Thank you for explaining why you prefer English @Laurent. I have to tell you that I failed English 3 years in a row and English being a pre-requisite subject at the time, it stopped me from entering university.
Hello @Rednewt74! It is great to see you in the discussion.
I think your “10% rule” is one that many highly active guides have used—it feels like efficient curation. But I’m really struck by your pivot: realizing that while a photo might “underperform” at a high-profile POI, that same low view count at a small-town business is actually a massive win for that local owner. Helping those small businesses stand out is exactly where the heart of the Local Guides program lies.
The fact that you are now writing your own post about your “new thinking” on deletion is exactly why I started this thread. It shows we are moving away from purely “metric-driven” contributing and back toward “impact-driven” documentation.
I’ve had several people ask for a clearer “rulebook” on this. Because of the great points you and others like @TerryPG and @Silvi have made, I’m actually working on a “Best Practices Summary” for the community. I want to help us define the difference between Curation (removing poor quality/duplicates) and Culling (removing for stats), so we can protect the Map’s history without sacrificing quality.
I look forward to reading your post when it’s ready—I suspect it will help a lot of people find that same balance!
I’m really undecided on this @AdamGT
I didn’t come here deliberately. Google pulled me in after I started to use an Android phone and allowed tracking. But note, my scores aren’t very high, so I’m not even sure why I stay.
I’m not a photographer, so my photo quality is not great. There are indeed some times when my photo is a deliberate effort to take something that’s different to what has already been posted to the POI, but other times it’s just a quick click as an unexpected opportunity presents itself.
I did at least one major purge when I saw your writings a few years ago @TerryPG, then a few minor ones after that. But just as you said, the new, slower rate of accumulating views has removed my desire to eliminate any views I already have. But there are still instances where I may have uploaded multiple photos, and the views now are like 0, 157, and 6300. Obviously, the zero can go, and I’d still have remaining contributions to that POI.
This is a good reason to keep all our photos @Annaelisa. I once had a zero-views list in a spreadsheet, but after my total number of photos passed 1000, I found it difficult to keep checking them to see if they started to improve.
Very good reasoning @Rednewt74. When I last did a purge, I retained a few low-scoring photos because mine was the only photo on the POI.
Oh I’m sorry for you ! …Though your story is a little bit funny..
It’s like Mr @AdrianLunsong has told me once about his desire of learning new languages and has thought me tips and advice to never give up! …
Thanks to you too for your sharing!
@AdamGT it’s always a pleasure..!
#LG.
Stark yet great reminder for all of us @AdamGT ! We come to Google Maps and decide to contribute to it, - constantly and persistently or otherwise,- with different reasons. Frankly, in the beginning, I have been contributing with lots of photos (mostly good to high quality photos and from so many different places and corners of the world I visited) before adding my reviews. I don’t know why, most of my reviews are long 
, I guess it stems from my genuine intention to try providing more helpful points and observation.
I start noticing carefully when I was already in level 9 and joining Jakarta Local Guide in 2018. Now, as I learn more and more from you guys, I’m trying to focus on ‘the impact’, as you rightly point out, of each and every contribution. It’s a learning process up until now, so I might stumble here and there…
So, back to your questions, I’m here for the community.. but I love seeing my scores and point progressing. So I think it’s a good balance to have both, by providing high - quality, impactful contribution which at the end gives you good scores.
And yes, every photo deserves its place on the map. You never know who will need them or when those photos become more and more relevant, like your Greenland photos.
Cheers from Jakarta,
I can understand why you like some might be a little undecided @tony_b and like you many didn’t end up here deliberately.
Regarding your point about not being a photographer, this is precisely the point that got me thinking why a rather simple, non impressive photo got so many views and led me to write this post and of course, we all know what that led to.
Terima kasih, @indahnuria! It is always a pleasure to have your global perspective in the mix.
As someone who travels extensively and sees the world from so many different angles, you have a unique appreciation for how information gains value over time. You’ve seen firsthand how the world is constantly changing, and how a quiet, overlooked corner can suddenly find itself at the center of a new conversation or a traveler’s interest.
Your point about “balance” is exactly right. There is no shame in enjoying the progression and seeing our levels move up; that is the fun part of being a Local Guide! But as you rightly pointed out, that progress is most meaningful when it is the result of providing impactful information, rather than the reason we delete it.
When you say, “You never know who will need them or when those photos become more and more relevant,” you hit the nail on the head. My Greenland photos were “quiet” for years, but the world’s interest eventually caught up to them. By keeping those “niche” shots, we ensure the Map remains a complete record for whenever someone—anywhere in the world—needs that specific view.
Thank you for your “persistent” and “genuine” contributions, Indah. You remind us all that focusing on impact is what truly makes this community more than just a numbers game.
Cheers from across the miles!
I am honestly blown away by the depth of this conversation!
What started as a simple reflection on a 7.5-year-old photo from Greenland has turned into a masterclass on what it means to be a Local Guide. We’ve heard from some of the community’s most experienced voices—from @TerryPG’s solemn tributes to veterans in small-town Ontario, to @Rednewt74’s focus on being a digital lifeline for “Mom & Pop” shops.
It’s clear there is a common thread here: The Map is a living history. While we all enjoy the friendly competition of the Leaderboards and the “high score” of views, the consensus seems to be shifting. We aren’t just “content creators” chasing a viral moment; we are cartographers and historians.
