Unveiling the Invisible: A Call for Recognition in the Local Guides Community

Connections & celebrations
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:mega: Calling out to all Local Guides! :earth_africa: :round_pushpin:

As an avid user and dedicated Local Guide Level-6 on Google Maps, I can’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. Despite my continuous efforts, countless contributions, and unwavering commitment to the community, I have yet to receive any rewards or recognition from Google. Over the years, I have tirelessly answered user questions, added numerous places, shared thoughtful reviews, and captured countless moments through my photos.

It’s disheartening to think that despite my passion for helping others and improving the Google Maps experience, I haven’t received a single gift or been invited to any meet-up calls with fellow Local Guides and Google representatives. As a Level-6 Local Guide, I had hoped to see some acknowledgment for my efforts and the impact I’ve had on the platform.

I understand that rewards should not be the sole motivation for contributing to the community. Still, it’s only natural to feel a sense of appreciation and recognition for the time and energy invested in making Google Maps a better resource for everyone. Meeting fellow Local Guides and engaging in insightful discussions would not only provide an opportunity to learn from one another but also foster a stronger sense of camaraderie within the community.

I genuinely value the Local Guides program and the platform it provides to share knowledge and experiences. However, the lack of rewards and recognition does raise questions about the transparency and fairness of the system. It is my hope that Google takes notice of the efforts put in by dedicated Local Guides like myself, acknowledging and appreciating our contributions.

I kindly request Google to reevaluate the rewards system and ensure that it aligns with the hard work and dedication demonstrated by Local Guides worldwide. We are a community that strives to make a difference and positively impact the way people navigate and explore the world.

Together, let’s continue mapping our world and making it a better place. And to all fellow Local Guides out there who share my sentiment, your contributions are valuable, and your efforts are not in vain. Let’s keep the spirit alive and continue making a difference, regardless of the recognition we receive.

#LocalGuides #GoogleMaps #RecognitionMatters

13 Likes
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Hello @deveshkumarvv

Looking through your connect profile I realise that this is your first post on connect. Therefore it is proper to say welcome to local guides connect forum.

I like your well written article and good English. You have presented your case and expressed yourself well. I’ll advise you to kindly review our Local Guides program rules, Local Guides community policy, and Maps user contributed content policy,

…“I can’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. Despite my continuous efforts, countless contributions, and unwavering commitment to the community…”

To tell you the truth I think you have violated the rules and regulations of our maps users contributions content policy. Do you realise, that you could easily be termed a spammer ???

Are you aware that selfies and photos of friends and relatives are a violation on the maps?

Are you also aware that duplicate photos, dark photos are a violation? I also notice that some photos you uploaded have nothing to do with the POI in question. Therefore I’m surprised that you think that "… that Google takes notice of the efforts put in by dedicated Local Guides like myself, acknowledging and appreciating our contributions"

I found lots of these violating photos on your profile. Should Google give you recognition and send you gifts for these kinds of contributions? Maybe No is the answer.

It will be a very noble thing for you to kindly sanitise your profile instead of asking for rewards and looking for recognition from Google. Have you ever read this article **What-photos-should-I-share-on-Google-Maps ? **Please kindly have a look it’s interesting.

Happy guiding

Cheers

5 Likes
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Hello @SholaIB

Thank you for taking the time to review my article on Connect and providing your feedback. I appreciate your compliments on my writing skills and expression. However, I would like to address the concerns you raised about my contributions and potential violations of the rules and policies.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge that as a Local Guide, it is essential to be familiar with the Local Guides program rules, Local Guides community policy, and Maps user-contributed content policy. I apologize if any of my previous contributions unintentionally violated these guidelines.

…“Have you ever read this article What-photos-should-I-share-on-Google-Maps ?…”

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Regarding your point about selfies and photos of friends and relatives being a violation on maps, I must admit that I was not aware of this particular policy. The image uploads you mentioned were made in 2018 which is 5 years ago, and the Policy you stated "What-photos-should-I-share-on-Google-Maps " was Published in 2019. So basically I Uploaded the Images Before the policy was Published.

…"Are you aware that selfies and photos of friends and relatives are a violation on the maps?

Are you also aware that duplicate photos, dark photos are a violation? I also notice that some photos you uploaded have nothing to do with the POI in question. Therefore I’m surprised that you think that “… that Google takes notice of the efforts put in by dedicated Local Guides like myself, acknowledging and appreciating our contributions”

I found lots of these violating photos on your profile. Should Google give you recognition and send you gifts for these kinds of contributions? Maybe No is the answer…"

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As I checked Your Profile You have Also violated the maps users contributions content policy by uploading personal or relative photos. So even after Violating the Rules and regulations how do You become the Google Connect Moderator? So before pointing to someone Make Sure that Your Side is correct.

Regarding my statement about Google acknowledging and appreciating the efforts of dedicated Local Guides, I understand that recognition and rewards are earned through valuable and compliant contributions. I acknowledge that my past contributions may not have met those criteria, but I assure you that I am committed to adhering to the policies moving forward.

Once again, I apologize for any inadvertent violations in my previous contributions. I am committed to learning from these experiences and improving my contributions to better serve the Local Guides community. Thank you for bringing these concerns to my attention.

Happy guiding

Cheers

2 Likes
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Hello @deveshkumarvv ,

Without doubt all the policies and rules on Google Maps and Connect platform remain the same for all LGs irrespective of their levels in G Map and badges/moderation authority in Connect.

Google will surely look into all such anomalies and take appropriate action.

JAI HO!!!

1 Like
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Hello @deveshkumarvv

Thank you for checking my profile as well. These are network issue and those are photos I have been searching for to delete them. I still can’t understand why I can see them. They were long before I became a local guide proper amd to.be honest with you I don’t know how they got uploaded. I didn’t upload them on purpose. Now I’m deleting them. Please make sure to do the same thing?

You needed to go back 5 years(before the policy as well :rofl: ) into my profile to get those right, I didn’t search deep or long before I found yours. These are only less than 10 photos right? Have you counted how many you have?

My sincere apologies too and thank you for your understanding.Assure me you’ll delete yours, stop looking for rewards and be a good local guide. See you around on the forum and nice to meet you.

Happy guiding

Cheers

2 Likes
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Hello @deveshkumarvv

This has been an interesting post and interactions. That’s one of the main ideas behind connect. A hub of interaction for local guides !!!

I have gone through your profile again and see you have deleted the wrong photos. That’s great well-done and thank you. Please go through mine again and let me know whatever your findings are.

Meanwhile please take a look at

  • Lions children’s park(Dark photos)
  • Batabari Tourism property(Dark photos)
  • Rara avis (duplicate)

Happy guiding

Cheers

2 Likes
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I will check That…