I have contributed to three local guide accounts, even racked up some good photos and other info. Now I use only one account and would like google to create a merge capability so that especially one of my photos views gets recorded on my main and now only account that I contribute to? Out of all my photos only one has almost 40000 views in just over a year. Nothing else ive photographed and posted has fared so well. So I dont just want to abandon the account? Although I could take all my reviews over to it with cut and paste and probably bring up that account with my main account?
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Hi @RussJ ,
There are a number of issues that won’t permit you to do what you want to do.
I have contributed to three local guide accounts,
First and foremost, creating more than one Local Guide account is in violation of the Local Guides TOS. Local Guides are frequently banned for this reason alone. (See “Multiple Accounts” https://maps.google.com/localguides/rules ) I would suggest you immediately delete all but one LG account – especially as you have now made this information publically available.
Now I use only one account and would like google to create a merge capability so that especially one
of my photos views gets recorded on my main and now only account that I contribute to?
IMNHO, there isn’t a need for Google to consider such a merge capability as that would only be necessary if multiple Local Guide accounts were permitted – which they are not.
Although I could take all my reviews over to it with cut and paste and probably bring up that account
with my main account?
Were you to cut and paste you would be creating multiple duplicate reviews to the same (business) account. Even if you deleted the original review first, the bots would likely detect the duplication – all of which are hallmarks of a spammer and/or a user trying to manipulate the system. This places, in my view, your selected LG account at risk of being banned going forward.
I’m not unsympathetic to your plight – and it sounds like the account with the 40K photo views is not the account you would prefer to use as your LG account : (( That said, you need to pick one account and focus your contribution on that account only.
Hope this helps.
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I didn’t realize I was making multiple accounts, I was just starting out and had no idea it would ask me to join on every account I had? When I realized it was against the rules I have except by accident(took a little bit of time to know when it changes account), stuck to one email account. And when I said merge I meant that the account would then be erased. So I would have one account with the credit I earned. No duplicates and no cheating. I’m an honest man and earn what I have. I’m proud of my honesty and integrity and ability to contribute in such a way that can have such a positive effect on people’s lives. One lady had a business number assigned to her right after it closed. She thought she would have to pay to change her number and was not able to afford it. She received 15 calls a day for 9 months from 7 am until 9 pm, even a few each month late at night. she was very much annoyed and angry and I let her explain for 7 minutes and 37 seconds to me what(to use an eighty year olds words) hell she has been through over this. I assured her that I would have the number updated very soon so her number would no longer be listed on google maps for that business. I expressed my deepest apologies for her enduring her situation, and said “rest assured this will be behind you very soon”. She said “I hope you are a man of your word, sonny?”. I responded “yes mam, good afternoon.” then I checked with the business to confirm the lab had indeed closed, and edited the dental lab as closed. I was approved in ten minutes and that lady will remember that young man that made it happen for her. That is why I’m honest. And because of that honesty I think an honest mistake with all the comments on all the accounts people are asked questions under and of course that means they to must have multiple accounts. I’m trying to get my earned credit before I realized how with multiple email accounts its hard not to have multiple guide accounts. Just 1 , my most viewed photo was posted into at that time another account. Heck I’ve got 5 stars on on and 1000 short of 7 on the other. But its the 40000 views I want proper credit transfers to my main account and then I can delete all but my main. If it wasn’t so easy to duplicate accouts there wouldn’t be so many conversations about it? So Google should understand and give credit where credit is due, or else that 80 year old ladie might still be in hell. It only took 30 minutes to remove her number, I felt good doing that for her. Did you feel good responding to me like I was ignoring the rules or it made me feel like I wasn’t honest. That lady knows she can trust me? And just to add, I never disclose my relationship with Google maps with any business until after I build a repor, and if I don’t like them, then I never inform them. I want no different treatment because I can provide a review. And when I’m asked a question, I call the business and ask the owner or manager for an answer to make sure I’m correct about my input.
Hi @RussJ ,
>> I didn’t realize I was making multiple accounts, I was just starting out and had no idea it would ask
>> me to join on every account I had? When I realized it was against the rules I have except by accident
>> (took a little bit of time to know when it changes account), stuck to one email account. And when
>> I said merge I meant that the account would then be erased.
Yes, I get that.
>> If it wasn’t so easy to duplicate accouts there wouldn’t be so many conversations about it?
The logic is, me-thinks, faulty, however, I understand the sentiment of what you’re saying.
>> Did you feel good responding to me like I was ignoring the rules or it made me feel like I wasn’t honest.
I’m sorry my post made you feel like you weren’t honest. That said, I’m not responsible for your feelings. There was no part of me that felt or even had a glimmer of a thought that you were dishonest or that you were intentionally ignoring the rules. My post came from a place of trying to provide information to you that you may not have. My reply came from a place of trying to be helpful to another user. Importantly, I did not want you to suffer the process of being banned on Local Guides. I sincerely and genuinely wrote "I’m not unsympathetic to your plight – and it sounds like the account with the 40K photo views is not the account you would prefer to use as your LG account : (( "
Russ, as you likely know, but it’s worth restating, in electronic communication such as email and forum posts such as this one, all tone and nuance are (usually) lost. Said differently, if you and I had this conversation face-to-face, or even by phone, you would no doubt hear and respond to the tone of what I was saying, as well as the manner that I spoke with you, and you with me. My guess is that had the information been conveyed audibly you would not have experienced the hurt feelings that you did.
While the background information in your post only serves to further describe and illustrate my earlier comment that you are anything but dishonest or that you were intentionally ignoring the rules, it doesn’t change the information in my post. I am a user just like you – in this user-to-user forum. If you will excuse the use of an old expression, “I am just the messenger delivering the news/information”. My sense is you didn’t/don’t like the information in my message/post, and want an exception. I don’t make the rules, I may or may not like the rules, and I have zero influence to either change the rules or make exceptions to the rules – no matter how compelling the reasons may be. The singular opportunity for me to influence the rules is by sending feedback to Google via the various “Send Feedback” channels available.
On a different note ; ) it seems to me that you could keep all (or two) of your Gmail accounts, and use/choose one for your Local Guides account – which would preserve the impressive 40,000 view count of your photograph. Said differently, my sense is you don’t really want to use the Gmail account with the 40K photo views as your Local Guide account. Even if you did decide to use the Gmail account with the 40K photo views as your Local Guide account, those 40,000 views wouldn’t have any direct effect on your Local Guide standing or points – you received 5 points at the time you added the photo, but the additional views, as you likely know, don’t impact your Local Guide account, and the view count is only available for you to see under “My Contributions (Photos)”.
Where your name is displayed publically is when a user clicks-thru on your photo to display it, and your name is displayed with it.
While this doesn’t consolidate everything into one Local Guide account, keeping both Gmail accounts does preserve your photo view count – it does credit you with each and every view your photo receives on into the future – and it does display your name with the photo whenever a user clicks thru to the image.
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Thank you for your response. I am really distracted now in life, so I’m not contributing on local guides, but when I start up again I will take your suggestions. Thanks Russ Jedinak