Travelling and exploring new places one after the other has always brought a spark of excitement in me. I get to learn and understand people in a better way each time I visit a new city.
With Google maps always by my side for suggestions on routes or finding the right place, it has become an essential part of my life. Today it is such a thing, I cannot imagine a day travelling without using it.
Here comes the Local Guides program which is an integral part of this platform. I enrolled to this program out of interest to help other people who visit the same place after me. So that they can know what to expect from a particular shop or where they could grab a quick bite and so on.
Let me tell you a story where this program might have helped many. There was an instance when I was looking for particular brand store near me but couldn’t find one. So as usual I opened Google maps and it was listed there! I started navigating and after a few minutes in the hot sun, I reached the spot only to find that the store had been shifted to another location a week ago.
I immediately thought to myself that there would be other people who would be disappointed just like me. So why not help them by listing the store as closed on Google Maps. With the help of locals around, I found the relocated store and once again opened Maps to pin the new location.
Another instance was when I went to Taif, KSA, I was looking to purchase a new laptop on eXtra electronics store, but didn’t find one. Coincidentally, I found the eXtra store near me a few days later. When I checked the place on Google Maps, it was listed in Arabic but since my earlier search was in English, it didn’t pop up.
So once again I immediately opened up Google Maps, added the store name in English and also took a few snaps of the place and added it to photos section of the existing place. Soon my addition of name in English language was approved by Google and I got a feeling of satisfaction.
With a few more such experiences, I felt that this platform is an opportunity for me to indirectly serve the people around. Just like I benefit from the information posted by others, why not I too add to it, making it an overall great experience for all.
I have been enrolled to the Local Guides Program for quite sometime now. And believe me, each time you contribute something, you get a special feeling which is priceless. Moreover. Google makes things easy by asking quick questions and also asking to add pictures we have clicked at a particular place. Google also motivates me to contribute further by appreciating the efforts made.
~Armaghan Ashraf Siddiqui
