Hi, my name is Melissa, your local guide from Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
I always remember when I wrote my first review on Google maps was 1 star for a “robbery scooter shop.” Originally, I wanted to change three broken devices on my scooter which were $100 USD. A few days later, while I came to the shop to pick it up, I was kind of rubbed that the shop owner changed 6 devices without noticing me and charged me for $250 USD. So that bad experience began my journey as a local guide.
Honesty is always the best policy. We don’t get paid for being a local guide, so I always write genuinely useful reviews on google maps. That’s why I 100% trust the scores on google maps when I’m making decisions. Sometimes the places might not as good as I thought, so I’ll give them lower scores! It not only helps people to avoid the same bad experience as me and helps the owners to hear from customers and make improvements to their business. That’s a win-win situation. There’s one time that I wrote a few bad reviews on a restaurant because of their bad service and untasty food. Then I received the message from the owner that she wanted to know more about the details and see what they can be improved. That was an amazing experience of being a local guide.
Everyone’s voice has the power to create change. I don’t have to be famous to make a difference in the lives of others. By sharing my reviews, photos, and knowledge on Google Maps, I’m telling my experience and having it seen by people all around the world. I am using my voice for the betterment of communities throughout the globe, despite ages, genders, nationalities and so on. Most of the countries in Asia are still male-dominated countries. As a 33-year-old female local guide from Taiwan, I am proud that my voice is powerful when I got emails informed me about how many people I’ve helped! That means so much to me!
Last but not least, a circle of love occurs when people are together with completely open hearts, open with our true selves, with each other and with spirit. When I am sharing myself on the local guides program and reach out to people all over the world who are doing the same thing. Then, the circle of love occurs. Fun, joy, knowledge, creativity, inspiration, friendship are some of the results of the circle of love. That’s why I love to be a local guide, to create and to be part of the circle of love!
Love,
Melissa
