add me: search Whitney Platt. Im trying to get as many active friends as possible that look at content and have content for me to look at. I love seeing all the cool places all over the world 
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7k followers WOW!
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Hi @Wdplatt88
Are you aware of the new limit? We can not follow more than 10000 profiles on Google Maps.
Cheers
Morten
I’ve noticed people at levels 8 and above seem to be allowed to follow more than 10k… Is that something new? or old? If they put a stop to it did it leave some people grandfathered in and that is why I see it from time to time? Thank you for all the info Morton I’m some what new to connect**.**That’s why I wanted to put it on here to learn more about how things worked 
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Hi, @Wdplatt88
You can read about the maximum contributor we can can follow here in the last sentence: https://support.google.com/maps/answer/9603499?hl=en
Btw, if you want to reply to someone’s response you can tag/mention that user. Just use @ followed by his/her name
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Doing well mam
Great job @Wdplatt88
Can you add us back please?!
I added you back
Welcome in Connect, @Wdplatt88
My name is Ermes, and I am an Italian Local Guide. I have a few questions for you, to better understand the reason of this post, but first let me inform you that self promotion is not allowed in Connect.
My questions:
- Why should I follow a Local Guide that is living 4000 miles from where I live? I normally follow 3 categories of Local Guides: people who live in my area and add great contributions, because they can post in Maps about places that I would like to visit; people who lives in areas where I am used to go, like California or Argentina; Great contributors, because I can learn from them how to improve my contributions
- Why do you think having followers in Maps is important? Google Maps is not a social media, on the opposite is a tool to explore the world.
- Are you really able to “follow” on the “for you” tab all the content posted by the near 10000 people that you are following?
- I see that you are contributing in some of your photo adding superimposed text. Are you aware that this kind of contributions are forbidden, and can end on the suspension of your account? Same for duplicate content posted across locations.
Hope this will help you to improve your contributions, that are generally good but with a smell of “trying to be an influencer”
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I’m very well aware google isn’t social media and “superimposed” are my watermarks or my content. Everything I take is from my photography I take and I edit. The reason I wanted new friends is bc I am maybe 1 of 10 whole people who use Google maps in my town so why not add people all over the world so I can see thier world while I share my small historical little town that doesn’t have much to show. What I do show if it is any business I always ask permission to take photos first that way the make 100 friend I do have in a 30 to 45 mile radius can see what that business does have to offer. My whole point is to support and bring back buying and visiting from LOCAL business. Like I said my following isn’t going to benefit from that but I would atleast like to flush all the inactive account out and replace then with actual active ones. If yoy have any more questions or concerns I would love nothing more to help you. The reason I water mark is bc it is my content and if it is taken I can atleast prove its mine and not just take and use like most the account I find on your “local” guides where they are adding stock photos from all over the world that they clearly did not go to or visit but yet still get all that credit and leveled up for. I’ve read the rules before and if me posting pics and reviews of places I actually visit is against and my photos with my initials and little support local business slogans on then them show me and ill make sure I correct it. I report tons of false of reviews were other business are trying to spam bad review and hurt small business and you guys ignore me but when I follow a straight line and just want to be able to see content for over the world co.e into play you sure do have a great response time. Let me know what the issue is and I’m sure it can be resolved also maybe resolve the tons of actual fake profiles that are lvl 10 and have over 10k friends and 10k following that seem to be all over that no one can explain how.
Also asking to be added I didn’t think fell under self promotion. I’m not a bug social media person and did not asked to be followed anywhere bc I don’t add hardly anyone yet once again in the past just 6hr or so I’ve seen atleast 20+ profiles asking to be added on social media sites. To me that is self promotion
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so can u explain to me the difference in self and destination promotion than me asking for friend being qualified as “self” promotion when I don’t even do social media besides fb for my real life friends
Other picture didn’t load but it was introduced myself and people showing thier pages to add as well
@ErmesT all those replies were to you. Also it was pretty rude to say my town wasn’t worth of your add to view but other were. Not very professional at all
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I do apologize, @Wdplatt88 , if my answer gave you the impression that your country, in my opinion, is not worth a visit. That’s not what I said, and I believe that every place in the world deserves to be visited. For sure, the day I plan to visit Indiana, I’ll start following some great Local Guides from the area.
