Hello Local Guides!
On Sunday, November 24th, @ErmesT and I hosted our first one hour virtual meet-up in two years. To be honest, we were a little nervous because it’s been so long since we hosted one. We had 100 RSVPs from the Connect post by the time it started. Ermes and I did wonder 
if all 100 would show up.
Fortunately, as Ermes let attendees join our meet-up, only 33 Local Guides from 10 countries across four continents: North America, South America, Europe, and Asia joined us. We were delighted 
with the turnout, which helped ease us back into hosting virtual meet-ups.
The purpose of our Sunday meet-up was not only to celebrate 
the new Connect but also to answer questions that our meet-up attendees may have.
For this reason, we asked those who registered early to fill out a form with the questions they wanted to ask regarding the new Connect. We filtered the relevant questions and sent them to the Google Moderator Team for their responses.
Before we started the presentation, Ermes got us together to take a group selfie 
.
Before we started, Ermes & I reiterate that we are not employees of Google. Our answers to the questions we received were purely our opinions, not Google’s.
For the questions Google provided us with their responses, we shared them during the presentation.
Highlight Questions
Below are some of the questions Ermes and I went over:
- @Rahul001 asked the question the entire Local Guides Connect Community has been asking.
We were thrilled to confirm that “there is no limit to the number of the photos and
the maximum photo limit size is so big (around 27 MB) that no one will hit it.”
That was a mistake in our response.
As we are writing this recap, Ermes did a test. He first tried using a 23 MP image (16.8 MB), which uploaded without problems. It was a HUGE image. Think extra large poster. The dimensions were 32,000 pixels X 21,344 pixels in size!
Ermes’ next try was a 34 MB image. He broke the system!
He received the following message: “Sorry, the image you are trying to upload is too large (maximum dimension is 40 megapixels), please resize it and try again."
So, the limit is not related to the file size (MB) but to the image size (MP). Don’t go over 40 megapixels in size.
- @KPatricia asked a great question about privacy and profile settings in the new Connect and Google Maps.
Below is how we responded to KPatricia’s question:
Karen: "Each of us has a different concept of our privacy. We each choose to act on what makes us feel comfortable or safe. However, for Google, the privacy issue is of the utmost importance.
Ermes and I have two points of view on how we view and use our Google Maps profiles on Connect."
Ermes: "I purposely added my Google Maps profile link to my profile page in Connect. In this way, my Maps contributions can be an example to interested Local Guides.
In my opinion, knowledge of places is the main characteristic of being a Local Guide. By writing in Connect or contributing in Maps, we publicly review the areas we frequent. The privacy tip I use in Maps, as in any social media, is NEVER to reveal where I am at THAT VERY moment and to post only when I am no longer in that place, restaurant, shop, park, etc."
Karen: “For me, I am the opposite of Ermes. When the ability to have my Google Maps profile link be displayed on my Connect profile page in 2019, I made the conscious decision not to display it. The reason is purely privacy. As a woman, I don’t want to have a Maps profile link on Connect. I like to review anonymously, and when I share my Maps reviews as part of my Connect post content, I want to share them on my terms.”
- @panayiotisgeorgiou wanted to know what Ermes and my feelings were regarding the new Connect.
Ermes: “What I love the most is the increased possibility of using Connect on mobile. We must learn more about better configuring the notifications because I am receiving too many. But I am happy I finally have notifications in separate tabs: Replies, Mentions, Edits. I also love the several ways we have to add photos on Connect.”
Karen: "For me, I am a desktop or web user. I usually use my laptop or iPad rather than my mobile when on Connect. I find it easier to type on a keyboard than on my mobile. That is how I like to engage in Connect.
After 8 years, I can finally easily upload photos on the new Connect without issues. I was the first Local Guide to complain about the uploading difficulties and photo size limitations on desktop and mobile. I gave up a long time ago on writing a post or comment on something and trying to upload a photo or photos on mobile.
Only last week did I successfully log on to my iPhone (don’t hate me!) So, I finally got to try the new Connect on mobile. Give me another month or so. I will let you know how I feel about the new Connect on mobile ."
