Local Guides Connect is a warm and helpful Community.
You can find support in Connect for the issues related to your experience of Local Guide in Google Maps and in this community, or if you are just curious about something, or you simply need information.
In Local Guides Connect you will find a lot of people happy to help you, sharing with you their knowledge.
- Google Moderators - Meet the Google Moderators
- Connect Moderators - Meet the Connect Moderators
- Local Guides - In the Community there are tons of Map expert, Photographers, Bloggers, Street View Trusted Photographers, and more. Local Guides, like you and me, will do the best to answer to you
To get the best help, you can explore different ways, depending of your needed, or issue.
Here below, a few tips.
The first, and most important is: Help Us to Help you
Use the Help Pages
There are several pages where you can search for an help, or an explanation, or for the best way to contribute
- Google Maps Help Page - The official Help page of Google Maps will help you to know how to use Google Maps, and how to contribute.
- Local Guides Help Page - Is a subsection of the a.m. Maps Help Page, specifically focused on the Local Guides program
- Street View Help Page - Is a subsection of the a.m. Maps Help Page, specifically focused on the Street View program
- Local guides Connect Help Desk - Is the help section of the community, with several tips about how to use Local guides Connect, and an answer to the most Frequently Asked Questions
On the help pages you will find an answer for most of your questions. BTW, if you cannot find an answer in there, you can always …
Search on Connect for a SOLUTION
On the top of your screen you will see a search bar. Type your search keywords in there.
The most relevant results will appear while you are typing. You can decide to pick one of them, or tap on the lens to access to the whole search.
For detailed instructions about the search function, you can read How do I search on Connect?
As you can see, in many post there is a green flag on the left. It means that the post “have a solution”. Opening the post, you will find a reply that may also help you, because it has been identified, by the author of the post or by a Moderator, as the Solution for that specific question / issue - For more information: How do I mark comments as solutions?
Write a post in Connect
If you don’t find an answer on the ways mentioned above, please write a post, using the How Tos label
When you write a post, please keep in mind a few important steps, that will help the community to better understand what you need.
Respect the Privacy
In Local Guides Connect everyone’s privacy matters. Do not post private information, email addresses, phone numbers, private photos, Local Guides profile, nor any other information or photo/screenshot that can be considered “private”. Google Moderators will remove contents that are not respecting the privacy.
Be Specific
The way a question is made is very important to understand the question and give an appropriate answer. Our issue is always clear for us, but if it is too much generic, it can be misunderstood by the community.
More specific is the question, more specific will be the answer.
A few examples:
If you ask “Why I am losing points” you will probably receive a generic answer about points and rules, while if you can detail better your question (Why did I lose 200 points in Photos?) you will for sure receive a more detailed answer.
“Why I cannot add a place?” (generic question) is very different from “Why I cannot add a village?”, or “Why I cannot add a bank?, and you will receive a very different, and more specific, answer
Add a screenshot
A picture (in some case) is worth a hundred words, and can help the reader to better understand your issue.
In the example here below, a potentially duplicate place
Add a link
On Google Maps, you can capture a link of every location, photo and review. In most of the cases you find the “share” symbol.
You need to “copy the link”, and to add the link in your post. For adding the link in the post, click on the “insert a link” symbol, and add the link on the first box of the pop-up.
Type the text you want to display for your link
Click on OK
and here is the link: Parco Caprotti
Tag a Moderator
For some specific issue (e.g. to release your post from the Spam Quarantine) you may need to tag a Moderator.
Tagging is a procedure, activated by the @ symbol, to send a notification to a specific person of the post.
Using the tag, you can be sure that the moderator will be notified. If you need to tag a Google Moderator, please just tag ONE moderator. They will be notified of your tag in any case, if the one tagged is not available
The Whole community will be happy to help you
Do you want to add some extra tip? What do you want to suggest to a Local Guide who need help?
Feel free to add your tips on this thread