I actually follow 170 people from all around the world, I know them one by one and I frequently check the “for you” tab, discovering interesting places to visit. Bur really I find difficult to follow all of them, maybe because they are all very active in adding photos and writing reviews. I personally find quite difficult (for me) to follow 10,000 people, if you are able to do it, well, good for you
And I agree with you about a lot of people tricking the game adding tons of irrelevant photos. Feel free to report their account, like I do. A check may take time, but I can ensure you that a lot of the ones I reported are no longer Local Guides
Photos
I add a watermark with my name in most of my photos too, this is perfectly fine. And most of the photos are great. However, in Google Maps there are rules about duplicate photos and rules about superimposed text.
- According to the Community policy : “Dark, blurry, and redundant photos will be removed. Users who duplicate photos across locations, … will also be removed.” What does it means? Posting the same photo more than once is not permitted (sometimes it is a mistake, but obviously it should be fixed. But if the same photo is posted in more than one place, this is consider a serious violation of the program, Whitney
An example of duplicate (obviously a mistake)
An example of photos posted in more than une listing can be found by checking Lanthier Winery and Visit Madison, Inc.
You will have to choose where to keep them, but you cannot use the same photos in both places
Text in photos
Please check: Format Specific Criteria
Superimposed text or graphics
Superimposed text or graphics, including promotional content such as logos, are subject to the following requirements:
For traditional digital photos and videos, superimposed content cannot take up more than 10% of the image or video, and must be limited to a single edge.
Superimposed text or graphics must be relevant.
Distracting superimposed text or graphics are not permitted.
I know you want to help the business, but you should do it with your reviews, not adding text in the photos, like in this photo (also duplicate in another listing with a different resolution). Same for photos like this one
Generally speaking I like your content, you write great reviews and add nice photos, but I want you to be aware of the rules. You are a good Local Guide, and it will be really bad to put your account at risk for some violation that can easily be fixed
As a moderator I would think you of all people would know another reason why a photo is a duplicate is bc when it is put on a place or businesses yoy just visited that google pics put every photo you took while in that location and will instantly suggest to load it and it adds into that little 5-10 most recent photos in a video collage on the businesses end. It’s possibly a glitch because since I keep my location and maps on auto at all times google will suggest photos to add and then do add without even asking for review, caption, info etc then just uploads them all. so then later on when it wants my review it shows I’ve added no photos, so I add my review and the photos I edit/watermark and post. Google makes the duplicayes thierself by not showing ive adding anything in the first place the days later when I actually review it.
this says a week later when It actually asked for a review/photo and says I’ve made no contribution to this business. So google makes it into a duplicate itself. Who would purposely duplicate a photo especially a basic one now one certainly not me (about the fireworks place) would want to see. Google should fix that glitch where it doesn’t add anything untill you add your review. Why would u post a photo but not a latest a description or how your experience was? So once again googles end not mine. Since they seem to jump on your reports and not mine why don’t you relay all my complaints today for me
“obviously a mistake” was my note about the duplicate photos, @Wdplatt88 . However, we are the ones who “confirm” the upload of the photos. Especially if we really want to support the localbusinesses, we should do it carefully. As you teke time to prepare photo with a text, why not to deserve the same attention to the photos we upload?
I personally like to take a lot of photos (photography is one of my hobbies) then I carefully select the ones I want to upload in Google Maps and, If Maps is asking me to upload a photo again, I simply skip the request. I know, the system is not perfect, and you are welcome to suggest improvements by writing in Idea Exchange, but at the end, again, we are the ones who choose what to upload.
I will not repeat again what I said about “superimposed text”, as I shared the rules already. Again, you are welcome to suggest improvements by writing in Idea Exchange.
However, let me only add a note about the screenshot shared by you on your last reply: That photo is not visible on the listing of the winery, nor in your profile (probably is part of the 76 photos made private by Google in your profile)
Once again I will repeat when I do take my time to sit down and write my review/ add photos I check and it does not show any of the suggested were added it literally say not contributed to. Then about a week later it will show up on my profile as a duplicate. Clearly you and I both have an understanding problem