Local Guide or Blogger: Is It Time for a Change?

[FrancescDomingo]

In an increasingly connected and digital world, information about tourism, places to visit, travel tips, and other related details are at our fingertips. However, with so many options available, it can be challenging to decide how and where to share our experiences and knowledge. I’m not one to complain, so if I don’t feel comfortable in a particular place, I prefer to act and change course. This article explores the differences between being a Google Maps Local Guide and creating a personal blog dedicated to tourism, with the aim of generating debate and reflection on the two options.

Advantages of being a Google Maps Local Guide

1. Your contributions as a Local Guide are useful and free for the community, just like those that can be offered in a blog.
2. Opportunities to discover new places and share your experiences, although these opportunities may be limited compared to those you can share through a blog.
3. Local Guides receive a certain degree of recognition through badges and levels, although it may be insufficient for some users, especially when it doesn’t translate into tangible benefits, nor does it contribute to creating a personal brand or reputation in the sector, which would even be frowned upon if professional services were to be offered based on a reputation as a Local Guide.

Disadvantages of being a Google Maps Local Guide

1. Limitations in content format (30-second videos) and unclear restrictions in reviews, as Google does not specify the reasons for not publishing them. I consider this a sign of Google’s indifference to the contributions of Local Guides who are supposed to have a certain reputation.
2. Changes in the ownership of your photos without justification or prior notification, giving them to the owners of the establishments without any reason. I have detected this incident in two establishments, but it may have happened more times. I consider this a serious lack of respect and an act of contempt.
3. Local Guides do not receive the relevance they deserve, as demonstrated by the 250-character limit available for writing a bio, or perhaps 300 characters, either way, an insignificant space that serves very little.
4. Photos that do not correspond to places and low-quality reviews decrease the credibility and overall level of Google Maps. Reporting these incidents seems to have no effect.
5. Lack of control over your contributions and the possibility that they may be deleted or modified without explanation.

Advantages of being a Tourism Blogger

1. Full control over the format, style, and length of content.
2. Opportunity to establish a personal brand and build a community of followers that can be leveraged for other platforms and formats.
3. Monetization potential through advertising, sponsorships, affiliations, etc. Or even by offering professional services such as photography, 360s, virtual tours, video, or copywriting.
4. Direct interaction with your audience through comments and social media.

Disadvantages of being a Tourism Blogger

1. Requires time, dedication, and patience to build an audience and generate revenue. But starting is everything, with persistence, improving skills, and offering valuable content.
2. The need to invest in tools and resources to maintain the blog (domain, hosting, design…). In my case, I already have an internet server, and I can take care of the design and programming myself, so I only need to purchase the domain and dedicate time, as I mentioned in the previous point.
3. Competition with other blogs and online platforms.

Conclusion

Being a Local Guide or a Tourism Blogger has its advantages and disadvantages. While being a Local Guide offers a platform to share your experiences with a large community, it also presents limitations and challenges, such as lack of control over your contributions and the little relevance that Maps give. On the other hand, creating a personal blog gives you greater control over your content, the possibility of building a personal brand, and monetizing your passions, but it requires time, effort, and dedication to achieve results.

The decision to continue as a Local Guide or become a Blogger depends on personal goals and priorities. If you are concerned about the restrictions imposed by Google Maps and value creative freedom and the possibility of monetization, it is time to consider a change and explore the world of tourism blogging. In any case, the key to success in either of these options is planning, patience, and commitment. What do you think?

[FrancescDomingo]

In an increasingly connected and digital world, information about tourism, places to visit, travel tips, and other related details are at our fingertips. However, with so many options available, it can be challenging to decide how and where to share our experiences and knowledge. I’m not one to complain, so if I don’t feel comfortable in a particular place, I prefer to act and change course. This article explores the differences between being a Google Maps Local Guide and creating a personal blog dedicated to tourism, with the aim of generating debate and reflection on the two options.

