Caption: The cover image is a shot of Railway Station 1, at Milan Central, Italy, captured by Level 9 Local Guide @AT_Rome
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Introduction
This post is all about the photos contributed to Google Maps by Local Guides from all over the world. More specifically, it’s about the views that these photos rack up. The post consists of a series of leaderboards showcasing the view counts of these photos. There’s a leaderboard for each Local Guide level and in this way you don’t have to be a “top gun” level 10 Local Guide with a mega million views to be featured!
Why are photo views important?
While as Local Guides we don’t get points for the views that our contributions generate, we all know that views are important as they give us a pretty good indication on how we are impacting on our communities at the Local Guide level. For example, they give us a good indication on how many people we have helped make a decision such as what place to visit or what meal to have.
So while we don’t get points for photo views, we certainly get an awesome feeling when we see that our photos are being viewed by lots of people and being visible across Google services, like Search, means that our photo view counts can increase significantly and you will see on the Leaderboards, how significant this can be.
Is this just a competition?
While there is an inherent competitive element within them, the Leaderboards are more than just about seeing who has the “best” photos or the most photo views. Far from it! They have been specifically designed to motivate us, help us to monitor our contributions and performance, and show us how to improve and make better contributions so that we achieve better results, and all in a fun and enjoyable way!
The Cover Photo
The Leaderboards series exists to celebrate, analyze, and inspire the incredible contributions of Local Guides worldwide. Because this series is all about our community, when possible, each cover features photos of, and taken by, our fellow members
The Photo Views Leaderboard post for October features an impressive interior shot of the Railway Station 1, at Milano Centrale, one of Europe’s largest and most grand railway stations, famed for its blend of Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture. The photo was captured by Level 9 Local Guide @AT_Rome (Alex).
Although Alex has lived and worked in the iconic capital of Rome for over 30 years, he was born in Milan, making this contribution a special nod to his roots. Since discovering the Local Guides program in 2015, Alex has built an astounding contribution footprint, amassing over 110 million media views on Google Maps.
A;ex’s photograph is a masterclass in composition, utilizing the leading lines of the train tracks, platforms, and sweeping iron canopy to draw the viewer’s eyes straight toward the distant light at the end of the station. This strong perspective creates a powerful sense of three-dimensionality and depth, fully immersing the viewer in the massive scale of the transit hall while guiding travelers on their journey.
Want to join?
No matter your level, whether you’re a star Level 10 Local Guide or just starting out, there’s a place on these boards for you. Participation is straightforward—simply Register your interest or comment below for assistance. We’re excited to see you rise and shine on the Leaderboards!!
If you’re new here then you may not be aware that this post forms part of a series of leaderboard posts each covering different aspects of the contributions made to Google Maps by Local Guides from all over the world. To see an index to the leaderboard series and related posts and all the posts associated with them, simply hit this link. Alternatively, you can scroll through The BIG List of Leaderboard posts.
