This is an excerpt of my Presentation at my just concluded Meetup. Consider it to be my Birthday Souvenir.
I decided to post this separately so that it may serve as a Guide and a Lesson to those who may need it.
Disclaimer: Everything I have shared is from my personal experience after being a valuable member of this community for one year and 2 weeks.
EXCERPT;
So, when I checked and saw I was ‘one year’ on Connect despite all the challenges, and when I look at; how few the Local Guides who are active are, I decided to Host a Meetup Titled;
BEGINNER TIPS FOR LOCAL GUIDES
drawing INSPIRATION from the word; ABUSE;
THE TIPS
A - ACTIVATE
B-BUILD
U- UNDERSTAND
S- SURROUND
E- EXPLORE
- ACTIVATE - BEGINNER TIP 1 : Join the Community
Almost every Human being on Earth that has an Internet Enabled Phone, has the Google Maps. (which my people from Nigeria call; Goggle) haaha
However, to become a Local Guide and begin to contribute to Maps, you need to “Click on a link, to join the community”
Here is the Link to join;
https://maps.google.com/localguides/
Here is a picture of what that page looks like;
On this page, you get all the answers to the Commonly Asked Questions and also an idea of what the Program is about.
So, basically, what do we do?
Participate in the mission of Google Maps, which is;
“Ensure people everywhere find places worth going and things what doing”.
How do we participate in this mission?
- Edit the Map (Add a place, add missing info, check facts, remove places, etc.)
- Add Photos (any Photo that is helpful. For a photo to be helpful, it has to align with the MIssion of Maps)
- Write Reviews
- Create Lists
As simple as this sounds, it is more than a little confusing, no thanks to the aggressive nature of the Google Maps app, which when installed begins to give suggestions on what to ‘Upload to Maps’, while you obey, there are people who are checking and reporting to have irrelevant photos removed too, it’s really difficult to satisfy this Google Maps, right? Or so it seems until you join;
CONNECT
- ACTIVATE - BEGINNER TIP 1 : Join the CONNECT Forum
“The Local Guides Connect Forum is an Online Forum where you meet other Local Guides like you.”
This is the opening sentence you will find on this page;
Which is where you will also join the community and leave the community if you so please.
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BUILD- BEGINNER TIP 2: Build your Maps and Connect Profile
For Google Maps, as you must have read from the links shared earlier; every Local Guide is assigned a Level.
You can know the Level a Local Guide belongs to by Checking the;
- Color of the ‘Star’ attached to their Profile Picture on Connect (with the exception of the Googlers and Connect Moderators) or by checking their Badge on Google Maps Profile
- Check the ‘number’ written in the star
So, to advance through the Levels you have to make contributions as have been shared above and for each of these contributions there are points allocated.
Points, Levels and Badging
On this page, https://support.google.com/local-guides/answer/6225851?hl=en
You will find everything you need to know as it concerns the Local Guides Points, Levels and Badges.
Using information on this page you begin to Build your “Maps Presence and Connect Presence” in order to stay ‘Activated’ in the Local Guides Program.
- UNDERSTAND- BEGINNER TIP 3: Understand the Community
Now, you have activated your Profile, you have begun to build your Maps profile and Connect with other Local Guides via the Connect Platform, it is time to Understand.
Unlike every other Platform, especially Social Media, being a Local Guide is a different ballgame. It is very different because for everything you do, you need to keep in mind that;
“You want to help people everywhere find the places worth visiting and things worth doing”.
So, what is there to Understand?
- The way the Community works (Rules and Guidelines a.k.a. Core Values, acceptable ways of ‘living the Local Guides lifestyle’ a.k.a. Community Policy).
- The People
To understand the way the community works, visit this page;
“HELP CENTER”
https://support.google.com/local-guides/?hl=en#topic=6225845
Ensure you study it carefully and understand how this community works. Take time to study the rules and Guidelines too, so it can inform you in carrying out your duties as a Google Local Guide.
