A couple of years ago I got an email from google talking about being a local guide because I had started to contribute on Google Maps. The Local Guides Program has since become a very special hobby for me and through it I began exploring a little bit more the city I live in. I found out about some really nice restaurants in my neighbourhood and got the opportunity to listen to amazing stories from shop owners and staff when trying to get some information updated on their google maps page. And the best part? By engaging in this program I was not only getting all the benefits that I mentioned, but I was also assisting a lot of businesses improve their presence online. More than that, I found out that I was a part of this HUGE community, that share this passion worldwide. This feeling of #belonging is probably the best reward I could get from the program.
Now, more than ever, this feeling of #belonging is extremely important to me. The events we’re going through recently made me realize the importance of building and being a part of a great community.
In Brazil, we were starting to come out of the biggest economic recession we ever had. The impacts of the lockdown we’re facing are still unknown and I see many people sharing and creating content to try to encourage others to save local small businesses, that could be the most affected by the coronavirus crisis. Last week a friend of mine came to me asking for a nice place on our neighbourhood to order something from. He said he came to me because I was a Local Guide and probably knew the neighbourhood a little bit better. Then it hit me. As much as I loved the experience and understood how much we could help people get around the world, it had never hit me how much an impact the Local Guides community could have during such chaotic times. My reviews, my photos, my concern to keep social media/website/phone numbers updated for the businesses in my neighbourhood were now more than necessary to keep them alive. The kebab spot that I’d added to google maps a few months ago was being found by people that wanted to eat during the crisis and that made me feel extremely happy. It hit me how many places were being noticed because of all the effort our beautiful community put on everyday. And now, more than ever, I feel the strenght of our community is needed!