I grew up in London, Ontario, but for about 11 years, I’ve lived in Toronto. About 4 years ago I started to contribute to Google Maps regularly. As you can imagine, Toronto is a big city, and has a lot to offer and review. That being said, it also has many contributors. Despite that, I was a heavy contributor, even for Toronto standards, and was fortunate enough to be invited to one of the Local Guide parties hosted by Google.
Recently however, I moved back to my hometown of London. London is nearly 1/10 of the size of Toronto, thus, doesn’t have as many devoted contributors. When I took my devotion of Gmaps contribution to London, I quickly became a top 1% contributor!
It’s a great feeling knowing that my work and contributions are making a difference. I really love watching my review counts, or photo views rise, suggesting that people are viewing my reviews and ratings, and hopeful finding value in them. Even more than just views, the “likes” my reviews get signify this. Personally, I look at pictures of places often, and I hope that my photos are helping people find all the information that isn’t easy to convey in just text and descriptions.
When reviewing, I try to take the time to provide descriptions that offer more information than you’d be able to find just by looking at the listing. For example, details about the staff, or which food items I like best, in hopes that my reviews can help people find what they’re looking for. I find this works best for restaurants, as everyone’s been to a restaurant before, but if you’re at one for the first time, some help in what’s available, or what’s good goes a long way!
My specialty would have to be beer breweries! I love beer, and I visit breweries often. If you’re a beer lover like me, my reviews will help guide you in the area of beer breweries, and allow you to see what’s available before you visit, with some details about staff, atmosphere, whether there is food at the breweries etc.
London has a lot to offer, but isn’t a big tourist attraction. Being able to grow London’s prominence on Google Maps is something I enjoy doing, and hope that London can stand along side big cities like Toronto in terms of Google Maps presence.
Happy exploring!