Advantages of being a Google Maps Local Guide

1. Your contributions as a Local Guide are useful and free for the community, just like those that can be offered in a blog.
2. Opportunities to discover new places and share your experiences, although these opportunities may be limited compared to those you can share through a blog.
3. Local Guides receive a certain degree of recognition through badges and levels, although it may be insufficient for some users, especially when it doesn’t translate into tangible benefits, nor does it contribute to creating a personal brand or reputation in the sector, which would even be frowned upon if professional services were to be offered based on a reputation as a Local Guide.

Disadvantages of being a Google Maps Local Guide

1. Limitations in content format (30-second videos) and unclear restrictions in reviews, as Google does not specify the reasons for not publishing them. I consider this a sign of Google’s indifference to the contributions of Local Guides who are supposed to have a certain reputation.
2. Changes in the ownership of your photos without justification or prior notification, giving them to the owners of the establishments without any reason. I have detected this incident in two establishments, but it may have happened more times. I consider this a serious lack of respect and an act of contempt.
3. Local Guides do not receive the relevance they deserve, as demonstrated by the 250-character limit available for writing a bio, or perhaps 300 characters, either way, an insignificant space that serves very little.
4. Photos that do not correspond to places and low-quality reviews decrease the credibility and overall level of Google Maps. Reporting these incidents seems to have no effect.
5. Lack of control over your contributions and the possibility that they may be deleted or modified without explanation.

Advantages of being a Tourism Blogger

1. Full control over the format, style, and length of content.
2. Opportunity to establish a personal brand and build a community of followers that can be leveraged for other platforms and formats.
3. Monetization potential through advertising, sponsorships, affiliations, etc. Or even by offering professional services such as photography, 360s, virtual tours, video, or copywriting.
4. Direct interaction with your audience through comments and social media.

Disadvantages of being a Tourism Blogger

1. Requires time, dedication, and patience to build an audience and generate revenue. But starting is everything, with persistence, improving skills, and offering valuable content.
2. The need to invest in tools and resources to maintain the blog (domain, hosting, design…). In my case, I already have an internet server, and I can take care of the design and programming myself, so I only need to purchase the domain and dedicate time, as I mentioned in the previous point.
3. Competition with other blogs and online platforms.

Conclusion

Being a Local Guide or a Tourism Blogger has its advantages and disadvantages. While being a Local Guide offers a platform to share your experiences with a large community, it also presents limitations and challenges, such as lack of control over your contributions and the little relevance that Maps give. On the other hand, creating a personal blog gives you greater control over your content, the possibility of building a personal brand, and monetizing your passions, but it requires time, effort, and dedication to achieve results.

The decision to continue as a Local Guide or become a Blogger depends on personal goals and priorities. If you are concerned about the restrictions imposed by Google Maps and value creative freedom and the possibility of monetization, it is time to consider a change and explore the world of tourism blogging. In any case, the key to success in either of these options is planning, patience, and commitment. What do you think?

[LuigiZ]

Hi @FrancescDomingo ,

First of all I want to let you know that I’ve moved your post out of the spam and it is now visible publicly. Our filters are sensitive and running 24/7 and sometime also a legitimate message can be caught by the filter. You can find here more information why a Connect post is marked as spam. Moreover I’ve now merged your both posts because identical since you re-posted it after the first one was filtered as spam.

Thank you for your clear evaluation of the Local Guide and Blogger differences, all what you said is indeed right. However let me just mention that, in this very detailed evaluation, you missed to mention that the main difference is that Local Guide is a volunteer program for passionate people willing to help the community while a blogger or influencer is a job aimed, besides a personal passion, to gain money as you also mentioned.

Local Guides are all volunteer and the scope is not to earn any money in return but help the community, and this main reason would solve your doubt, either you want to be a helpful hero of the community or you want to be a blogger who get paid for which has nothing wrong with.

As reference you may check the program rules where you can find that the Local Guides program is for individuals who contribute to Google Maps who like to help others to discover and explore their world.

Thank you very much and Happy Guiding !

[MortenCopenhagen]

@FrancescDomingo

Let me add to the great answer from @LuigiZ :

I remember a local guide who was also running a blog with a ton of food reviews. She got in trouble because she cross posted her reviews on both platforms (her blog and Google Maps).