The People on Connect are;
- Googlers (Google employees, some of which are Local Guides)
- Google Moderators (Google Employees who help in Moderating our community and Guiding us)
- Connect Moderators (Local Guides who are outstanding and who because of their outstanding accomplishments have been selected to help moderate the Community to a certain extent
- Local Guides (The Hot, the Cold, the Calculative, the Cunning, the Sneaky, the over ambitious). Local Guides are Human Beings, so, every Human Trait is present here.
Googlers - easily identifiable by their ‘G’ badge.
Google Moderators - easily identifiable by the ‘G’ badge and the tag; Google Moderator. These are the people you tag to ask questions or to report an issue to, please don’t tag a Google Moderator just to curry their favor or gain their attention.
Connect Moderator - you can see the Special color of their own badge?
Other Local Guides;
Every other person who doesn’t fall into the aforementioned categories is a Local Guide, before you make comments or interact with people on Connect, try to always check their connect Profile, to get an ‘idea’ as to the Kind of Local Guide they are, so that; you can ‘Surround’ yourself with Local Guides who will lead you to a ‘Safe harbor’ and ensure you stay active, and not just staying active but enjoying your Local Guide Lifestyle such that you never think of leaving the community.
- SURROUND- BEGINNER TIP 4: Surround yourself with Positive Minded Local Guides
Your Tenacity in this environment depends on;
- YOU - It’s the kind of interests you display when you newly join this community, that will determine the kind of Local Guides who will be attracted to you. Your ability to take corrections, also determines how more likely another Local Guide will be willing to Correct you
- Your Interests - There are Local Guides who do almost everything that you will be interested in and some of them have hosted and started projects for over one year, such that you can easily identify with them;
- Accessibility
- Photography
- Business
- Nature
- Clean the Ocean
- World Hospital Edit
- State Meetups
- Several challenges
- Food
- Business
What’s my point?
- Find what works for you
- Find Local Guides who are already engaged in these activities to take inspiration from them.
- EXPLORE- BEGINNER TIP 5: Explore the World!
- After Activating;
- Building Your Profile,
- Understanding what this community is about,
- Surrounding yourself with Positive Minded people,
- Now it’s time to Explore this Community!
- Write Posts
- Read Posts
- Give kudos, Receive Kudos, Give Comments, Receive comments, Give solutions, be helpful
- Organize Meetups
- Get Celebrated by the community
THE END OF PART ONE - EVERYTHING THEORETICAL AS IT CONCERNS LOCAL GUIDES
PART TWO - PRACTICAL
EXPLORING THE CONNECT TOPICS
- Connect Topic 1 - Food & Drink
Because food is that one thing we all can not do about, it’s the most popular board on Connect. While there are Foodie Local Guides too.
For almost everything you share on Connect, you have to add “Maps Location” and a very good Photo to make your post stand out.
To write a good food and Drink post;
- share photos (amazing photos), you can type in Connect search box for tips on; “food photography”
- Tell us about the food and why you love it
- Tell us about the ingredients and if you are able to share the recipe.
Great posts on this session gets featured. Being featured is like; being the cover of a Magazine.
- Connect Topic 2 - Photography
This is one of the ‘Hottest’ topics on Connect, afterall, all Local Guides take Photos. This is where you find the “laziest posts” too 
. By lazy, I mean; Many Local Guides just share a Photo and say nothing else.
Hey! Boo! Come back here and tell us;
- why you took this photo
- where you took it and,
- why you decided to share it with us
After sharing your photo, ask for the opinion of other Local guides.
I love photography!
- Connect Topic 3- Travel
I mean! As a Local Guide, you need to move from one place to another. This Board serves to capture your adventures as you move from place to place. Try your best to be;
-
original - don’t copy texts or photo from a website or from other people.
