Local Guides’ activities are incredibly diverse. The more time I spend on Connect, the more learn how very limited my own interpretation of the program is. I made the image above after a particularly humorous get together with a friend, where I explained the LG program for over an hour and left feeling like I still hadn’t done us justice.
How do the people around you see your LG activity? I’d love to hear how it is received among your friends, family, and community!
I can’t stop laughing @Kwiksatik , in watching your picture. So true, how many aspects we can see in the Local Guides activities.
Who am I? What the other people think I do? This is a good point, that can easily get to a multiple personality. My friends knows that nobody start to eat until my wife gives the green light, that means after we finished to take photos of the food.
Where are you going without your camera, is what my neighbor ask me, when they meet me or, optionally “where did you went to take photos, today?”
Others are calling us “the guys of the earthquake”, including the volunteers of “civil protection” in my village.
Hey Google Maps man, is how my colleagues call me.
Once I will put all of them together, maybe they will be able to decide, and finally let me know, who I am
wow nice @Kwiksatik . 2 week ago i make 2 one of this
@MahabubMunna You are SOOOO right!
People ask what we’re doing, I show them my profile, and they immediately say “I could do that! How much do they pay you?” Then I point to the top corner of my cracked phone screen and laugh and say “literally nothing… but check out how many times this picture I took of the home decor section of Target has been viewed!!!”
The look of shock is AMAZING.
You are braver than I, holding up the meal! (I can only aspire!) I’ve come up with a whole technique - the CLOSE UP - of half-eaten plates. Why feature the whole table when I can feature the texture and get zero dirty looks? 
You are so blessed to have a Local Guides Assistant! (I have one too and guiding with a buddy is exponentially better than alone!)
It is always fantastic when people ask me what I am doing and I get to show them one aspect or another of all the things we can do! I don’t have any nicknames yet, but maybe someday I will! For now, my new favorite hobby is going to family dinners with old friends and watching my mother try to explain to people what it is. The laughs are neverending.
@Kwiksatik last 5 year i used to few question .
1.how much your salary .
how they pay you bank transfer or online ransection.
salary digit
if it’s free why you spend a lot of time in there you maybe hide us
how much they pay for your meet up or tshirt .
what is the procedure to take position as like you and earn money \
you always tell lie about google maps earning and community activity
my one question now yah they pay but i deposit all money in USA
Haha @Kwiksatik ! This is very funny, but so very true!! I am always asked by my family and friends “Aren’t you working for Google?” “Yet??” “Why??”"
I am definitely a @SoniaK & @PennyChristie . I know there are some photos of me doing the very same thing. It annoys all my non-Local Guides friends and family. No one can touch anything until I get my food porn shots done! = )
I have another photo of @ErmesT (look for his Theta V in my photo) and @OmerAli you need to have in your “What do Local Guides actually do?” photo library.
Cheers,Karen
LOL , same as that meme, people in my office think I can guide everyone, I travel around, eat food freely 
Love the meme, @Kwiksatik !
Most people around me also react with “Why?”, like it seems to happen to most of us. Sometimes they react with a more exaggerated “but why???” once I answer their questions and they figure out how deep into the program I am hahah
I found some people that already do know what it is to be a Local Guide beforehand, or at least know that there are people reviewing the places on Maps, and they always tell me how much they appreciate it as they regularly use the information. That’s always awesome to hear 
I feel like Connect is also an important part of the program, I spent like a year as a Local Guide without it and once I discovered it it was like I had only been on half of the program. There’s so much to learn about the world, and so many interesting things to read, I always try to do my best to explain it when I’m introducing Local Guides to someone.
@KarenVChin Those pictures are fantastic! It’s a much fun to learn about how others guide as it is to find out how others see guides. 
@dinitelmo funny how the more you learn about travel, the more you find ways to make it affordable, budget, and execute travel plans! Knowledge is my travel discount!
@Jesi You are so right! I’ve come to Local Guides in spurts in the past, but the more the community grows, the more I find my friends are here. It’s wonderful to see useful and interesting information coming directly from people I know and respect (and people I am getting to know and respect!) instead of an endless feed of listicles.
Haha! This is great @Kwiksatik
Don’t be shy about getting those full food shots before people start eating though, like @KarenVChin said.
I’m not going to lie, I have even gone up to total strangers on OTHER tables in restaurants and asked if I can take a photo of THEIR food. Hahaha. If I see a meal that looks amazing, I will borrow someone else’s phone to shine the light on the plate and take photos. I even ask people to spin the plate around while I take a video of it from all angles.
If I’m distracted and forget and people have already started eating their food, that’s when I do the close up, texture shot of the food that hasn’t been touched yet. Hehe.
I do most of my photo-taking very discreetly though and most people don’t even notice. But I have a friend who goes around telling staff and restaurant owners that I’m a Google reviewer. I get so embarrassed and quickly correct her. I’m just really happy to be able to put my photo skills to good use.
@PennyChristie - Haha, that is bold to take photos of strangers’ meals. I have never done that! = )
I am a firm believer of taking photos of a place that I shop, eat, or patronize often, like one of my local grocery stores or parks because things do change seasonally or trying out a new product.
Places are not stagnant or finite. Like life, in general, there is always something new or different.
I may may not take photos every time, but I do go back and take photos or update my review if something is new or a change has occur.
Cheers,
Karen
@PennyChristie , I would let you take pictures of my food if you approached me in a restaurant and asked. You are the most personable and happy individual I have ever met, and I’d let you take the pictures just for the opportunity to observe you being you.
@KarenVChin updating reviews is something I struggle with. Places that have handled concerns or changed dramatically I tend to add “UPDATE mm/dd/yyyy:” and add, but reviews I am only expanding along the same tone I don’t. I mix the way I upload my photos, adding meal shots directly to my reviews and environmental photos to the general photo uploads. The things we do… lol
@Kwiksatik Really funny and well written post, but it is 100% accurate.
Alot of people ask me why you are taking pictures of places, shops, landmarks, etc. They ask what is the benefit of posting these pictures on maps, i clearly tell them that it is my hobby to capture photographs and posting them to google and i love to do it without expecting anything in return.
I am happy with my achievement emails.
@Kwiksatik this is so true. My friends ask what features are coming out, where is a good place to eat, what do you think of this a that.
Mom just thinks I am programming. However, we contribute people appreciate the contribution.
@Kwiksatik Ya, I keep forgetting how many people ask, ‘how much do you get paid?’ or ‘what do you get in return?’
Where are the photos going to been seen? Who is going to see these photos? I always ask small businesses if I can take photos before taking photos. Once they see how the views and exposure helps they appreciate the assistance.
A a fishing tackle shop noticed an increase in his online webpage after we posted a few photos on Google Maps. He was quite excited. Love these testimonials.
Yes, @Kwiksatik , it is a tough job having to explain all the time 
A while ago I also wrote a post trying to point out some of the specific behaviors of LGs.
