Introductions were made at the start of the event of which all attendees said one or two things about their experiences at Local Guides.
I @Enoch appreciated Google for the Local Guides initiative of which I used earlier on as tool for improving my ICT business where I added office locations of my clients on Google maps unknowingly that I was becoming a Google Local Guide. As at the time I realized that adding Places on Google maps actually makes one a Google Local Guide I was already on Level 3 Local Guide. I got to know more about the Google Local Guide Program from @olastephen who has then been very helpful and motivating. I was given a chance to further talk of my experience as a Local Guide and one moment I shared is the thousands of views on a photo I added to Se Sugh U Maria Ayati Pilgrimage Centre.
@olastephen the Organizer of Benue-Meet-Up also expressed some of his best moments as being a Local Guide. He talked on the possibilities of exploring more places and taking photos of places that are least explores such as the Old Benue Bridge, Banks of the River Benue, the market places, farms, restaurants, Hotels, Schools, Religious Houses, Banks and businesses that can be put on the map. He also spoke of the fact that the Local Guides initiative has set avenues for business to get world class free websites, pricing of their products and services and an avenue to put their businesses of the front pages of Google’s search pages. He also appreciate @UchechukwuEnem for the motivation with has lead to the first meet up in Benue State and her guides in ensuring that the meet up was a success.
@ogwuche who has been a long time Local Guide appreciated the idea of a meet up in Benue State with a feeling that a it was going to bring a better increase involvement in the Local Guides program. I appreciate the fact that he was meeting serious minded Local Guides that are focused on bringing development to the State as a whole. He appreciate the benefits from Google to explore more of their paid services for free and stipends in credits he gets from Google which has he uses to may payments on the Play Store. Sharing his experience as a Local Guide, he sees it as more a community development program and has given him a privilege to partake in the project of showcasing his immediate community to the rest of the World. He spoke on some of the challenges that Benue State faces which has lead to poor technological advancement in the state such a power and poor internet network connectivity. He Hopes that with a stable and active Local Guides Community in the state to map up locations, services like Uber in a short time be made available in townships within the state. He spoke on the need for Local Guides to keep in touch and help one another to solve changeling task on the Map and also share ideas for a better experience of persons using the Google Maps.
@user_not_found Yahaya the CTO of Value Beam Limited a renowned software development company in Benue State also attended the event as a Local Guide and Community Builder who gave the venue for the event encouraged all the participants at the event to continue with the good work of guiding people on Google Maps with their contributions. He emphasized of the need to host regular meet ups to grow the community within the state.
The some places where added for the map editing section of the event and new features of Google Maps where discussed.
Group Photographs were taken and shared as the participants posed in smiled for a successful event.
Stickers and tags where distributed to help share the message of Local Guides initiate and members where add to the Chat Groups of the Nigeria Local Guide and Benue Local Guides Whatsapp group for increased participation.
The meet up was rounded up with a mini road trip to a Local Foods Restaurant around Nyinma Layout of the Town for some Local Delicacy it was yummy but sad because we missed “Nyangyo” alias Pork which the restaurant in credited for being among the best to prepare.
Thanks to @UchechukwuEnem
Thanks to @olastephen
Thanks to Benue Local Guides
Thanks to Nigeria Local Guide for the support
And above all Thanks to Google