"Putting Them on the Map": The Most Interesting Thing I've Done as a Local Guide.

The most interesting thing I have done on Google Maps may not be flashy, extravagant, or even that unique. But to me, it will always be coveted in a special place in my heart. It’s the first time I added a business on the Map. We often hear the figurative expression “putting someone on the map” to signify bringing someone to prominence and to the playing-field they’re at now, and I could testify that nothing quite beats doing it literally!

During a previous university semester of mine in the suburbs of Paris, France. I used to live in this pretty tight-nit student neighborhood and was already pretty well-versed with Google Maps’ tools. A few months into my stay, a new fried chicken restaurant opened a few dozen meters from where I lived. The curious Local Guide that I am, I went ahead and tried it as soon as I could. To my luck, I absolutely loved it!

Like with every thrilling culinary experience I enjoy, I promptly went on Google Maps to leave a stellar review for the restaurant but I could not find it there. This small restaurant that was open for quite a few weeks now, was no where to be found on the map. I put two and two together and figured the restaurant owner probably did not know how to go about it. So, I went ahead and added the place where it belonged, wrote its first review, and posted its first pictures.

As the days and weeks flowed, the restaurant’s traffic noticeably picked up, and today, it sits today as one of the main lunch hot-spot for all students in the area, 2 years after this little story. I have since shared this anecdote with the restaurant owner who, in return, shared with me that when he first opened the place, he was really confused and stumped on how to go about adding his business on Google Maps. Until this one day, he found that it had just magically appeared. We laughed about it, he kindly thanked me and my meal was on the house that day :blush: .

So while it may not be the most unique or elaborate thing one could do on Google Maps, it has truly marked me in how REAL and TANGIBLE the impact of my hobby is on the world and the community around me.

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