Since the day I joined this program, it has had a great impact on my life!
Being a Local Guide, it has made me feel a great sense of pride for my city of residence, it has made me happy to help others, it has made me improve my photography skills, and it has made me discover new places by travelling and exploring my surrounding areas even more!
For me personally, knowing that when I am adding a local business on Maps, I am helping my community economically by drawing more locals to certain places like salons, banks, restaurants, etc. I had promoted many small businesses which were under-rated or missing on google maps which now exist and by doing that, business owners could now easily connect with their customers. To me, helping others means being a better human for society. I am very proud of representing my culture, my country, my people, and my city Karachi located in Pakistan. It is very meaningful for me to be a representative of my small community and be able to support the people around me in any way possible.
This program has also influenced me to travel and explore more. I have been continuously adding missing information, photos, reviewing places, answering questions and checking out the facts to be a good contributor. There have been many NEW places I was able to explore after Google Maps came into my life. Some places I visited randomly on my own, and few places were visited by me after seeing their photos on Maps. I had also travelled to many different cities just to discover more beautiful areas of my country and reviewed/rated them. I feel like a young Indiana Jones.
Being a guide has also enhanced my photography skills. I can now distinguish a bad photo from a good one because I’ve read tips on how to take great pictures on Connect, had a ton of practice, and have seen many great photos as examples from LG’s worldwide!The increasing number of views on my photos made me happier as I always wanted people to see the world from my eyes and this program fulfilled my dream.
Eventually, through Connect I got to know and virtually meet new friends from different countries. I have never been a part of any global event except this virtual community effort of being an LG. Therefore, I am very curious about attending Connect Live 2020, which is not only going to unite 200 bright minds but also be an opportunity to make 200 new friends. For me, we are not just local guides, we are family.