What started as a hobby of simply adding nice photos to Google Maps/ Places, has now become a passion for me to do it to an almost ‘professional’ manner!
To be honest, I knew nothing about Google Local Guides, its points system, the potential rewards, etc. Basically I love taking photographs - and I love taking up-close images of fascinating food items in their best presentation. Intuitively I wanted others to see them as well. I used to post them on Facebook, and occasionally on Instagram. But then as I grew older and started utilizing more of Google Maps / Google Places, I realised how essential it is for the common people. We are talking about ‘modern-day Yellow Pages’ readily accessible anytime in your phone - without even dialing any number!
As I started to benefit from information shared by others, I started giving my own, simple reviews as well about places that I have visited and my experiences there. But I felt there was room for improvement - especially in the manner which we provide long reviews. One has to read through the entire passage to figure out the hidden points or the main points which may benefit them.
So I started to have my own template for reviews, which comprise of the following headings: Location, Parking, Food, Price, Service, Ambiance, Washroom and Cleanliness (last updated in April 2019). As I contribute more and more reviews, I might be adding more headings to make a pleasant read for fellow users.
I am proud to have become a Local Guide out of my own passion of educating others with information they need about places. Being passionate gives intrinsic motivation to continually give the best and that is what I hope to continuously do in the years to come. And I am yet to explore the perks of collecting all those points as Local Guides - these are exciting times indeed!