Has your way of contributing to Maps with photos changed in the last year?

[ErmesT]

The last year has been challenging for everyone, and for the Local Guides the challenge has a special meaning: keeping updated with all the information in Google Maps.

Many things have changed over the last 13 months:

• Our way out of the house
• Our way of shopping
• Our way of socializing with others
• Our holidays

Even the way we meet family members has changed

Consequently, my way of contributing in Maps has also changed:

• I updated opening hours, reopened businesses that were temporarily closed, had a lot of time to “clean the map”, merging duplicates and deleting non-existent places.
• I changed my way of writing reviews, and for the first time I reviewed restaurants where I’ve never been, but used their Food Delivery option instead.

In communication, visual information is of great importance, because it allows the viewer to immediately understand the situation and the quality of a place.

As a result, my way of contributing with images has also changed, adapting to the need to::

• updated information relating to commercial activities
• need to prioritize outdoor locations rather than indoor locations

Information - Hygiene / sanitation measures

The most important information to add in Maps, as soon as the commercial activities were able to reopen, was of a hygienic / sanitary nature: Organization of access, availability of disinfectants, obligation to wear face masks, limitation of the number of people who can enter inside a commercial activity.

I focused on doing this through images, trying to show, shop after shop, how they quickly adapted to the new rules.

Information - Bars and restaurants - the new procedures

Takeaway and delivery have long been the only options for using restaurant services, and they are now too. Services that I decided to use, talking about it in my reviews and showing it in the photos.

it is possible to have a coffee or a piece of cake in a cafe, but only if they have outdoor tables.

In my photos I wanted to highlight this possibility

Outdoor Locations: for many people, locked up at home for a long time, being able to find outdoor places to walk or take the children to play becomes an urgent need. So I searched, and added in Maps when there were not already, lots of playgrounds, large and small. This has become a primary goal for me, and I have tried to carry it out in the best possible way.

I spent the rest of the time documenting parks, gardens, natural oases, open spaces where you can get away from the crowds and relax, and I added it all in Maps.

This was also a way for me to explore new places, to document them and insert updated images into Google Maps.

And you? Has your way of contributing images in Google Maps also changed? If so, how has it changed? Have you stopped contributing, or modified your way to contribute?

What images have you added to help others over the past 13 months?

[AdamGT]

My way of contributing to Maps with photos has changed significantly in the last year @ErmesT mainly because I haven’t been able to travel. Being locked down for most of the year led me to review many of my photos deleting some and updating others and, like you, I spent quite a lot of time “cleaning the map”, editing and updating places. I also spent quite a lot more time right here on Connect, and also created one or two leaderboards

Edited: On just counting I see that I had 1458 published Edits since March 2020

[LaloPadilla]

Yes @ErmesT , It has changed, I started to edit the map and sadly had to mark a lot of businesses as “permanently closed”.

And same as you, I have reviewed a lot of restaurants I have never been, of course photos would be better looking if the dishes are straight out of the kitchen, but everything has been delicious. A new “type” of photos that I am taking now are safety measures inside a place so people know if it is a good place to go.

[ErmesT]

This is interesting, @AdamGT , and congratulations for the big number of edits, for keeping the information updated and to clean Google Maps.

Do you mean that you contribute in Google Maps with photos mostly when travelling?

I like when you said you deleted some photo, I think you should write about that.

Most Local Guides would be surprised at the idea of ​​deleting a photo, if not horrified at the thought of doing so.

I think this is an action that only a great Local Guide can do

[FaridTDF]

Es una pregunta interesante @ErmesT hace un año y medio casi que no salgo de vacaciones, que es cuando realmente aporto muchas fotos y comentarios a Google Maps, por otro lado aquí en Argentina tuvimos periodos donde no podíamos circular, eso me dejo muy quieto y casi sin aportes a Google Maps. Luego cuando abrió un poco pude salir al campo, solo, y eso me volvió a conectar nuevamente con todo lo que es Google Maps. Por tal, respondiendo a tu pregunta, si, si me cambio la manera de aportar.

Hoy trato de ser mas selectivo a la hora de tomar fotos y en especial me dedique a mostrar y contar historias sobre el lugar donde vivo, pero en lo que mas me cambio esta realidad que vivimos todavía. Es que deseo darle sentido al tiempo que tengo estando al aire libre disfrutando la naturaleza y capturando esos momentos lo mejor posible .

