I think it is important to talk about this topic every now and then.
It’s like highlighting something that is normal to think. Especially those who have spent many hours writing reviews, posting and taking pictures etc…
My partner said I was crazy wasting my time doing that, but when he likes a place or a new restaurant we ate at, he reminds me to write a nice review because they deserve it.
I totally agree with what you wrote in your post and I highlight two sentences: 1)“because we are not paid, we are free to share real information”, 2)“the end of a free App”.
These phrases have resonated with me a lot and are enough to give me the motivation to go on.
Thank you so much for your feedback, @Gezendunyali ,
Don’t you think we that need to find a way to educate the Local Guides? I don’t know how, so I try to do it with my posts, but I would love to have the opinion of a person who is working on Education, like you
Thank you very much for your nice words @ErmesT . I always have a word for my students. You can learn mathematics and English here, but honesty, civilization and respect for people are learned from the family. Unfortunately, I think it is very difficult to teach in commenting with the ambition of making money. But we should try it. Maybe it can be taught. Also Maps should give people like us a little more authority in this regard. We can overcome many things by working together.
Si, per fortuna la maggior parte delle Guide Locali sono brave persone. In effetti il titolo voleva attirare l’attenzione, così come la foto, sperando che qualcuno possa ripensare la significato di essere Guide Locali. D’altra parte quelli che chiedono soldi sono di solito quelli con i contributi peggiori, e probabilmente con un livello culturale più basso, e non si rendono conto che se dovessero essere pagati per i loro contributi potrebbero guadagnare al massimo qualche centesimo, ma se dovessero veramente avere un contratto, solo di avvocato si mangerebbero la casa
Don’t worry, @CAAG1959 , me too I use frequently the word “work” to say that we did a great work as Local Guides.
But for others the simple fact of “working” means that they want to receive money for a volunteer activity.
So I think they should honestly give a “value” of their work, especially when their profile demonstrate the opposite of what they are saying.
From this is coming my question about “do they have any idea of what working means?”
When I was invited, six years ago, to moderate Connect, I decided to invest this time for my personal satisfaction and growth. I have learned a Lot, I have started projects that I found amazing, and were Highlighted by Google, like Clean The World and Accessible Life (one of the best project in Google Earth according to the Google Earth team). I’ve learned a lot, and time by time this experience help me also in my professional activity, but never came to my mind the ides to be paid for something that I love to do for helping others
Hi, I’m Fakhar Sultan from Pakistan, and am a Local Guide like you & others here. Sorry, my English isn’t good enough but I will try to clear my point with nice words.
All you said is very well in this post. In my opinion, it should be paid to local guides because it will help many people like me get better financially as well as get more passionate about their efforts of contribution. But in your point saying “The second implication in my opinion would be “the end of a free App”.” I would like to suggest that companies, shops, stores, institutions, & all other places that are listed and getting business advertisements for free on google maps should pay google maps yearly for listing to make local guides paid because it is getting them more customers for free of any advertisement fees. Also with that google maps doesn’t get any burden of paying for local guides.
De acuerdo totalmente contigo @ErmesT . Tal vez muchos no sepan lo que es un verdadero trabajo remunerado. Tiempo, sacrificio, estudio, horas de ausencia y otros etcéteras para recibir un sueldo, generar una ganancia, en nuestro beneficio, nuestra familia y amigos.
Tenemos que disociar definitivamente la palabra “trabajo” con “solidaridad”.
Trabajo = Remuneración.
Solidaridad = Acción en beneficio de los demás.
Es así, tal cual lo escribiste, satisfacción personal e íntima por hacer algo por los otros, por mínimo que sea acá y por supuesto en la vida cotidiana.
Sabemos que trabajo o labor o acción solidaria deberían ir siempre de la mano, pero desgraciadamente genera otros pareceres.
Salud por tu publicación, celebró el tratamiento del tema y como tú espero que muchos se expresen.
“Welcome to Connect! If this is your first visit, you’ve come to the right place. This post will serve as a guide for everything you need to know about contributing content and engaging with the Local Guides community on Connect”. This is the first of the information that you will find in “Your guide to Connect” , the introductory Guide of the community. In there you will find all the necessary information to know how to better contribute in here.
Thank you so much for sharing your feeling with us, a feeling that I fully understand.
However, I would like to add a few note:
You should consider also my "first implication: “what happens if the Local Guide provides content that does not comply with the requirements?” and the rules that I’ve shared. You may not be aware of the rules, but 25% of your photos are selfies, and it is required that “Contributions to Google Maps should accurately represent the location in question”. 146 of your photos are added in a single place, while it is required to avoid redundancy: “Dark, blurry, and redundant photos will be removed. Users who duplicate photos across locations, or post images that infringe on copyrights, will also be removed.”. Some of your photo has been posted twice. These are mistakes that can be fixed, but if you would expect a payment, these would not be “mistakes”. The customer would potentially consider this a violation of the contract [and a fraud to get more money], and you could be requested to reimburse the customer (Google)
Google Maps support the small businesses too, and the participation in Google Maps is free for everyone. A company have the possibility to pay for advertisement (AD awards), and in fact the biggest income for Maps is coming from there. For more details about the calculations please read here. but for a moment let consider this option: You create a place in Google maps. Maybe it is a small business owned by a friend, or your own business. That business did not asked to be in Maps, you added it, and in your opinion Google should ask them to pay because you did it. I don’t think your friend would be happy, and could ask you to pay, as you added them in Maps. Also in this case a lot of small businesses would ask to be removed from Maps. Don’t you agree?