The spam filter was quick to hide all her reviews on Google Maps (proabably because they could be stolen from the blog).

Her interpretation of the Local Guides Program Terms and Conditions text:

Organizations, brands, and businesses are not eligible for the Program.

Was an issue because she did not consider her blog as a business. But saying it is not a brand is hard to challenge in my opinion.

I’m sharing this to help you understand how there can be conflicts of interest at play.

All the best

Morten

[FrancescDomingo]

Thanks, @LuigiZ and @MortenCopenhagen , for your thoughtful responses. I appreciate them very much. Also, thank you, Luigi, for moving my message out of spam. Lately, I’ve been getting used to being considered a spammer.

First, let me clarify that my native language is Catalan, which might be the reason I haven’t expressed myself well in English.

Luigi, you mentioned that the main difference between a Local Guide and a blogger is that Local Guides volunteer to help the community, which could also apply to many bloggers.

Regarding my contributions as a Local Guide, with over 5 years of contributions, 82 reviews, 1,850 photos, 609 videos, 4,066 answers, 97 edits, and 51 places added, totaling 54 million views, I hope it’s clear that I am passionate about voluntarily helping the community.

Morten, thank you for sharing the interesting case of the blogger. However, it’s important to note that not all blogs are monetized. I included a question mark in the title of my post to indicate that it’s a reflection, not an announcement that I’m no longer a Local Guide.

In my message, I wanted to express my dissatisfaction with the treatment I’ve received and suggest that Google could trust experienced Local Guides with a solid reputation, as I think I have, instead of flagging their content as spam. Of course, some level of control is still necessary.

There’s no doubt that I can improve, and I strive to do so every day. However, I also believe Google can improve. I think it’s essential for all of us to share our thoughts and experiences to foster growth and progress.

Once again, thank you for your feedback, and I’ll keep your insights in mind as I continue contributing to the community.

[EmekaUlor]

@FrancescDomingo I truly understand your points and I want to believe that at some point Google would find a way to give passionate Local Guides like you opportunity to keep contributing quality content on Maps.

Aside from the advantages and disadvantages, do you know that I have met over 100 persons from 50 countries all because of this volunteer programme called Local Guides? I have collected rare stamps and coins too.

In addition to what Luigi and Morten has earlier said, we need to keep to the rules and do our best with what is available.

Thank you for raising this and sharing your concern.

Happy guiding.

[SanjayBDLG]

@FrancescDomingo Thanks for the post.

@EmekaUlor @MortenCopenhagen @LuigiZ Thanks for the nice comment.

[FrancescDomingo]

It seems that the issues with my reviews and videos not being published have been resolved. On Saturday, I uploaded an update with a video, and it was published instantly. On Sunday, I added a new place with a video, a 360-photo, and a regular photo, and it was published without any issues. I also posted a review of the restaurant where we had lunch yesterday, accompanied by a video and a photo, and it was immediately visible when viewed in incognito mode. Additionally, one of my previously non-published reviews, about the train station in my town, is now visible.

Anyway, it is bothersome to have to ask someone to check if they can see my review after I publish it or to go into incognito mode to verify if it has been published. As I’ve mentioned, I don’t write short reviews, and I dedicate time to them, so it’s disheartening to waste time on writings or images that aren’t published. However, it seems that things have returned to normal, presumably in response to filling out the form to review my account.

I am happy and look forward to contributing more and providing value to those who rely on Google Maps to make decisions about what to visit, be it natural landscapes, historical sites, or service and sales establishments.

However, I still advocate for establishing a certain level of trust for Local Guides with a good reputation who have been contributing correctly for at least one… or three years… a period in which they have proven to be reliable with useful and truthful contributions. Additionally, when one of these guides reports that a photo is not from a place, it would be great if it was revised and removed. Of course, this should have some type of control, which could even be prior to publication, but not represent an automatic block. It’s an idea, and Google has the capacity to implement it if they believe there are people collaborating with Google Maps who can be trusted.

Thank you to everyone who has paid attention to this thread and for your orientations and advice.

[UniversoMontagna]

Hi, Is It possibile to link my blog post on a review to give more details to the Google Maps Users? Thanks