I’ve been taking pictures of food, restaurants, hotels, churches, trailheads and much more since 2013 for Google Guides. I earned a pair of Google Guide socks for one year’s work. Frequently, I get an email telling me my picture has been viewed over 1,000,000 times and that I’m popular. While all of this is motivating and makes me feel like I’m contributing to the places I like and want to share with others, there is something more important going on here that I’ll share now.
Google Guides creates a participatory culture that anyone with internet access can be part of. Google Guides provides a way for us to share our values and tastes with others in a way that could never have been done before. I’ve always enjoyed looking at photo albums and travel guides. It’s a way to gain insight into people and places. However, the cost of producing these books and guides meant that only some people could take part in sharing their perceptions. Google Guides is a platform that makes sharing easy and accessible. It helps to frame each contributor’s work in terms of a place on a map and then distributes this to millions of people.
I now have the best of both worlds - I can learn from people “on the street” in different places and I can share what I’m seeing on my street.
I’ve also experienced the gratitude of business owners when they read a positive review in one of my Google Guide postings. It’s hard for them to advertise at the scale that they get from even one review or photo. As a consumer looking for a good place to eat or shop, I really appreciate reading other Guides’ reviews. I tend to trust word of mouth over an ad on television, and the comments from other Guides are invaluable, especially when traveling in another state or country.