During ConnectLIVE, one question I heard many times was:
How can we make our community more active and help it grow?
I have been thinking about this again because of some recent experiences.
For me, Local Guides Connect is not only a place to share travel stories, photos, meet-ups, or achievements.
Many Local Guides also come here because they have real problems related to Google Maps.
For example:
- A road name is wrong.
- A business disappears from Google Maps.
- A Business Profile is suspended.
- A location is fake or has wrong information.
- An edit is pending for a long time.
- Someone does not know which Google support channel to use.
- Someone already tried the official support community but still did not get an answer.
Of course, I understand that Local Guides Connect cannot solve every Google product problem.
Google Maps, Google Business Profile, Street View and other products have their own Help Communities and support channels.
But this makes me think about one question:
If we want Connect to become more active, should we also make it easier for people to find guidance when they have real Google Maps problems?
Sometimes a member does not need someone here to directly fix the problem.
Maybe they only need someone experienced to say:
“Try this support channel.”
“This is a Business Profile issue, not a Maps issue.”
“You need this information before you appeal.”
“This case should go to this Product Expert community.”
Or maybe someone has already experienced the same problem and can share what worked for them.
Connect Moderators and Product Experts
I also wonder if there can be stronger connections between Connect Moderators, Product Experts, Googlers and Local Guides.
Connect Moderators are very helpful in keeping the community active, welcoming members and guiding discussions.
But maybe it would also be useful to have more people with knowledge about different Google products involved in some discussions.
Not because Connect Moderators should become Google support.
Not because Product Experts should solve every case here.
But because sometimes just knowing where to go next can make a big difference.
A community becomes active when people feel that asking a question is useful.
If someone asks a question and only gets told “go to another forum,” and then goes there and receives no answer for weeks, they may stop asking.
But if someone can help guide them, even with a small suggestion, they may feel that this community is really connected.
For me, community growth is about people helping people
I think an active community is not only about the number of posts, likes, meet-ups or members.
It is also about whether people feel comfortable coming here when they need help.
Sometimes the answer can be:
“We cannot solve it here, but I know where you should ask.”
That small guidance is also community support.
So I would love to hear from everyone:
What do you think makes Local Guides Connect more useful and more active?
Should Connect have stronger connections with Product Experts for Google Maps and related products?
How can we help members find the right support without turning Connect into a Google support forum?
I am interested to learn from Connect Moderators, Product Experts, Googlers and Local Guides who have experience with this.
For me, the goal is simple:
People come for Google Maps, but they stay because of the community.
