Number of views

[NicoletaL]

Hi, I am a fairly new local guide. I take good and relevant pics and I already have ~13,000 views. Shouldn't there be rewards for lots of views too, to keep people motivated to continue? Right now I am still loving the aspect of helping others. At the same time, I do perform a lot of free work. Any feedback? Thanks! Nicoleta 

[JoeCullity]

Hi NicoletaL: Keep adding pictures. You are correct that it seems to be the number of approved pictures you shoot is valued more then the views BUT there are rewards. I have currently worked myself up to Level 5 guide and am listed as a Google "Trusted Photographer For Hire" . As such, I'm starting to make some money shooting 360 degree panorama tours. Years ago I made my living with photography (weddings, parties....) and kind of gave it up, but this new 360 stuff is drawing me back into photography more as a business then just a hobby.

Joe C from NJ USA

[LucioV]

This thread will start to be a challenge to who has got more views in 1, 2, 3

Seriously, keep posting photos. You will learn that views grow VERY fast, and you always will have a new target, someone that has got more views than you.

Anyway, at 1st SVT summit i asked the PM of Maps if insertion of ads in maps is in ... roadmap, and the answer was a NO! So, you will never get money from views, but, as they already told you, you can learn how to propose photography services to customer.

Have a nice day!

[SamuelCalifornia]

I am not sure what is fair. I sure see many photos that are not helpful. Sometimes I look at a picture because I can't figure out what it is and such. I see many promotional type pictures and I am not sure which ones I should flag for removal. I wish there was a better way to determine what are good photos than just the number of views.

I have a suggestion. Make an extra effort to take pictures of places that don't yet have pictures. Try to take pictures that would be good for use as a "cover" or "profile" picture; the one that Google shows automatically when a location is clicked on. Take a picture of the business name or something unique and recognizable about the business that is good for the "cover" or "profile" picture. Evidently we get 1 "view" each time someone just clicks on the location if our picture is used for the location. You can really get many views that way; I am up over 2 million. In the past I did not take pictures of franchises, like 7-Eleven. If however there are no pictures for that business then my picture can be used for the business and that can really get many views.

When taking a picture for use as a "cover" or "profile" picture, note that the search bar is often shown over the top of it so it helps to take pictures of the business name with a little space at the top where the search bar will be.

[NicoletaL]

Hi and thank you for responding,

I am a high school teacher and I started doing this simply because one day I was trying to find a picture of a bank to better figure out the location. And there weren't any good pics so when I finally got there I snapped a quick picture and submitted it. Shortly after I got an email telling me my pic was a hit and if I was interested in becoming a local guide. I love helping in general and I had tons of pics in my phone already so it all sounded cool. I posted reviews too and in a few days my numbers are pretty high which means I probably do a decent job. Yesterday I actually added a little deli place to the map l, pics and reviewed it. Today I stopped by only to hear the lady she had an unusually busy day which was very cool. And rewarding. My question is more ethical than anything. I am not comparing my numbers with others, is not about that. Is about motivating people like me, with other jobs, to continue. For the sake of this conversation and to support the ethical statement, google is not a nonprofit organization, quite the opposite, a very rich company that found an awesome way to expand: using local guides who win badges, at least for their initial effort, which I personally don't find negligible, especially if you have a full time job and a little one like me. Also, the difference in points between level 3 and level 4 is pretty steep, almost discouraging. Okay, gotta go, toddler screaming happening while mom busy making the world better through google 🙂

[LucioV]

I'm trying to let my kids sleep as well 🙂 Have a nice day and enjoy LG program!

[SamuelCalifornia]

I don't do it for points. I think you are saying you don't either. I do it to help others. Rewarding with points can make things worse instead of better. On the other hand I agree and understand that it would help to get recognition. The most important reward I want is greater trust for the edits and other improvements I make and other rewards can be more access to tools to do things.

Yes, Level 3 (50 points) to Level 4 (200) points is steep but Level 4 to Level 5 (500 points) is a bigger climb.

[pyerdna]

Hi @NicoletaL

perhaps this thread interesting for you 😊

https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/General-Discussion/What-I-have-learned-by-posting-10600-photos...

[NicoletaL]

I'm sorry but this article did not really help. It just described how to get tons and tons of views and points. I think if I had the time and energy, I'd kill this. I can write fair and pretty intelligent reviews and I can take decent pics. But that's not my point. My point is: could somebody please explain how to increase a local guide's motivation to continue, after the initial excitement of helping your community and having your pictures viewed these many times? (I got a decent number in a very short time that speaks well of my beginner efforts.) I just realized I get badges while the mother company makes enormous profits on local guides' efforts like you and me, who get excited about numbers, right? Can someone please prove me wrong and help me feel helpful and not that I am being taken advantage of so I can continue taking helpful pics and posting real reviews? Or is everyone in this for numbers only? Thank you.

[Csaba]

Hi @NicoletaL, 

If you hang around these forums enough, you will notice that this question keeps arising from time to time. Some fellow LG's ask if there is financial benefit in it or if we get rewards like costly gadgets like Pixel phones and such while others strive to collect as many points and "virtual recognition" as possible (we get weekly emails about photos for instance). 

True that Google makes a lot of money - and we are also part of the income generating process. One can feel cheated and tricked by the system but nothing is compulsory: as this is all volunteer "work", everyone needs to find the goal and his/her own satisfaction in it. It may be helping your own community (like that restaurant you mentioned) or spread info about great places (not necessarily businesses). 

In my case, I could say that I "exploit" (or at least use) the system and its platform to present things that are close to my heart and interest. I put places that are not on the maps yet, add photos, maybe even short reviews (so that people know what they are) and this way spread awareness of these little gems. It may even be a win-win situation if you do it in a similar way. Here is a post about one I shared here: 

https://www.localguidesconnect.com/t5/Share-Your-Photos-and/Old-Romanesque-Church/td-p/74562

You say you are a high school teacher. Well, I also used to be and at the week-ends, I took my students to excursions and hiking in the mountains while at the same time we always visited some nice, historic places and "tourist attractions" (as the map category now says). Google Maps is also an excellent way to collect and present this sort of content. Back in the 90s, when I was a teacher, we did not have such a platform. 

So you can decide what joy you find in the program. Collecting points and achieving more and more badges, helping your community and small businesses around, educatiing your students and making them aware of great places around you - it all depends on you. 

I deal with historic buildings and sites working for our heritage services in Hungary. My "hobby" (with Google Maps) is to share these places with the general public. Google will not make much money (directly) with my such contributions as these places will never advertise on the platform - although I admit that making the maps more perfect "generally" will definitely help Google - so I find this self rewarding. Very few people know even in Hungary that there is a mosque named after Soliman the Magnificent in a nearby castle (I mean nearby to me) where he died. I put the mosque on the map, shot some photo spheres and published them. Here it is, please, feel free to "enter": 

https://goo.gl/maps/XLAsNxsBpen 

I am also a "trusted photographer" (you can read about the program details here) but I do not really do it for money (although I could) but to share these things. This is my joy in the program. 

So what is - or will be - yours? 🙂