- @Laurent reminded us to “never underestimate a seed,” noting that a few views on a hospital photo are far more impactful than a million on a burger.
- @Silvi shared the beautiful evolution from treating the program like a game to focusing on stories and stories of people.
- @indahnuria highlighted that relevance is fluid, and we never know when a “niche” photo will become essential to the world.
- @GasparKaren and so many others have joined this chorus, proving that we are building a legacy, not just a profile.
Whether it’s a cenotaph, a local clinic, or a quiet street corner, these “low-view” photos are the seeds we plant for the future.
I’d love to hear from more of you: Is there a photo on your profile that has very few views, but you would never delete? Why is it important to you?
@AdamGT, this applies to all of mine with zero or very few numbers of views, as long as the quality of the photo is sufficient.
I also watch and mark “semi hidden” photos in my database, i.e. those which didn’t appear under Newest and not even By You, but never deleted any of those. Many times this happened, when posting a picture of restaurant’s menu list. A couple of month ago, many of those suddenly received views. Apparently, because appearing now under a new tab called Menu or similar.
Why to keep menu lists? I am not talking about fast-food chains, but single restaurants. Even an outdated menu list can tell you something about the food they are serving and were serving in the past.
Is there a photo … you would never delete:
In one case, I even kept the photos of a very good restaurant, which was not only marked as permanently closed, but eventually deleted from Maps. Even though, my photos are now hidden to the public, I do not delete. First to keep it as a memory for myself and secondly hoping for the (unlikely) case, the restaurant will appear again.
Totally agree. Even further, I consider the 135k+ photos[1], I keep on my disk storage as a personal visual diary and wouldn’t delete any, even if quality was questionable.
So far, my two cents …
Not counting those made by friends and family or only for documentation purpose ↩︎
Yes I have one place. In our small town there was a small bar that lasted for many years while others came and went. It was the
Metropolis Wine Bar, but they served very little wine.
It was a hub of our town, and they really supported the live local music scene. My son played there regularly, and for a couple of years he and friends had a weekly gig playing funk as the Metropolis Allstars.
This is when I first started doing digital video. Of the images in its gallery, at least 75% are ones that I added.
This is a little bit of history that I will always treasure.
Hey @WilfriedB!
It is fascinating to hear about your “semi-hidden” database. You’ve hit on a very important technical point: Google’s algorithms are constantly evolving. As you saw with the new “Menu” tab, a photo that seems “hidden” today might become a featured highlight tomorrow when the interface changes.
I love your perspective on single restaurants. You’re right—even an outdated menu is a piece of historical data. It tells a story of inflation, culinary trends, and the evolution of a local business. And keeping photos of permanently closed places as a “personal visual diary” is exactly what turns Google Maps from a simple directory into a living archive.
Thank you for sharing your “two cents”—they are worth a lot more than that to this discussion!
Alfred, thank you for sharing that beautiful story about the Metropolis Wine Bar. This is the perfect example of why we do what we do.
That 75% of the gallery represents more than just data; it represents your town’s culture and your son’s musical journey. If you had deleted those “low-view” videos or photos because the bar closed or the views were low, that digital piece of local history would be lost forever.
You’ve proven that we aren’t just uploading images; we are preserving memories for the community. When that bar is long gone, your contributions will be the only way for people to “visit” it again. That is the ultimate high-impact contribution!
Well done Al.
Great article @AdamGT . Make me realize that our contribution is not just numbers but impact for others
@AdamGT I don’t remember when I started to watch more carefully for those “semi hidden”, but meanwhile, I discovered 100. Of those, 45 turned into “Bluebirds” which I call all having zero for a long time before getting some views. Many, but not all of those are photos of menus, some of the latter with more than 1000 views and I have no clue, where they can be seen.
Regarding:
Besides that, I am asking myself, what is the benefit of deleting any photos, besides increasing my average view per photo? Twenty years ago, when I started making digital photos and organizing them, I read “The DAM[1] Book” by Peter Krogh. Besides many other good advices, he suggested to never delete any photos (from your personal or company’s storage) and made a calculation comparing the time needed for doing so versus the cost reduction for storage.
The comparison with Google Maps doesn’t really fit to his statement, but again, who cares, if I keep some photos, nobody ever sees, as long as they are not duplicate, redundant or technically too bad …?
Digital Asset Management ↩︎
Hi @AdamGT, you know well that I joined this platform for the community. If you look at my posts since 2016, they are always about building connections.
I never delete my photos on Google Maps. Why? Because I ensure every photo I upload follows the guidelines. So, deleting them just because of low views doesn’t make sense to me.
I realize everyone has their own motivation. Some people are driven by statistics—and honestly, seeing high numbers can be exciting! I don’t mind if people chase points or upload tons of photos just to level up quickly, as long as they follow the rules. But personally, I feel like I belong more to the “connection” side of things.
Honestly, I sometimes feel a bit envious of those high levels (as I mentioned before, I’ve been Level 8 for ages!). But then I remember why I use Maps in the first place: it helps me explore. I always check menu prices, parking spots, or toilet conditions before going somewhere. Since that specific information helps me, I want to provide the same helpful details for others. So, the view count really doesn’t matter. Even if a photo has 0 views, it’s not a problem for me. I do what I like, regardless of the numbers.
Nice writing. I like it. Hope I can do the nice write like you.
Exactly @Dinithea