I’ve been using Google Maps for a long time, but I think the entire Maps experience took off for me when I got my first proper Android smartphone (HTC Hero) back in 2009. Now I use it daily for finding information on places, travel tips, navigation, etc. It has really been a lifesaver on countless occasions!
So when did I start giving back by posting reviews, photos and answering questions about places? I tried to find it out from my contribution history, and I think the end of 2016 is when I actively started to post photos and reviews of places.
I think it was around that time when Google Maps started to ask for information about the places I had been to recently. I remember, whenever I was putting my daughter to bed and waiting for her to fall asleep, I was often going through my location history on Google Maps and contributing to places I had been (fixing mistakes, providing missing information, etc.). At the same time the Local Guides program was sending me frequent updates about what impact my contributions were making. This is when I realized how fun and addictive this is. My coworker is a level 8 local guide, so I have some catching up to do! In recent years I have started to post different types of content in an effort to be even more useful for others. For example, by uploading my first video and creating my first list to gain more badges.
As of March 2020, my photos have received almost 400k views, which is really cool. My most viewed photo is from a restaurant I visited back in 2017. The photo itself is nothing spectacular, but for some reason it has got over 33k views. Probably it was because the place had just opened, so my photo was one of the first for this restaurant.
However, another popular photo which I like the most is from the summer of 2016 when I was in New York. After a long day of exploring it was really nice to get an ice cream from the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and enjoy in with my wife and daughter.
For me, contributing to Local Guides program is a great experience which provides a way to give back to the Maps community. I will definitely keep providing new and interesting content in the future.