My 10-Year Local Guide Journey and a Look at What Has Changed!

Connections & celebrations
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Hello everyone! I’m Ria, and I’m thrilled to share a milestone that just hit me: I’m officially celebrating 10 years of contributing to Google Maps as a Local Guide!

10 years of contributions!
10 years of contributions!738×1600 116 KB

It’s been a wonderful decade, and it feels great to be part of a community that creates such a positive impact on the map.

I still clearly remember my first interaction back in 2015. As an IT enthusiast who also loves to travel, I was naturally drawn to exploring apps, especially Google Maps! It was then that I actually thought I had found a bug in the Google Maps system and emailed the team directly! I was politely informed that the points for my type of contribution simply required up to 72 hours to appear. Can you imagine? That’s a huge difference from today, where we see our points update almost real-time!

My First email to Local Guides team!
My First email to Local Guides team!738×1600 121 KB

My journey quickly moved from just contributions to actively engaging in community building. I was fortunate enough to participate in many amazing events organized by fellow Local Guides: We had Food Crawls in Surabaya (2015), meetups in Kediri (2016, 2018), and the memorable Nusantara Meetup (2017). After moving, the Jakarta Local Guides meetups became a regular and fun part of my life, until the pandemic shifted us entirely to online connections from 2020–2022. I’m so glad we are back with physical meetups now!

Local guide pins I got from a Googler back in 2015 - a treasure!
Local guide pins I got from a Googler back in 2015 - a treasure!3264×1836 347 KB

A recent Jakarta meetup, huge thanks to Mbak @indahnuria and Bang @Radjasitanggang for organizing, along with Mbak @NunungAfuah’s insightful posts, was a huge eye-opener. It made me realize I’ve been around longer than many of the currently active members, and seeing your energy and contributions is truly inspiring!

Finally, one of the best moments was seeing a new feature implemented: the ability to change our public Display Name/nickname and Picture for posting on Google Maps! This was feedback I had personally given years ago, and I’m so happy the feature is now live for everyone.

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image (2)738×1600 75.3 KB

Thank you to everyone who keeps this community vibrant. Let’s keep making an impact!

A true throwback! This photo is from the very first Nusantara Meetup in Indonesia. A memory I deeply cherish! Can you spot me in this picture?
A true throwback! This photo is from the very first Nusantara Meetup in Indonesia. A memory I deeply cherish! Can you spot me in this picture?1776×1184 599 KB

Question for all of you: What is the biggest change you’ve seen in Google Maps since you joined? Share your stories below!

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MasaAllah ………….fantastic

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Congrats @Rialyzara for 10 year local guides journey. As I reflect on my 8 year journey with Local Guides, I’ve noticed significant changes, particularly in how I review on Google Maps and interact with fellow Local Guides globally. It’s been a truly enjoyable experience.
Anyway, As I reflect on my 8-year journey with Local Guides, I’ve noticed significant changes, particularly in how I review on Google Maps and interact with fellow Local Guides globally. It’s been a truly enjoyable experience.

By the way, thank you for participating in the Pinktober event 2 days ago, wishing you continued success.

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Selamat, Bu @Rialyzara atas 10 tahun kontribusi dalam Google Maps. Banyak sekali hal yang telah berubah dari Google Maps, sampai bingung menentukan perubahan besarnya :smiley:. Banyak fitur Google yang berasal dari masukan pengguna dan Local Guides dan itu sangat menyenangkan (semoga terus seperti itu).

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Wow, what an amazing journey, keep up the success, thanks for sharing your story with us.

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Waaa sudah sepuluh tahun ya. Benar-benar waktu cepat berlalu. Terima kasih telah berbagi memori yang luar biasa dan inspiratif ini Kak @Rialyzara

Untuk fitur mengganti username memang baru, dan saya malah belum mendapatkannya hehe.

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Thank you @rezaul827 :slight_smile:

Btw, what is the biggest change you’ve seen in Google Maps since you joined?

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Thank you bang @Radjasitanggang Wow, that’s an interesting perspective. How do you write reviews now? More detailed or shorter because there are so many things on the map that help users?

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Terima kasih @ALG87 !
Iya banyak ya perubahannyaa, aku menceritakan perubahan besar yang aku rasakan :smiley:
Yes, menyenangkan jika suara kita didengar oleh pengembang aplikasi Google Maps dan Local Guide serta lebih bermanfaat utk kita dan user2 lain :smiley:

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Thank you Robby!
I really appreciate it :blush: Wishing you success and wonderful experiences ahead too!

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Iya sudah 10 tahun mashaAllah :smiling_face:
Makasii juga mba @NunungAfuah :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Thank you for your response @Rialyzara . Currently, I’m trying to review on Google Maps with my best version. In the past, when I first started reviewing, I only wrote brief reviews. But now, I write longer and more detailed reviews. For example, when I enter a cafe, I make sure to write about the menu offerings, prices, ambiance, whether it’s suitable for working, and whether it has public facilities such as parking areas, prayer rooms, disability accessibility, toilet and more.
I hope my reviews useful to others.

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Herzlichen Glückwunsch an 10 Jahre erfolgreiches mitwirken :bouquet::bouquet::bouquet:
@Rialyzara

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Danke vielmals @Annaelisa
I hope you are more successful, wow you are already level 10, that’s really cool. :hugs:

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@Rialyzara I’d say the biggest change is how much smarter and more community driven it’s become. Five / Seven years ago it was just a map, now it feels like a living guide!

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السلام عليكم مبروووك كيف الحال انا من موريتانيا

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Congratulations @Rialyzara