The most interesting thing I’ve done as a Local Guide is adding detailed review and nice photos to Google Maps.
I’ve realized that most of the time when I search for a place details on Google Maps, I ended up getting a not-so-detailed review such as a very short sentence, star rating without explanation, and even poor images which made me confused about the place. I thought a review like this, for example: “Good place with good food” without further details was somehow not satisfying enough.
When planning a trip or just a casual hangout, I rely on Google Maps all the time. Getting detailed review and nice photos of a place on Google Maps, helps me a lot in making decision such as where to go and what to eat, which, in turn, motivates me on doing the same to places that haven’t had a good one.
A picture is worth a thousand words. I particularly love to try different kinds of food. I’ve always tried my best to add a more detailed information. So, here are my contributions that personally very interesting for me:
Xincheng Sliced Noodle
When I planned a trip to Beijing last year, my friend who used to live there, recommended me to try the noodle at this restaurant. I searched the place on Google Maps for details, but there was only one very short review without a single photo of it. I came there and turned out the restaurant is very popular and always packed with the locals. It’s interesting to become the first Local Guide who gives the first detailed review and photos of this restaurant. I showed my review to my friend and she was happy that her favorite noodle restaurant now has a better information on Google Maps, so that more people could easily notice and find it.
This small food stall is located inside a shopping center I used to visit a long time ago. Unfortunately the shopping center now has lost its popularity because of the online shopping trend, which might reduce customer for coming to this place. My cousin who is still running a shop there once asked me whether I still remember Soto 69 Ibu Sri. She told me that she often had lunch there and always satisfied because of its big portion and affordable price.
Several months ago, I finally made time to visit Soto 69 Ibu Sri and I had lunch there. When I check it on Google Maps, there were several short reviews without a photo uploaded. I’m happy that I’m able to add some nice photos along with a detailed review. It’s so interesting when I get a message “Your photo is making a difference”. I feel like I’m helping this small business’s existence.
The People’s Cafe
Apart from nice photos of food and restaurant’s ambience, I also love to add menu pictures on my review. I like to go through the previous photos that already added to the Maps and looking for missing parts. In this place, I added a menu picture that has not yet been added to Google Maps. I feel actively involved in the completeness of the information on Google Maps and I love it!
It was not only interesting, but also a real satisfaction for me because I know by adding detailed review and nice photos might help someone in need, so he/she, just like me as a Google Maps user, will have a better understand about how a place is, what it looks like inside, or perhaps the price and the quality of the meals served and products sold.
Thank you for reading. I hope we will have the opportunity to meet and share knowledge at Connect Live 2020.
See you around! 