Recently, I received the Good Friend Badge on Connect, and this badge embodies both the Thanksgiving spirit and Local Guide values of community and giving back. In this article, I wanted to share some suggestions on ways you too can get the Good Friend Badge.
This article was inspired by an episode in @JanVanHaver 's LocalGuides podcast, in which he talks about how you could just take an hour to get to Level 5, but how you can instead make a more quality impact by taking your time.
Similar to his story, instead of just randomly scrolling to articles and replies and giving 500 likes until your fingers ache from clicking the mouse, there are some better and more fun ways to get there. In my case, it took me almost 2 years to get the badge due to my bandwith and me wanting to be thoughtful in giving out likes. My role model was @TravellerG as he cheers everyone on with his positivity, and when I posted my first articles- he made me feel welcome.
Here’s how I got to achieve giving out 500 likes:
1.) User Comments on Your Articles
When someone leave you a comment on an article, make sure to give them a like. They took time to read your article and respond, so I give them a like on their comment and reply back to thank them or answer any other questions they may have.
2.) Articles of Those Who Comment
You can look up the profile of the person that has taken time to comment on your articles to give them some love back. As you read through responses to your articles, right click on the user’s name and then you can view their profile in a new page. Read an article of theirs that piques your interest, and then give it a like and a comment.
3.) Unanswered Articles
Besides reading featured articles and giving a like, give love as well to articles that are not trending yet. You can do this by clicking on a topic that interests you, and then you can click on Unanswered- example screenshot below.
This way, we can make everyone feel welcome. For example, someone may be new or may not be as popular in the community. Or in some of those articles, maybe not enough information is typed out to engage the audience. You can encourage them by leaving a like, and then responding with a comment that cheers them on and then ask a question. For example, “Great photo [username]. I love how yummy the food looks. What is the name of the food you posted?”
4.) Achievements
You can browse articles under the Achievements topic and give a like to an article that stands out. It doesn’t necessarily have to be someone saying they got trillions of views, rather it could also be someone who is celebrating just reaching Level 6. It is great to celebrate the small wins too, and you can also leave a comment too to cheer them on.
How about you fellow Local Guides? Feel free to share anything else that inspires you to give a like in the Connect Community in the replies below.