Hello Friends,
With your continued love and support, Season 2 of the Ghumakkad Gossip Meet-up series kicked off with an incredible response and an enthusiastic turnout! 
Let’s take a moment to revisit the highlights of August 23, 2025, through this recap of your favourite meet-up series, Ghumakkad Gossip – Back to Basics.
I was truly thrilled to witness the overwhelming responses and active participation during the GG V2 launch event. A total of 39 participants joined us from around the world, including the Meet-up Moderator (MM), our Guest Speaker, and Connect Moderators.
I have captured the essence of the session under different sections—take a look, relive the moments, and feel free to share your thoughts!
Quick Introduction of the Attendees 
Participants introduced themselves by sharing their name, city, Local Guide level, and Connect ID, which they were asked to enter in the chat box.
They were also kindly requested to join the virtual meet-up on time, as a gesture of respect towards the Guest Speaker and fellow participants who arrived punctually.
Improvements brought in 
Two key enhancements introduced in the GG V2 series:
1. Pre-Session Input Form
A newly designed form has been implemented to make the sessions more interactive and meaningful. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts, questions, or reflections in advance, allowing for a well-structured and focused discussion during the meet-up, with the goal of achieving tangible outcomes.
2. Real-Time Feedback System
A new feedback mechanism has been introduced to support continuous improvement. Unlike a complaint redressal system, this is designed to gather constructive feedback in real time, enabling timely adjustments and learning during or immediately after the session. To facilitate this, a dedicated feedback form has been launched, which remains open for 48 hours after the meet-up concludes.
You may still find this feature enabled, but please note that the feedback cycle for the mentioned meet-up has officially closed. It remains accessible solely for demonstration purposes at this time.
The same applies to the Pre-Session Input Form.
Overview of the Meet-up 
The Meet-up Moderator (MM) shared the inspiration and purpose behind launching the Ghumakkad Gossip Meet-up series, explaining how the idea was first conceptualized.
Ghumakkad Gossip is a community-driven initiative, created by us, for us, and with us, aimed at building a more collaborative and cohesive platform for everyone to share and learn together.
The MM also outlined a few basic ground rules to ensure the meet-up remains productive and engaging for all participants.
The MM also shared the story behind the name:
‘Ghumakkad’, a Hindi word meaning wanderer, and ‘Ghumakkad Gossip’ translates to Talk with Wanderer. The emphasis here is on the traveller spirit, not just being a tourist, reflecting the true essence of exploration and meaningful journeys.
He also took a moment to express heartfelt gratitude to all the participants and Guest Speakers who contributed to the success of GG V1. Their support laid a strong foundation for the future seasons of the Ghumakkad Gossip series. 
Introduction of Guest Speaker 
To shed light on our Back to Basics theme, we had the honour of welcoming Connect Moderator Naresh Darji (@NareshDarji) as our esteemed Guest Speaker.
Gossip with Guest Speakers on the topic 
The conversation with the Guest Speaker began with an insightful discussion on contributing content to Google Maps. He shared essential guidelines and best practices that should be followed when posting on the platform.
Naresh Darji emphasized the importance of protecting privacy by avoiding the upload of personal information such as selfies, mobile numbers, vehicle license plates, or photos with clearly visible faces.
He also stressed the need to adhere strictly to Google’s official policies and guidelines, which can be found in the Maps Help section on Google Support. In addition, he encouraged everyone to refer to the tips available for submitting high-quality reviews and photos to ensure valuable contributions.
Naresh highlighted that Local Guides Connect is an excellent platform for learning, sharing, and growing together as a community.
Participants gained valuable insights from Naresh’s personal journey on Google Maps and Connect. It was a highly engaging and enriching conversation.
Engaging session with contributors who submitted their responses beforehand 
While responding to @ShreyaMusings’s question about language limitations, Naresh clarified that language is not a barrier when contributing to Google Maps or Local Guides Connect. He added that even the policies and guidelines can be easily translated into a preferred language for better understanding.
In reply to @Premalpatel’s question about his (Guest Speaker) proudest moment as a Local Guide, Naresh shared that being a community builder every day is his proudest and most fulfilling experience.
Addressing @Vishal.Swami’s query on attending a first meet-up, Naresh suggested exploring the Meet-up section on Connect, where one can find events happening in nearby areas. He also recommended updating one’s location in the profile to receive meet-up suggestions relevant to their locality.