[FalguniP]

My contribution have changed a lot @ErmesT

Just like you said I reviewed restuarant where I ordered food from, edited business many of them permanently closed, many new emerged.

For photos I concentrated more on getting store front cause it has the information about phone number and contains proper address in most cases.

Sometimes the adding business with phone number and website takes months for approval and the numbers don’t usually get approved with that so I prefer to add store front or menu where they have phone number mentioned.

I made lists ( takeaways/ accessible malls/ women owned businesses/ budget friendly restaurant/ fine dine/ vaccine centers/ bake supply)

I also added reviews of many local businesses cause I frequently visited there.

The little time we got ease on all restrictions I added more information.

I constantly keep finding ways to improve and contribute better.

[AdamGT]

Ever since I first joined Connect in October 2017 I’ve been impressed by your input @ErmesT and once again, here in your reply to my comment, you have impressed me by seeing something in my reply to your post that may at first appear to be insignificant, just a passing comment. I will come to this in a moment as I first wish to reply to your two other main comments.

This is interesting, @AdamGT , and congratulations for the big number of edits, for keeping the information updated and to clean Google Maps.

Yes being locked down for most of the last year I spent quite some time cleaning the Map. I really hadn’t realized how much cleaning I had done but after reading your post I thought to go through and do some counting on my cleaning and I was as surprised as much as you are and I have to add, when I say 1458 published Edits since March 2020, there are many more still under review.

Do you mean that you contribute in Google Maps with photos mostly when travelling?

No, but let me explain: I generally take lots of photos when traveling, many more than I post on Maps, and then when I come to write my reviews I select the best photos to add. My strategy has changed a lot since first becoming a Local Guide and I wrote about the strategy that I actually use now in my post which I called Tip: A Level 10 Local Guide’s Maps Reviewing strategy and I hoped that this might help others.

I like when you said you deleted some photo, I think you should write about that.

Most Local Guides would be surprised at the idea of ​​deleting a photo, if not horrified at the thought of doing so.

I think this is an action that only a great Local Guide can do

Now this is what really impressed me in your reply Ermes. You saw something that I had deliberately played down. I was being modest when I said that during the last year I had deleted some photos because in fact I deleted many and I did this when I was about to pass the 200,000 Local Guides points threshold. This is something that @JanVanHaver not long ago noted and commented on, I think it was in relation to his 5 “Level 10s” revealing their best tips on how to get to level 10! LetsGuide Podcast.

Well Ermes I totally agree with you that “most Local Guides would be surprised at the idea of ​​deleting a photo, if not horrified at the thought of doing so”. So why would I delete photos and especially when I was about to reach the 200,000 points threshold? In fact I have been thinking of writing about this after @katydarhel had made a comment a few weeks ago that prompted my mind on this.

[ErmesT]

Looks like we are both proceeding in the same way, @LaloPadilla .

At first ir was difficult for me to think about to submit photos not taken inside the restaurant, then realized that we have to show the “real” service, and I tried my best to take good photos in any case, like the ones that were the subject of Supporting Local Business - Bring Your Restaurant at Home

Now also my wife is taking photos of the dishes at home, before to eat, and i am trying to improve the quality, if possible

[Zaxar]

чудесные фотографии и ваша история

[ErmesT]

Thanks, @FaridTDF

It seems there is an interesting relation between the Local Guide level and the way to contribute, like if “everything in the area where I live has already been covered” and “now I contribute with new places when traveling”.

Me too, now, I try to concentrate a lot in Natural Areas, because there is a need to outdoor spaces where to be able to go outside staying away from the crowd. A few weeks ago, before the last lock-down, I visited a castle and an archaeological site not so far from where I live.

The two places are beautiful, and were not crowded at all.

On the contrary, the main square of the town was so crowded that I wanted to find another way to walk, as I refused to pass through there

[ErmesT]

Great @FalguniP

I am reading most of your post about supporting the Local Businesses.

By supporting them, we are also supporting all the users of Google maps, to find the right information. Looks like we are both proceeding in the same way, and we both adapted our way to contribute using our photos to convey information that are immediately clear to see and understand.

Absolutely well done

[katydarhel]

I am very pleased, Adam, that my posts influence your attitude to the posting of material. I couldn’t even imagine that a level 6 expert could be useful for a level 10 expert. And nevertheless, @AdamGT , @ErmesT , we are engaged in a common cause and each of us strives to improve Google Maps in his own way, and any exchange of opinions is useful and instructive.

