Hello everyone, for starters let me give you some background of me.
I grew up in a small town (graduation class of ~70 people). I lived there for the majority of my life and then was uprooted and brought to a huge town where I still live to this day (Graduation class of ~1700 people, in my 1 of 5 high schools in town). Needless to say, it was a major change.
With that backstory I began using Google Maps EARLY in life to figure out where anything was and find out how to bike there, drive there, etc…
Now, on to the topic.
Being a local guide is not just the ability to gain points, level up, and be a real life game of sorts. It is so much more. It is giving me the ability to help younger people like I was, older people that need help finding places, and even just people that need quick directions. I get the opportunity to help people with their everyday tasks and commute. I tend to be one of those people that does not want praise for doing something for the good of the community and feel that everyone should do this, however this is not always the case. Being able to hold the title of a Local Guide means that I can help people from the side lines and also help small business get on the map. We had a new store open nearby and they were not even on Google Maps yet. I was able to help that company get on Google Maps, post their hours, and much more. This helps the community as a whole and keeps the community together.
To me, being a local guide, it means that I get to help people and businesses without them having to think twice about anything. It means being able to give back to the world in a fairly passive way that has an extreme outcome for the better.
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GREAT post Chris! 
I am ALSO an American who grew up in a small town and now lives in a big city - I’m from Jaffrey, NH and now I reside just south of Boston, Mass. My boyfriend is from Moore, OKC, and I can’t wait to go home with him to visit - Oklahoma is one of the only states I’ve never been to!
I loved your comment regarding your use of Google Maps early in life to figure out your local landscape - I’m constantly surprised when I take a photo of a local business storefront and find out they weren’t listed on Google at all (surprised and delighted - 15 point score! 
).
Between college, grad school, and my early 20’s/30’s, I’ve lived in over 10 different states and haven driven cross country, alone, at least 10 times. I was likewise an early adopter to Google Maps but on a larger scale - I grew up in a town of 3,000 people, and relied on the app to figure out where I was going from state to state. My first contributions were pictures of National Parks, and adding details missing from major cities.
Now that I’m pretty much settled in Quincy, MA I’m discovering there is SO much to find in my local community, and I can update tons of information just by taking a 20 minute walk around my neighborhood. And while Boston/Massachusetts is very urban and (over) developed, I can’t imagine how much your contributions mean in a less crowded city within a beautifully spacious Midwestern US state. 
Pleasure to (virtually) meet a fellow Google Local Guide with a similar experience! 
Cheers!
Samantha Sheehy, Boston MA
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My Gmaps Contributions!
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Haha well thank you, and welcome to you as well!
Oklahoma is a very pretty place for the most part, however the never ending plains does get a little boring when driving across the state haha. Nevertheless, it’s nice to meet you and let me know if you need any tips for GREAT food in the Tulsa area!
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