I think we should keep in mind the Global Plan. Also, we will not become more passionate “because we are paid”. Every time I looked for a job, I had to show my skills first, not to say to the company “I am doing bad, but if you pay me I could do better”.
What do you think?
Do you have a doubt about how to do something here or in Maps? The Help desk is here for you,with a long list of post with detailed indications on how to post.
Which kind of contents we share in the community? What are Connect topics? will give you an explanation
A tutorial would be a nice help, @TravellerG , I think that we should have a kind of “read before posting” link for every type of contribution. E.g., when I press “add a photo” I should have a pop-up with instruction about best practices, dos and don’ts about adding photo, and so on for every kind of contribution.
This could not only teach, but also avoid non intentional mistakes
Jo em prenc lo de ser guia local molt seriosament, intento millorar constantment les meves fotos, 360, vídeos i fer ressenyes acurades i respostes o verificacions certes, també dono d’alta llocs que no estan a Maps amb tota la fidelitat possible, ja siguin paratges naturals, monuments o comerços.
Reporto constantment fotos errònies dels llocs que la gent puja sense cap mena de control ni preocupació per esser fidels a la realitat. Jo, a totes les meves fotos, 360 i vídeos hi poso títol per a que la gent que ho vegi ho pugui situar exactament al seu lloc.
Em sap greu veure que moltes de les fotos que reporto com que no corresponen al lloc on estan segueixen a Maps durant anys.
També em sap greu que comerços com per exemple McDonald’s i d’altres s’hagin apropiat de les meves fotos i que Google sense cap mena de control hagi canviat la titularitat de les meves fotos a nom per exemple de McDonald’s que mai m’han pagat per les fotos, sense ni consultar-me a mi que en soc el propietari per molt que les cedeixi solidàriament a Google. I això, d’els que me’n he adonat perquè com que ho he vist més d’un cop considero que és una pràctica generalitzada de Google.
Per a mi Google Maps és molt útil i per això m’esmerço per a que les meves aportacions també ho siguin.
Si Google Maps pagués les aportacions s’ompliria encara més de contingut brossa, sense cap mena de dubte hi hauria gent que faria ressenyes de llocs que ni tant sols coneix ni hi han estat mai.
Personalment crec que està bé que les aportacions a Google Maps siguin solidàries, però també crec que la gent que ens prenem seriosament Google Maps hauríem de tenir una mica més de suport de Google Maps i hi hauria d’haver algun nivell de confiança. Jo em considero un guia local fiable i m’agradaria que Google ens ho reconegués amb nivells de confiança o fiabilitat, crec que amb els anys que fa que estic a Google Maps i amb els milers d’aportacions que he fet ja ha quedat demostrat el meu compromís amb Google Maps, ara m’agradaria que Maps ho reconegués d’alguna manera que sóc un guia de confiança i ho mostrés al meu perfil.
I feel like other content creators like YouTubers are getting so much support from Google than local guides. At the end of the day local guides also do so much and I think we need to be supported. It doesn’t have to be financial support. Based on someone’s activities ( how active and vibrant they are) they can be motivated by getting gadgets to help them take great pictures and videos, souvenirs from Google, training to mention but a few. I think it will go a long way. Thanks
Hi, I agree with your post. In my case I started, like LG with the idea of having a hobby. Since then I am excited to do reviews of my trips, and in each case I try to upload better photos and videos. And of course, I’m glad to be a volunteer.
My input towards “get paid for our contributions” is
Being paid no body will give out the best since your in hurry for gain and at the end we all loose the means of what we are supposed to deliver.
Paid through more “likes” or editorial even level will worsen the local guide meaningful as the name suggests “Local” meaning within your reach.
Suggestion
On my side I suggest the management should consider re-uniting the Local guide from there countries to be or make a team and either from that city or urban area, give the some incentives and not payments so not to lose the meaning of volunteering. T- shirts or any thing to lift the morality og guides.
It is true we all get our apps updated occasionally, it s true I my self enjoy meeting with different local guide from different countries, it is true when I read messages for goggle end especially from management I feel honored, but apart fro loving my work I may need some to club for me.
On my side I don’t need to be paid to do my local guide volunteer since I have chosen to work as a volunteer, should manage suggest to do it I welcome.
Freedom is in fact one of the most important point, I agree with you, but also the other one is interesting “Google is very rich they are able to compensate all Local Guides from all over the world” because this people underestimate the size of the program, and it is difficult to imagine a program where 150+ millions of people are contributing. How much they think they can get? Thousands of dollars?
Mathematics is not an opinion, and it would be enough to make two calculations to understand that this would not be possible.
Ma da amante della fantascienza, ho provato a Immaginare le conseguenze di un universo parallelo in cui i nostri contributi fossero pagati. A mio avviso il risultato sarebbe la eliminazione di questo concetto.
Le aziende usano già le loro immagini (foto del proprietario) perciò perché dovrebbero pagare anche noi? E se le recensioni fossero pagate chi si fiderebbe delle recensioni?
Alla fine si creerebbe una app clandestina, un Tam Tam di recensioni e foto Vere, condivisa di nascosto. E forse alla fine scopriremmo che si tratta di Google Maps
Obviously, @JustJake , I agree with you, “they haven’tt looked at the YouTube pay schedule or monetization process”.
I post in YouTube but for free, but my videos starts with an advertisement too, and for sure I don’t want to see any advertisement when I want to use Maps.
In fact this is one of the reason for me for writing this post. In the past I was normally asking to their post to consider what could be the implications of paid contributions. Not having the possibility to respond again one by one (not receiving answers, most of the time) I decided to write here
Well, let say that a reflection may help many to understand the real terms of the situation. As I said already, I think many do not realize how many people is contributing in Maps