I’ve always been a storyteller and destined traveller, and yet the traditional travel sector seems to have always catered to a very particular marketer and reviewer - someone who enjoys the limelight and the bustling congregation of thronging crowds. That someone is not me.
Yet Google Local Guides has given people like myself the opportunity to enter this market as equals to traditional guides. It’s allowed people from all walks of life to share their authentic views around travel and showcase their communities through words and imagery which are their own.
THE PRECURSOR…
Three years ago I started walking the streets of my suburb to get a feel for the area and to photograph the streets, shops, gardens and other visual trinkets I could find. Armed with a broken camera phone (which coincidentally provided quite the artistic shot), my idea was to capture the ambiance and spirit of my home and share this with others - whether locals or temporary visitors from afar.
Yet the idea which was germinating in my mind at the time would take lots of effort. How do I share this information? Do I create a website? A brand? Indeed it’s something which I’ve already started working on, but it wasn’t until Google Local Guides that I had a proper platform to showcase the magic I experience and a larger scale. Suddenly I had a place where I could share my knowledge, interests and experiences with others.
I’ve always been of the mind that one can find hidden gems in all places you visit. I suppose in many ways this was also what attracted me to Google guides. Having never had the opportunity to travel extensively, I learned from a young age to find and create magic wherever you may find yourself.
MY COMMUNITY
Hidden in tiny suburbs, on lesser-known street corners or behind residential and commercial walls are gems which are mostly hidden to the uninformed passer-by. I’d realised, for instance, that there is a treasure trove of creative skills in my area, but since many people aren’t that tech-savvy or skilled, these skills and services are shared mostly on private social media groups or via word-of-mouth. Our local coffee shop, Boston Coffee, serves delectable artisan food and coffee. We’ve a food truck which sells home-made meals daily. The truck has found it’s semi-permanent home close to my favourite art shop, The Framed Feather and Art Shopper, and our new local butchery which locals had long begged for is a meat-lover’s treat!
Sharing my experiences on Google Maps sates different aspects of my personality; I enjoy informing and teaching, I enjoy storytelling, I have a fondness for geography and maps, I appreciate the beauty to be found in my surroundings. My reviews, photographs and answers reflect these interests. I enjoy telling users everything they want to know about a venue or location, while simultaneously promoting businesses which aren’t on the map yet or don’t have the skills, knowledge or resources to make themselves known. I appreciate good service and feel it everyone’s duty to hold businesses and venues accountable to their visitors — how can they improve if they don’t know what’s wrong?
Smaller businesses and venues often suffer neglect, they are not afforded the same podium, representation and resources to make themselves known. My travels through my local community have made it clear that it’s not only possible, but highly rewarding to give these places the same artistic representation and description as one would other, more prominent features in the community.
As a local guide, I think it’s important to place local service providers, shops and resources on the map for whom information isn’t readily available online. As I wander the streets of my suburb I seek to capture the entirety of the place; its essence and feel. I capture anything from street signs, gardens, shops and interesting sights and signs. It’s a hobby I’ve practiced for the past few years and Google Guides has given me a platform for sharing this experience with others.
Google Maps is place where one can weave miniature tales about the places which surround you and transfix the reader or viewer by creating the backdrop for their future visits.
Welcome to my home folks! I look forward to sharing more about this magical place!