Regarding @Ssiddharth2000’s question about the roadmap for GG V2, the Meet-up Moderator provided an overview of the planned topics. He emphasized that the series will revisit foundational concepts so that both seasoned contributors and newcomers can refresh their understanding of the platform and enhance their ability to contribute effectively.
Attendees Insights 
@Gurukrishnapriya raised a question about reviewing a hotel where she had a less-than-satisfactory personal experience, even though the place had generally positive reviews from others.
Our Guest Speaker, Naresh, addressed this by emphasizing that reviews should reflect one’s own experience and remain unbiased by others’ opinions.
The Meet-up Moderator (MM) further clarified the distinction, noting that a review is a personal reflection of experience, whereas feedback serves a different purpose.
@IndianRavi raised a query regarding road closures, to which Naresh recommended using the Incident Reporting feature to report such cases.
@RosyKohli suggested organizing more sessions that focus on basic topics for beginners. In response, the Meet-up Moderator assured that, subject to feasibility, such topics would be considered for inclusion in upcoming sessions.
@Tejal emphasized the importance of including accessibility-related information in reviews and media shared on Google Maps.
In response, our Guest Speaker Naresh encouraged everyone to explore helpful posts such as “How to edit Accessibility attribute for a place on Google Maps” and “How to increase visibility on Accessibility on Google Maps” to better understand, learn, and contribute to accessibility features on the platform.
@AjitThite contributed to the discussion by highlighting that Local Guides can include a variety of accessibility-related details in their reviews, not just limited to wheelchair 
accessibility. He emphasized that there are other forms of accessibility and supportive features that should also be considered and mentioned.
@KashifMisidia shared his perspective on writing reviews, emphasizing that Local Guides should not write reviews merely to earn points, but rather with the reader in mind. He stressed that reviews should be genuine, helpful, and inspiring, ultimately adding value to the community.
Special Thanks 
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to dear Mohita S. Siddharth, Premal Patel, @TravelClever, Vishal Swami, S Siddharth, @Darshraj, and @Adithyan45 for sharing their thoughts, questions, or reflections in advance. Your contributions played a key role in shaping a constructive conversation with the Guest Speaker and ensured the smooth flow of the meet-up.
Thank you once again for your valuable input!
Debriefing & wrap up 
The Meet-up Moderator wrapped up the session by summarizing the key points discussed and expressing gratitude to all participants for their presence and contribution in making the meet-up a success.
A heartfelt THANK YOU to our Guest Speaker, Naresh Darji, for generously sharing his time and invaluable insights with the community.
The next episode of Ghumakkad Gossip V2 will be announced soon—stay tuned and stay connected!
Interested in being a Guest Speaker in an upcoming session?
Fill out this form to express your interest!
A sincere thank you to everyone who joined and actively participated—it was your enthusiasm that made the session so engaging!
Ajit Thite, @Akashbhatt, @AnshukMitra, @bhayani_naitik, @deepakjhic, @SharmaK, Darsh Raj, @Erna_LaBeau, @fayayolla, Gurukrishnapriya, @HinalLad , KashifMisidia, @Kuldip_Patil, @KunwarHemrajSingh, @palmad1, @MathanVibranarayan, ShreyaMusings, @PrasadVR, Premal Patel, @PrinceKumar, @Raj_Tayade, Ravi Sharma, @Roopesh, Rosy Kohli, @Ru_pali4, @Sagarkanherkar, @SarathUpendran, Ssiddharth2000, @Shrut19, @SonamW, @Supriyadevkar, Tejal Chhaya, Travel Clever, @TravellerG, @curatorofmemory, @VikramSingh_Valera, @Gvipin
Please do let me know if I’ve missed mentioning anyone.
This photo beautifully captures the spirit of togetherness and the shared purpose that brought us all together for this meet-up.
Key Takeaways 
- Contribute on Google Maps with the intention to help others.
- Utilize Connect as a space to learn, collaborate, and build a strong community.
- Language should never hold you back—share your thoughts freely.
- Base your Google Maps reviews solely on your personal experience.
- Write reviews that are meaningful and inspire others to explore.
Key Success Factor 
- Effective promotion of the meet-up through multiple networking channels — special thanks to Naresh Darji and TravellerG for their support.
- Punctuality of participants — with 80% joining on or before the scheduled time, the Meet-up Moderator (MM) was able to start and conclude the session as planned. Thank you all! Timely attendance also minimized delays in admitting participants.
- Pre-event mock sessions between the MM and the Guest Speaker ensured smooth coordination and preparedness for the final meet-up.
Expressions of Emotion 
A glimpse of the feeling words shared by participants in the meet-up chat box.
