My name is Overi Ewefada, I am a Nigerian living in Nigeria and a proud and happy local guide currently on level 6!
My Local guide journey started on the 18th of Dec, 2019! That was when I signed up and received a Thank you email from Google. At that point I didn’t know what to expect. It was a completely new affair, but I had an open mind and I started looking for answers to my questions.
I had questions like; what do I do next to be a relevant map guide?
Google kept sending me information on how to be a local guide and how to share a review, Post great photos and make a trust worthy Edits…viola I could do all three and I was super pumped up and ready especially because I want to give back, be valuable to helping people find their way and more so work closely with Google!!!
I hit level 5 in 13 days and I was happy…during this period I joined the local guide facebook groups, just for me to connect with other local guides in my country and in diaspora and also learn from them.
I also went ahead to tell my friends and family about the local guide programs and they love it too!
Local guides program means the following to me;
- RELEVANCE;
I walked into my dentist office and quickly told them I could help them edit their information on google ,they were so happy! So I did the
Edits for them and my edit was accepted by google map.
On the 11th of Jan, 2020, I got a mail that I have earned a special perk for my contributions in December… My joy could not be contained, I screamed and shared
With the whole world how much relevance I had gained and how relevant I have become.
– Again I received a mail from google saying my reviews has hit 3 million views and I knew at that point that I was reaching out and helping people out.
- IMPACT:-
I have always wanted to do something tremendous for my society and the world at large. This program has given me the opportunity to do just that!
Every time my post or reviews get seen and I receive a message from google, it simply means I am doing the right thing, it means I am impacting my society and the world plus I am reaching my target.
- LEARNING CURVE:-
I believe in the power of continuous learning.
I believe change comes when we have an open mind and and ready to grow from one point to another.
This program to me is a learning curve, the reviews and uploads I make is helping me sharpen my skills in content writing and photography especially because I am planning to start my blog.
- SENSE OF BELONGING:-
I feel so much at home, I feel very important when I receive mails from google about my progress on the map
I feel like I am talking to world powers and I feel like a super star, especially when I received my first perk "the socks’!
This is soul fulfilling for me!
- PARTNERSHIP:-
The local guide programs presents an opportunity to partner with google from this side of the world and of course I do not take it for granted.
This is a rare opportunity to work closely with Google like I have always wanted to.
I am super excited about the opportunity to be a partner with Google and a contributor on Google maps.
Xoxo
Overilaye