Google Maps plays different roles in our day to day lives like it becomes a guide when you are travelling alone, an advisor when you are curious to know about some unknown place, a friend to make you comfortable before visiting a new place, a smart companion to help you make smart decisions on the drive. It has become a part of our life nowadays as millions of people around the world use it daily to check out various things like the place location, how it looks, ETA to reach there, best possible path, which facilities are offered etc. Most of these details about the places on Google Maps are updated by the local guides around the world and I am proud to be one of them.
Hello guys, I am Nitin from India and I love to share the detailed reviews and accessibility info most on the Google maps. Sharing my experiences on the Maps came naturally to me when on one of the instances I got misrouted to some wrong place by a misplaced marker and I had to face problems due to that. The first thing I did was to correct that marker after reaching the actual place so that others do not face similar problems. That day and today, Google Maps has been a great companion through various phases of my life.
Though a picture says more than a thousand words, and it is the first thing everyone check to see how a place look like, it cannot explain more valuable information like the overall experience, amenities available and other accessibility info about the place. For instance, I recently visited this beautiful amusement and a water park called Aapno Ghar on an outing with my family and captured some beautiful views. Like these colourful pics.
So, We actually went this year on the occasion of the famous colourful Indian festival called 'Holi’. There we enjoyed much with the family as it was sunny outside and cool inside the pool :). Overall, it was a nice experience and indeed a memorable day. So, this pic can show the general view of the water park, but cannot explain some questions like:
- Is the water actually clean or there are algae/insects lying inside?
- Do they provide all sorts of swimming accessories?
- Timings of the water park?
- Do they play music for the visitors enjoying in the pool?
Similarly, here are some pics from one of my outings at Rashtriya Prerna Sthal & Green Garden
- Is the drinking water available there, free or paid?
- Entry ticket charges.
- Is there any wheelchair accessible entry?
- How are the washroom facilities inside the park?
Not to mention the fact that a good review can be very helpful while planning a visit to a completely unknown place. On both the outings, I first read the reviews to make necessary arrangements for our outings. Also, Businesses undergoes development from time to time to improve their services which might include architectural, amenities or admission charge changes, which can be understood generally by checking out recent reviews and accessibility info about the place. For instance, If I plan to visit any hotel or restaurant, then other than pictures, I would also like to know about some of the concerns like below:
- What others have to say about there food and services?
- Is it worth a visit?
- Is this place easily accessible from the main road?
- Is the atmosphere inside congested, suffocated or spacious and comfortable?
- Does this place accept cards or cash only?
Or some of our specially abled friends would like to know that:
- Is there any wheelchair accessible parking there?
- Do they offer special assistance for the differently abled customers?
These are just some of the concerns which people have in mind while planning the visit to a new place. Such concerns are mostly clarified by the reviews and accessibility info shared by the local guides on Google Maps. Nowadays almost everyone need’s information before making a decision. Therefore as a local guide, I share my views about every place I visit. I try to add as much information from my own personal experience as possible which proves very valuable for those who like to get an overview of the place before visiting it. I feel proud when people acknowledge my efforts by liking my reviews on Google Maps. Sometimes, even business owners express their gratitude for a good review and the feedback to improve their services further and that’s why Local guides programme is one of the great ways to support the local businesses. A positive review and nice rating can boost up there search rankings which help them grow much faster.
I generally write a detailed review almost every day for the places that show up in my travel history. Other than this, adding missing places, editing incorrect info and answering queries of the people on Google Maps has become an inherent part of my daily routine. Recently, I came across another great feature of Google Maps i.e. Lists. So I learned about it and shared my own set of lists to the public. I find the Lists feature quite interesting to help people who are looking for some specific info about similar places. The good thing is, it is nicely integrated with the Google search and shows up in the results while anyone searches for the related places. Here are a couple of lists I shared with the public.
Knowing that your contribution is going to help the millions of people using the map every day is rewarding enough. Thank you, Google, for providing such an amazing platform. The easily most effortless way to give back to society.
Thanks for reading Guys. I hope to see you there 