What do you love to share most on Google Maps?
I must admit, thinking of an answer to this question wasn’t easy. Not because I have nothing to share, but mostly because I have too much to share. I love to share as much information as possible on Google Maps, so I guess you can say that I love sharing information? Like, tons of it. From first impressions, getting there, random trivia and anything else that is interesting.
My story as a Local Guide started due to a mix of my love for traveling and my tendency to be over-prepared before going to a new place. It was during a research phase when I was planning a trip. I was looking through several reviews, wanting to know more about the places, when I found that despite having several reviews, there is often not sufficient info for me to make a decision on whether I want to visit.
Knowing whether the place is worth visiting and the rating is fine, but I also wanted to know more about getting there, what to expect and any information that is useful to someone who is visiting for the first time. Very few reviews gave this and that made me think.
How many others who thought like me? How can I help to contribute? That prompted me to be a Local Guide and that is how I started my grandmother-long story reviews on Google Maps.
It has been a few years (?) now since my very first review and even though it may be challenging sometimes to keep the habit of reviewing up, seeing the occasional like keeps me going. Knowing that someone out there who may find my write-up useful helps too.
Since the first review, I have also benefited from other Local Guides’ reviews as well (after Local Guides began really taking off), and writing a review is my way of giving back to this awesome community. I also see it as my way to hone my writing.
So I guess that is a really simple origin story of my Local Guide journey and why I will keep on adding to Google Maps whenever I travel. It’s one of my dreams, after all, being a travel writer.
So what’s your origin story?