Connect is a place for Local Guides to share their discoveries, ask questions, start an engaging conversation with other community members, and more.
If you’ve got a story to tell or a question to ask, you can create a topic on Connect by clicking on the pencil icon and selecting New topic.
- First, choose a category for your post: Connections & celebrations, Google Maps contribution stories, or Google Maps tips & tricks. Think about what you want to share and use our handy category guidelines to help you pick a category. If you want to organize a meet-up, please read this. Remember to stay on topic as irrelevant content may be removed from Connect!
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Next, select at least one tag to describe your topic and help others discover your content when searching on Connect. Learn more about tags here.
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Select a country (if the option appears). For example, if you’re looking for places to visit during an upcoming trip to Italy, or if you’re sharing about a favorite restaurant in your area, select the correct country option from the dropdown menu. This will help other community members find content related to the location they are interested in.
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Write a clear and attention-grabbing title. The title is the first thing people will read about your post. Be specific and descriptive so that others will want to click and learn more.
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Write your topic — and make it relevant. If you’re telling a story, think about what value it can bring others. If you have a question, be as descriptive as possible.
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Upload photos and videos. Make your topic more interesting with great visuals! The first photo you add to your topic will appear as the main image across the site. So, make sure it’s relevant to your title. Don’t forget to add short descriptions to your photos to make your content more accessible and help others understand what you’re sharing. Also, be sure to only share photos you’ve taken yourself or have permission to use. If your photo contains other people, be sure they’re cool with it, too.
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Share Google Maps links. Sharing a photo of a beautiful waterfall or talking about a specific restaurant? Add a link to the location of the place and your contribution on Google Maps.
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Review and save your work. By default, the composer uses a real view editor, showing you exactly how your topic will look as you write it. If you are a savvy coder or prefer custom formatting, you can toggle to the Markdown view to make advanced edits; in this mode, you can use the “Show Preview” button to check your changes.
- Manage your drafts. If you need to finish your topic later, use the “Save and Close” button (desktop) or the “Save” icon (mobile) in the composer. You can save several drafts at once for both new topics and replies. To find them, click the pencil icon or select “Drafts” from your profile menu.
- When you’re happy with your topic, click on +Create Topic!
We can’t wait to read the exciting stories you share and see all of your amazing photos!