It is about more than two years, now. I had my new Android phone in my pocket. I had been on vacation to my home town. I was in a Mall for some purchases. Quite some minutes had been spent there and I was about to leave the place. I took my phone and looked at it as it made a sound alarm. There was a question on the mobile screen. Though I do not remember the exact wordings in the question, it was asking me to share my shopping experience in the mall. Frankly speaking, I was new to these Android phones and the question did not evoke any response in me. So I ignored it.
The phone was smart and the location sensor in it was enabled. So I started getting more and more such questions with each passing day and it started prompting me to answer the questions. Now, what should I answer? I did not know why such questions appear and the idea behind them. I had not at all heard of Google Local Guide programme or its intended plans and objectives. Hence, most of the time, I ignored such questions just for the fact that I was ignorant about Google Local Guide programme. But almost every now and then, whenever I am out or travelling, such question striking my phone was prompting me to write something about my experience in a shop, a picnic spot, cinema hall or some other place that I visited and hence I started answering the question as âgoodâ, âniceâ etc. What else could I write? I was not aware of either the way I should comment or about the points that I was going to get on making such reviews. It did not stop in asking simple questions but another surprise started coming in. It started asking me to upload photos of the places that I visited. Since clicking photos of the places visited or the scenes on the way was my habit, like that of any one else, it was not difficult for me to upload the photos.
I am depending on my poor memory for scribbling this small write-up. So there can be errors in what I write here because memories are not authentic. I, now, remember that I registered as a Google Local Guide, based on a prompt, by providing my e-mail ID and phone number. But I exactly do not remember whether I registered first and starting uploading the photos or I started uploading the photos and registered later. Today, I feel that it would have been interesting if I had logged each step of my Local Guide interactions in a diary. Then, I could have clearly written here each and every development in chronological order and need not have depended on my poor memory to scribble these words.
So it was the beginning of my contact with Google Local Guide. I slowly started gaining interest in it. I made an extensive Google search and understood the very basic essentials of this useful programme. There were different roles for the Local Guide - role of a photographer, role of a reviewer, role of a trailblazer and role of a fact finder. Which role will suit me? Am I a photographer? Can I be a photographer? Who is a trailblazer? Can I be? What fact should I find? Will the facts that I find be acceptable to Google? Thoughts were many!
There were also the stars and badges. The Stars were with different shapes and the Badges were with different colours. The orange badge was for novice, blue badge for an expert and green one for the master. Can I be an expert? Who will be the Master? Then comes the different levels; Wow! there are 10 levels! Where will I reach? Will I reach level 10? My doubts and thoughts were unending.
I slowly plunged in to the Google Local Guide Programme. I uploaded photos, reviewed places, answered questions and started looking around for creating new places. My points started gradually increasing! My level also was slowing going up! That was not the end of it. Promotions were also taking place. From ââNovice Reviewerââ I was promoted to ''Expert Reviewer"; "Novice Photographer was promoted to âExpert Photographerâ. In between, I started getting few âLikesâ for my photos and reviews from unknown corners. They all were encouraging. So, I kept on going!
Google encourage me with messages like the one below.
âCongrats! Youâve been a Local Guide for â weeks and already on your way to helping people find places and experiences worth discovering. We hope youâll continue to add ratings and reviews, but thatâs just the beginning. Every contribution brings you closer to the next level.â
It also gave the view count of my contributions. So I believed that my contributions are meaningful and help the deserving people. Each contribution brought points to my credit and as I increased my points I moved to the next higher level. Truly inspiring, though these points do not fetch any money. By the way, who needs money when the path is inspiring?
One thing is sure today; that I am a Local Guide whom at least Google knows. I regularly get one or two questions from the general public on various aspects of the places that I have visited, commented, reviewed or created. I am also a notable Local Guide in terms of the points earned by me. Who will say that Level 10 with 2, 59,320 points is an ignorable position among Google Local Guides? Google itself used to remind me that I was a top Local Guide in my area. What else will be the wish of an ordinary person enrolled as a Google Local Guide?
Today, it is not difficult for me to earn few hundred points a day; I travel regularly, clicks photos of new places and can upload it on to Google map. I can write review of places, which will fetch me 11 or 21 points per places. But my motto today is not earning points. My motto today is making meaningful contributions to the Google maps that will make it a help for the common users. One thing is sure; that Google, and nobody else, made me a Google Local Guide. Let me stop wishing me (and all others, of course) to be a useful Local Guide to the community. Let Google map and Google Local Guides make a change as per the needs of the society. Let God bless us all!
Opportunities to accumulate points are many. There are numerous facts to be checked in the Google maps; there are numerous missing info to be uncovered. They are really countless. There are lots of existing data to be edited, deleted or corrected. There are lots of places that need extra information. These will fetch large number of points equally well when compared to posting photos and comments or adding places. So, I will keep on increasing my points by giving useful information to the Local Guide programme.
P.S.: Many Local Guides answer the questions just for the sake of earning points. I too had done it initially. It is bad. Now, I feel that I should not have done it. Our answers should be helpful to the persons posting the queries and they should feel satisfied in our answers. This is a point every Local Guide should always keep in their mind.