From a teacher’s perspective, the Local Guides program is the epitome of two of the fundamental lessons I encourage in the classroom.
One of the first lessons I teach in my elementary classroom is that ‘sharing is caring’. The sharing of thoughts on various experiences gives the confirmation that people around the city, the country, and the world continue to look out for each other. When I have a positive experience, I want to leave a positive review so that those who read my comment will have the potential to feel the same positive experience. Not only can a Local Guide express this lesson, but they do it in a way that may evoke further curiosity, and push the reader to make the right decision for their own adventures. For example, when I was in Malaysia with my husband, through Google Maps we read about a restaurant called ‘Subak’ and the reviews that drew our attention were ones with unique descriptions - “In the middle of nowhere,” followed by, “between the trees,” and “hidden entrance.” Such reviews by other Local Guides encouraged my husband and me to want to experience this culinary adventure. Sure enough, it was one of the highlights of our trip and resulted in a positive review from myself as well. On the other hand, when I have a negative experience, my reviews on Google Maps allow me to warn others so that they are not subjected to the same treatment.
This leads to the second lesson that Local Guides practice: the art of saying “Thank You”. As a Local Guide, I can leave reviews and recommend businesses that others may not know about. In a world full of franchises, I can help the mom-and-pop stores that are providing a quality service but may not have the resources to market themselves. Being a Local Guide allows me to express my gratitude after a positive experience. As a teacher, I see the joy that a student feels when their peers thank them, and I imaging that reading a positive review of the company one has worked hard to create, garners similar results. I had just such an experience about a year ago when I wrote a review on a gaming café called the “A-Game Café”. After visiting the café and spending over 5 hours there, I left a 5-star review. I was pleasantly surprised the next day when I received a response from the owner thanking me for the compliment. This was very much the ‘you’re welcome’ to my ‘thank you’.
All-in-all, to me being a Local Guide gives me the opportunity to practice what I preach. It’s a platform where I share my thoughts with people who value my opinion, and its where I say thank you to those who are making the world a better place one consumer at a time.