New year, new features to connect with your community

[HallieM]

Caption: An animated illustration of the Local Guides Following feed screen on a mobile device.

Happy New Year! Start 2022 by trying three new tools that help you connect with other Local Guides from your mobile device. 

As some of you may have noticed, the Updates tab now has a new Following feed that lets you see the activity from everyone you follow, whether they’re reviewing the diner down the street or traveling around the globe.

Caption: A screenshot of the Local Guides Following feed, found in the Updates tab, on a mobile device.

Make your Following feed even more personal by adding friends who are Local Guides, too. Just look for suggested people who you may know, then tap “Follow.” You may see these suggestions in the Following feed or in your own profile.

Caption: A screenshot of a user’s profile, where the user can find the option to click to follow other Local Guides who they may know.

You may have seen creator topics, the emojis that appear at the top of people’s Maps profiles to show their favorite topics to review. Now, in addition to topics, the places and cities that Local Guides love will also appear as emojis at the top of their profiles. The most trusted reviewers will even start to see creator topics appear next to their reviews in the Following feed, so people can feel confident they really know their stuff.

Caption: A screenshot of a user’s profile page with creator topics, including Santa Cruz, Tea, and Wine.

To try these new features, open Google Maps on your mobile device and click the Updates tab.

Local Guides, let us know what you think! Are you excited about these new features? Tell us in the comments below.