I recently created my video for the Connect Live 2020 application where I tell the story of how I discovered the Local Guides program and how it has impacted my life.
I had always liked taking photos of food, but because people usually make fun of guys who take food photos, I didn’t do it often until @viviankyh started taking me to more restaurants.After visiting more and more restaurants, my love of taking food photos resurfaced and I started searching Google Maps for reviews and photos of good food spots. I eventually started posting reviews and photos myself on Google Maps as a way to document the food I ate, the restaurants I went to, and also share it with others.
I became an aspiring foodie!
As I visited restaurants more, I realized that the atmosphere and feel of the place was really important to me as well. For example, even if the food was really good, if the restaurant didn’t make me feel comfortable, I would still give it a lower review rating.
I noticed that many reviews only talked about, and featured photos of the food, but didn’t really go into detail about the atmosphere, so I started including information about the decor, interiors, and how the place made me feel.
To my surprise, many businesses (such as Gravity) thanked me for providing a great overall review of my whole dining experience, so I realized it was important feedback that foodies have to provide.
When I saw how much users and business owners valued the feedback I was providing, I felt really good and it further hooked me on being a local guide. My life is forever impacted because I now go out of my way to get photos of every aspect of the restaurant experience and am not afraid of being judged when taking food photos because I know I’m helping others!
Other ways the Local Guides program has impacted my life include:
- Fulfillment: I have always loved helping people and with Local Guides, I love that I’m able to help people on a daily basis through my contributions on maps. Seeing the real world impact I am creating through the views on the photos and reviews I uploaded has really got me hooked on being a Local Guide.
- Identity: My identity as a Local Guide is one of the main ways I define myself now. The knowledge that I am part of something bigger than myself - a global community, is something that fills me with pride.
You can check out my video below.
I hope you enjoy it and let me know any thoughts you have.