[SP31]

A great topic here @ErmesT which made me take an interesting mental and in-app tour of my contributions over the year. I focused heavily on photos and answering questions relating to the current situation primarily relating to COVID-19, but I noticed I initially provided many photos of outdoor spaces, just as you did, as many of us sought to find any escape from the usual quarantining indoors, and I noticed over time it transitioned slowly into showing the efforts by local businesses, showing signs they may have had indoors and out to provide a safe setting for all during the pandemic. Almost kind of showing the progression of where we were and how things are now. And of course, many food photos haha.

While things are not 100% again and will be forever changed as a result, it is a true testament to how important our contributions are - I know I’ve surely used recent reviews and updates to guide me in my decision-making especially as things continue to pan out in terms of the pandemic and we try to get back to some sort of normal.

[ErmesT]

This makes sense, @AdamGT

I realized that most of my edits were concentrated in cleaning the Map too.

The beginning was totally casual, as I was trying to make an edit that I already attempted years ago, unsuccessfully: moving the Pietà di Michelangelo out of the street. While doing that, I noticed a lot of fake places all around, and I made more or less 150 edits in one night (all approved instantly). This convinced me to invest one part of my time at home for cleaning the Map.

Me too, I take hundreds and hundreds of photos when I reach some nice place. More or less I follow the same process: uploading the photos in Google Photos, editing a bit (light, saturation) and selecting a few of the more meaningful photos for uploading them in Google Maps.

Removing photos is something I only did a few times, because a business changed aspect so the old photos were no longer representing the place.

Sometimes I was thinking about to remove some photos with low view, but then I realised that many of them are related to very small business in some village, with only a few photos, so I decided to keep them in place

[LuaPL]

In Spanish

Gracias @ErmesT por traer este tema. Mi contribución en fotos ha disminuido con esta nueva realidad como le llamamos.

_ quedate en casa

_mantén tu burbuja

_no me comprometa, estoy trabajando y nos están filmando

_un solo miembro por familia…

_no aglomeraciones en espacios públicos a veces 4 personas maximo

Las fotos pueden demostrar el incumplimiento de los protocolos (aforo máximo para lugares cerrados, uso correcto del tapabocas, alcohol en gel, temperatura corporal, distancia social, no poder probarte la ropa que compras, carteleria existente o no) a veces no son bienvenidas por el personal de seguridad con personas sin trabajo, las que los tienen deben cuidarlos y a veces puedes pasar malos momentos por una foto.

Otro tema es el cambio de las medidas, como por ejemplo por 15 días los parques están cerrados y luego abren y cierran y no da el tiempo para verificar los datos por Google y vuelven otros cambios.

Cieran o abren lugares para juegos infantiles en plazas públicas y te preguntan… La plaza esta cerrada? No es la plaza son los juegos cerrados! Y continuos cambios.

Cuando no se pueden corroborar tus datos y las cosas siguen cambiando… Pienso que estoy haciendo con mi tiempo

Enviar comentarios, como “ese túnel lo están haciendo frente a mi casa” y el tráfico, varias cosas cambian.

A veces piensas… no mas stress, respira y ve lento.

Así estoy con los brazos un poco caídos.

Un abrazo a todos

Y Ser Local Guides sigue siendo y será un Honor y Orgullo .

[AdamGT]

If there is a lesson there then we should take advantage of it regardless on who the teacher is @katydarhel ., we can all learn from each other!

[ErmesT]

Thank you so much, @Zaxar

How did you contribute during this last year? Did you had a specific focus for your photos?

[ErmesT]

Thank you for posting @katydarhel

How did your way of posting photos in the last year? Was your way of contributing impacted by the pandemic?

[ErmesT]

"it is a true testament to how important our contributions are "

How not to agree with you, @SP31

This is the big help we are giving to both businesses and Local Guides, who are looking for updated information in Google Maps.

Do you know that now we can add our photos also in the “update tab”?

[katydarhel]

Thank you for your interest @ErmesT . I will say that last year I had difficulty shooting new objects during the pandemic. It was from March 15 to June 8, when Russia was under strict quarantine. Now quarantine measures in Russia are not so strict. And now I live in Toronto, and the Ontario government does not prohibit physical activity and walking. In addition, I will add that I have always been an exterior rather than an interior photographer. So I can say that at the moment I am practically unlimited in photographing new objects.