caption: A photo of Local Guide Felix Acheampong at the beach
I am Felix Acheampong, a Local Guide Level 8 on Google Maps from Ghana.
I am a recent BSc Agricultural Biotechnology graduate from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST)- Kumasi, Ghana.
I live in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana’s coastal twin city along the Atlantic Ocean; and as a patriotic citizen, I’m currently doing my National Service for the nation in this Western Regional capital city. Sekondi-Takoradi is a vibrant metropolis due to the ports, harbour and commercial fishing activities along the coast.
I’m passionate about photojournalism, arts, world news, media, entertainment, travel and tourism.
On Sunday September 30, 2018 at exactly 6:37 PM GMT, I received an interesting email in my Gmail inbox notifying me that I’m now a Local Guide for Google Maps !
I was elated upon receiving this welcome message from the Local Guides Team because that same day was also my birthday!
I deemed it an honour for my application to have been accepted and the great invitation to join the Local Guides Program- a great community of explorers who add photos, videos, ratings, reviews and uncharted places to Google Maps.
Being a Local Guide, I was tasked to share my daily experiences in thoughtful reviews and ratings, showcase my best photos and videos on Google Maps; I was so glad to add my contributions to the places I visit within my community.
As a Local Guide, I rely on Google Maps to function effectively and in order for me to rediscover all the places I’ve been to by exploring my timeline, I willingly turned on the Location History feature in my Google Account. Receiving the monthly summary about my timeline from the Google Maps Team has really enabled me to manage my time judiciously as a Local Guide.
As a proud Local Guide, Location History data from my Google Account has also helped me to give a personalized information on Google Maps, especially contributions on better restaurant recommendations and suggestions for a safer and faster commute.
The monthly reviews on Google Maps Timeline helps me to curate the places I’ve been to and also reflect on my tours in the previous months and reminisce about my recent trips; all these updates provides a forecast for me to plan ahead the uncharted places I ought to pay a visit to. Intriguing features such as the cities and places I’ve ever been to, the distance I’ve walked and the hours I’ve spent in a vehicle within a particular month is quite insightful to me as a Local Guide.
I was amazed to discover from my Location History Timeline Update in my 2019 annual report that, I traveled a total distance of 2,863 Km (by foot and by vehicle) in 305 places and six cities in Ghana thus, representing 7% around the world- I felt really proud as a Local Guide for Google Maps !
The Local Guides Program mean a great asset to me- I am really proud to be a Local Guide on Google Maps for Ghana considering the amazing contributions and achievements I’ve made so far !
As a reward from the Local Guides Program Team, I have earned over 32,000 points from my awesome contributions and I have also unlocked higher levels,special perks and badges.
I have been awarded honorary badges from the Local Guides Program Team and notable ones among them include:
Master Reviewer - an award for helping others by writing detailed reviews of places people want to know about,
Master Photographer - an award for bringing places to life with amazing photos of places people care about,
Master Fact Finder - an award for helping others get the right info about places on Google,
Master Trailblazer - an award for being the first person to add important info about places.
I am now very close to unlocking the Expert Director badge and I look forward to being a participant of any event the Local Guides Team commission and organize in future as well as reaching higher levels, getting special promotions and early access to new Google products, apps features and events such as the annual flagship conference called Connect Live !
For me, one of the exciting perks of being a Local Guide is my ability to virtually meet other Local Guides worldwide on a common online platform called Local Guides Connect where group members discuss popular topics like food & drink, photography, travel, meet-ups, how-tos, ideas exchange, help desk and inspiring local stories from their community.
As a Local Guide, I’ve been able to share, interact and contribute ideas on this online forum with other Local Guides outside Ghana and across the globe as well as receive Google announcements from seasoned Google Moderators and the resourceful Local Guides Team.