I think the Local Guides project is great. Me as a local guide, I love to be able to help others find the information they need, correct what might be wrong and update the outdated information. As a comsumer, I love to be able to look up the best places to eat when I’m out travelling, or the best places to work out or hotels to visit. The ratings help a lot, and I try to give back using this program.
When we found the right place to eat, I try to give back by posting my experience of the place. I’ve found the rating system to be pretty accurate.
When visiting Montevideo in Uruguay a few years ago, my friend found Primuseum this way, and it was a special evening and occation in South America.
The restaurant was a complete evening with good food, live music and dancing, and for a bunch of Norwegian geocachers visiting South America, and finding a museum of Swedish (our dear neighboors) cooking devices with Nordic posters. It was good fun!
A few years later, my girlfriend and I were visiting Minsk in Belarus (where else to spend new years?) and to find a place to eat, what better way to use Google Maps and check for ratings?
Well, the menu was of course in Russian, and my Russian is limited to a few words. The restaurant wasn’t used to having non-russian-speaking visitors, but they were great. I used Google Tranlate with camera support to find something to eat, and we didn’t leave hungry. I didn’t think chicken liver was a thing to serve but it is! Not my favourite, though. This experience makes it so much easier to find quality information no matter what you want to do. I love to be able to share, provide and user this information to make the best choices possible to make the best experience.Thanks for creating this service, and letting me provide.