- @Trail_blazer unknowingly became the spokesperson for a much-requested request by the Connect Community: Dark Theme (or Dark Mode).
Google provided this as a response: “We have noted this is a request shared by several users, so we will take this into consideration as we plan for future iterations and prioritize fixes and improvements. Realistically, it won’t be available in the short term.”
However, in the Chat, there was a lively discussion on how to enable dark theme (or mode) while on the new Connect.
Read here for details.
Adrian Lunsong - 5:37 PM If you’re on mobile, find a mobile browser like Firefox that supports extensions that can enable dark mode. I’ve tested it on Firefox, and it works.
Sonia 5:38 PM How about Chrome? @adrian
Adrian Lunsong - 5:38 PM Chrome mobile does not support extensions, unfortunately.
Sonia 5:38 PM That’s sad.
D K - 5:39 PM Thanks, Adrian, I’m already using dark theme for the new Connect using chrome flags, but these are experimental features.
Adrian Lunsong 5:39 PM Oooh, nice one, D K! I’ll check that out - It’s not a special tester
Sonia 5:41 PM My Chrome setting is set for dark theme. But when I open Connect, the dark mode doesn’t work, and it shows in default mode.
Amir N. 5:41 PM It is a globally available feature not only for beta testers.
D K - 5:41 PM Thanks, Karen and Ermes, yeah it’s a beta thing, but it’s open to everyone just bit little devvy thing
Shailendraojha 5:41 PM Yes, Amir
Adrian Lunsong 5:44 PM So, if you’re on Chrome, type this in the URL box: chrome://flags
And then, in the Search Flags box, type in “Dark”. You will then have two flags that you can play with. I tried the “Darken website checkbox in themes setting” and set that to Enabled, and it appears to work. It’s called experimental because it may not be very stable.
D K - 5:45 PM Can’t be more correct, Adrian 
Adrian Lunsong 5:46 PM Thanks for bringing it to my attention D K. I didn’t think it was in the flags, so I never looked! 
Sonia 5:47 PM Got it. Thank you @Adrian. It’s working. Me happy. 
- @KamalHossenR wanted to know more about the changes in the “Featured Topics.”
Google’s response: “Featured topics section in each category isn’t part of the redesigned Connect, but we can pin great topics in different categories. Local Guides’ topics can also be featured on the homepage Featured Topics carousel. So just continue to share your interesting stories!”
Local Guides, if you have a Connect idea, feedback, or issue . . .
We highly recommended Kamal and our audience, if they have questions or feedback regarding Connect, please use the Feedback Form to communicate. As always, Google wants our thoughts, suggestions, and technical issues to help them plan for future iterations and prioritize fixes and improvements. The form can be found in this post: We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts on the new Connect.
If you want to see the rest of our presentation, please click here.
If you wish to reach us socially, look at the slide below.
Many thanks again to the Local Guides who got up early in the morning to participate, those who chose to spend their Sunday afternoon, and those who stayed late to meet with us.
Our next joint Connect project is to work on “Dos and Don’t of Having a Meet-up.”
Stay tuned!
Cheers,
Karen & Ermes
Epilogue - Who Joined Us
Are you curious to know who joined our meet-up as much as we are? Here are the results. Thank you to all who completed the “Who Are You?” form. NOTE: This is not a large enough sample pool to be statistically significant. However, Ermes and I believe this does show trends.
For our Sunday, November 24th virtual meet-up, we had an interesting mix of attendees:
- 50% joined Connect since the beginning (2016), and over a quarter of them joined after the last redesign of Connect in late 2019.
Surprisingly, we had very active contributors to Google Maps and Connect:
- Almost 50% of our attendees were at Level 9
- An equal half were at Level 8 and Level 10.
- 95% of attendees have written at least one Connect post. Over 40% have written more than 50+ posts!
- 67% of our attendees have already written a post on the new Connect!
Finally, after 3 weeks of the new Connect launch, here is what our long-time, active Local Guides audience thinks about it. They like the new Connect .
in the chat too I and Adrian were discussing the dark mode.