The most interesting thing I have done as a Local Guide is adding places. I would like to add missing places wherever I go.
My city these days is in great expansion. A new US army garrison is moving into my city. A new residential district is building up for the workers of a new semiconductor factory. A new general hospital is in progress to support the health of the growing population. For the population, a lot of new stores open too in a variety of locations in the city. I found that many of those new stores were not on Google Maps. So, whenever visiting a place, I searched for the place on Google Maps. If the place was not found, I added the place. I tried to add as much information as possible. Especially, when adding a new place, such as a restaurant, I think that the menu was the most valuable information for the users; I uploaded the menu of the restaurant. Also, other useful information, such as parking spots, was added in the review after the places had confirmed.
To add a place, research and decision making are necessary. For example, I once visited a cafe. The name of the cafe was written with alphabets. First, I thought that I could use the name written with alphabets. But, soon, I also found that they had the name written in Korean. I could not decide which one I should pick to add the cafe on Google Maps. When I was researching the cafe, I found that the name in Korean was used in other map applications. On the other hand, the name with the alphabets was used for everything else, such as all the signs in the cafe. So, I used the name with alphabets to add the cafe on Google Maps.
It is really exciting to discover missing places. For me, it is like a treasure hunt. The only difference is that the map is significantly larger, like an atlas. The larger the map is, the more the treasures are. The Local Guide program keeps me posted on the result of my contribution by email. I can see how many people have seen my reviews and photos. This review of my contribution makes me motivated to do more and feel that I have accomplished something. Thank you Local Guide program.