, it was not that he abandoned his duty to do this. It was after his work that he did that, though not defending him because it is clear that permission was not requested.
In addition most companies have social media, intellectual property, safety, privacy and other policies that affect their employees. The organisation I work for doesn’t care if I do LG activities as long as its on my own time and doesn’t contravene any company policies. Not all companies are going to feel this way.
You should never contribute when on business because it is a clear conflict of interest.
Sorry to hear the firing news! Passion & emotion can fire someone from job! that is unexpected. I believe, Google can promote Local Guide’s contribution on building locations on Maps.
I moved in Calgary recently but Mapping from beginning of Map maker on web.
Reviewing your own business.