Dear Moderators and Googlers,
As dedicated Local Guides, we invest significant time and effort in enriching Google Maps with valuable contributions like reviews, place additions, road updates, photos/videos, and answers to business-related questions.
While the ‘Contribute’ tab within the Google Maps app provides a categorized list of these contributions, it currently lacks a visual, map-based representation.
Many of us are familiar with the Google Maps Timeline feature, which brilliantly displays our visited locations over a chosen period. As below screenshot,
This begs the question: Is there any existing (or planned) functionality within our Google Maps profile that offers a map view of our Local Guide contributions?
Imagine being able to see at a glance all the places where we’ve left reviews, added new businesses, helped improve road networks, shared visual content, and answered community questions, all plotted directly on a map.
Currently, accessing this information requires navigating through separate lists for each contribution type. A unified map view would offer a powerful and intuitive way to understand the geographical impact of our collective contributions.
Why a Map View for Local Guide Contributions Would Be Incredibly Helpful:
This feature would bring numerous benefits to the Local Guides community:
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Visualizing Impact and Pride: Seeing our contributions spatially would provide a powerful visual representation of our impact on the map. It would foster a greater sense of accomplishment and pride in our efforts.
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Identifying Areas of Contribution: A map view could help us easily identify areas where we’ve contributed heavily and areas where our input might be lacking. This could motivate us to focus our efforts in new or underserved locations.
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Strategic Contribution Planning: By visualizing past contributions, Local Guides could strategically plan future contributions. For example, someone might notice they haven’t reviewed many businesses in a particular neighborhood they frequent.
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Community Building and Collaboration: This feature could potentially foster collaboration among Local Guides in specific geographic areas. Seeing each other’s contributions on a map could spark discussions and joint efforts to improve local listings.
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Personalized Insights and Analytics: A map view could serve as a foundation for more advanced personalized insights into our contribution patterns. For example, it could show the density of our contributions in different areas or the types of contributions we make most frequently in certain regions.
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Gamification and Engagement: The visual nature of a map could add a layer of gamification and further engagement with the Local Guides program. Seeing our “footprint” grow on the map could be highly motivating.
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Showcasing Our Contributions: A visual map of contributions could be a compelling way for Local Guides to showcase their efforts to friends, family, or even potential collaborators.
In essence, a map view of our Local Guide contributions would transform our understanding of our impact from a series of lists into a tangible, geographical narrative. We believe this feature would significantly enhance the Local Guides experience and further empower us to improve Google Maps for everyone.
Tagging few Moderators and Googlers on this post for their overview.
. I now understand what the “In the News” tag is intended for. I’ll definitely be more mindful going forward and make sure to use the appropriate tags. As for my past posts, I’ll try to go through them and make corrections where needed. Thanks again for your guidance—I truly appreciate it.