-
Share the Map Location
-
Why and When you went there
-
How to get there
-
Information for Tourists
-
What it costs to visit there (pricing details, etc.)
-
Information for People living with Disabilities
-
Best time to visit
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any other Interesting fact about the place; is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site? Is it the largest of its kind in the world? If you get what I mean.
-
Connect Topic 4- Local Stories
This is where you share stories from your community about whatever it is that is special to you, something you are working on that you want other Local Guides to participate in or, a Project, community initiative, challenge or that is happening in your Local Community.
- Share original stories only
Current Hot Topics on Local Stories;
-
Accessibility
-
Businesses (women-led, Local, Small, Black-owned, Virtual)
-
Arts and Culture
-
Appreciaion of other Local Guides
-
Community Development Project
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Community Groups’ Anniversary
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COVID-19 related opics
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Connect Topic 5 - “How Tos”
This is where you share a special tip with Local Guides and teach them how to do something as far as the Local Guides Program is concerned.
Before you share, ensure you;
- Know what you are talking about
- Have practised what you are trying to teach the Community
- Know that it will be beneficial to the community
- Connect Topic 6 - Idea Exchange
Now, you have gone through this platform, you are enjoying it and you believe and know the program can be better through an input you have, why not share it?
- Ensure your idea will be beneficial to the community
I like this Board it is very interesting, it feels like where the Googlers want you to show your Political Acumen, you got to
- Prepare your manifesto (a.k.a. Your Idea)
- Convince Local Guides to Vote and to see why voting for your idea will be beneficial to everyone and why yours is the best
Just as with the elections, you win some, you lose some.
So, your ideas may not be implemented due to one or more reasons
- It is not beneficial to the community
- It is Great but unable to be implemented, as you may already know, Connect is Hosted on another Platform; “Khoros”.
- Connect Topic 7- Achievements
While Local Guides are not paid, we receive a lot of Perks, Rewards and recognition. This Board is for you to share with the Community what you are most proud of.
This Board receives the most posts ever! You will soon find out why.
- Connect Topic 8- Meetups
Local Guides generally meet from time to time to host Meetups. Either Virtually of Physically.
To get your meetup to appear on the Website, you have to;
As with every other thing on Connect and in the Local Guides’ Program, you submission is subject to approval. If the Meetup gets approved, it appears on the Website.
All Local Guides (Level 3 and above) can host Meetups.
- Connect Topic 9- Streetview
This is an exclusive board meant for all Google Streetview Trusted Photographers.
To become one, you need to upload 50 360 photos (that get approved by Google) to the Streetview App.
It is a Program with several benefits.
Other Things to Know
- Trending Board- All Trending posts by Googlers and Local Guides appear here. For yours to appear on Home page, it must be receiving the most kudos or where there is a tie in kudo, the most comments within a stipulated time. Ewaade, I want to trend. Connect with other Local Guides or write such a Post that it leaves everyone wowed or attend to your post as soon as you have it published.
- Feature- being featured on Connect ID like being on the front cover of a magazine. The features may be suggested by Local Guides through the Nomination form, but at the end of it all, it is subject to approval by the Googlers who make the final selection.
Final Notes
One of the joy of being a Local Guide is seeing something broken and knowing that your Photo and/or video is able to fix it. Awesome, right? 
Case Scenario
Two days ago, I passed by the wooden bridge that would cut my journey by over 2 hours, I shared about it here.
Many parts of the bridge were severely damaged and in a state of disrepair. So, I took Photos and shared with the men who took the Tolls from us to use the bridge. I passed by today and I saw fresh wood, do you know how happy and grateful I was?
Enjoy your time as a Local Guide, this is indeed a happy place.
"Go, change the world; One photo at a Time".
In the next Series, I will focus more on Maps, but that’s a topic for next month.
Thank you for your unending support and love, I appreciate.
Ewaade
Itwas right that you shared a photo of the broken wooden foot bridge. You did the right thing for making a difference. 
