Firstly, as a Roman Catholic my life has been in tandem with them via all my life stages - B*aptism, Communion and Confirmation.
*So it’s fair to say, I’m pretty familiar with them; since the advent of Google Maps it’s been possible to record, review and put them on the map, so to speak. Since Galway has so many churches, it’s gratifying to be able to at last list them all, and additionally, give them their proper addresses and new postcodes. Incidentally, every postcode district contains at least two churches .I didn’t realize that my Google reviews and photos were attracting so much intention, until it occurred to me that Galway has now a huge influx of new people from foreign lands and they find my church listing most useful in their new adopted city. The Polish community, I’ve heard, are the biggest users of Google Maps and they find the addition of city churches very useful and informative. I find this both gratifying and edifying that my work as a Google Guide is making a difference to people; that my content impinges on their daily reality, i.e. my input makes finding places (particularly churches) that much that much easier.
Being a Google Guide is akin to a local historian: you record and write on your locality and this is preserved for posterity. The recent tragic loss of Beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris - mercilessly consumed by fire, underscores that some things can only be safely preserved forever in memory, image and writing. Thankfully, these new “historians” are now abundant as Google Guides, whom busily archive our life in the 21st century.
They say, it’s better to give then receive - a helpers high, so to speak. I totally concur with this sentiment, because my work as a Google Guide is probably the most tangible and fulling thing that ever do online. You know the modern cliche: “Sharing is caring” , it’s true, and after my experience as a Google Guide, can totally vouch for this new truism.
Health permitting and God willing, I will be accelerating my Google Map input by visiting more places and this time taking videos - and perhaps doing a bit of narration. Now, I’m like the proverbial dog on the leash pulling ,tugging, panting and wanting to race ahead with excitement. I can’t wait to inject a bit more of vim and vigor into all my future reviews. That’s what I love about being a Google Guide - being master of what you love doing, and finding that others love exactly what you’re doing too! How cool is that? (-; #localguideconnect2019
