Have you ever realized how every day consists of small decisions and details? Nowadays it almost feels natural to make up your mind about what to do, where to go or what to eat based on endless information that the online world provides. Honestly, I barely remember when was the last time I just tried a restaurant down the street without consulting my phone first. I could easily take the chances and walk into the first place that makes a good first impression. Sometimes it is a way to go but in general it seems so counterintuitive when I have a smartphone in my pocket .
I believe that every encounter and every interaction you face affects your emotion and your energy levels. Would you agree that sometimes there is a thin line between being on top of your game and struggling? What if the difference at the end of the day is just a sum of little things such as how was your morning coffee, if you could find parking, if you found what you were looking for or whether you dealt with someone who was really helpful or very unprofessional? Do we have a choice to avoid those moments in such a high level of specialization in today’s society where we are so dependent on each other? I don’t think we have.
I have heard it a million times – everyone should start with themselves. What I can do is to focus on what makes me happy and how to maintain my energy to reach my maximum potential every day. This way I might be able to pull off much bigger challenges. Or just feel better. Is there a better way to navigate my course than to learn from people that have experienced things before me and were willing to share their take on it? If this positive impact can uplift an individual what kind of synergy can be created in the whole society of people trying to help each other?
It might sound naive but I truly believe that there is something to learn from each other. That is what I look for online. I wish online space and social media weren’t used so much for clickbaits, ads or for presenting ourselves in a fake light. I think people are just too new to this technology and haven’t figured out its loopholes yet. I believe that one day our (grand) children will look back at this unique period in history and they will smile about what we were doing with tools that recently became available to us. I see Google Guides program as a platform that enables us to stand out and make a positive impact. It provides space for information that is by the people for the people. I believe spending your time contributing makes much more sense than spending time taking selfies.
When I moved from the Czech Republic to Vancouver in Canada 3 years ago, I was so excited to explore Beautiful British Columbia. One of my best guides that showed me so much and never let me down was GoogleMaps. Thanks to information on Maps I could see places that I wouldn’t ever see without it. I could pursue my goals in skiing and hiking. Owing to comments of reviewers I would know if trails were safe and weather was good. I have been helped so I see commitment to share the little I know and help too.
Nowadays giving a good rating on Google helps more than giving a tip if you are happy with what you get. There are many heroes of the day who deserve to be appreciated for their extraordinary effort. I have found so many hidden gems based on 4+ star ratings in Maps. I don’t remember ever being disappointed by a place with such a high rating. There must be something done right if there are hundreds or even thousands of positive ratings. On the other hand there might be something not right if there are plenty of low reviews. Every person has their own point of view so time will tell when more people express their opinions. As the system seems to be fair for everyone at first glance, whe should be focusing on how to work with so much information.
People don’t want to spend their time reading too many reviews, most of them will only read results on top of a page. So whose voice should be heard most?
I think the answer might lie within (like in all other aspects of life) Experience. The more you do something the better you get at it. It is as simple as that. That is why there are levels for reviewers and guides. The more reviews you have written, the bigger chance your post is legit. With more power also comes more responsibility. We should be aware of the background of guides in order to better understand where they are coming from. Is there a valid point in a one star review of a person that only gives low ratings? There might be some but not as valuable as in a review from a Local Guide that has rated over 50 times in 3-5 star range.
In my ideal world LocalGuide is a community of brothers and sisters that are willing to share what they know as well as learn from each other. They meet new friends, they explore new places. They talk, they get inspired.