Let me start off by saying that I am a big fan of the Google Local Guides program, however, one thing that I feel is missing that could really elevate the quality of the reviews is: transparency. While privacy is always a valid concern, there are subjective elements to a written review that do not always rise to the surface, and these hidden variables ultimately combine to create a unified rating. Expanded profiles may be a way to help this.
Just as individual taste can vary greatly from one person to the next, so can the idea of "expensive" -or- "out of the way," based off of disposable income, access to transportation, etc. Because there are currently no features to contextualize how a Local Guide may view a certain establishment or its offerings, it is important to communicate your personal preferences within a review as to not deter prospective visitors from becoming customers for the incorrect reason.
Personally, I find the exercise of creating a written review to be the most time-consuming, yet most beneficial when done properly. In the future, it would be nice to answer personal questions and see how the data lines up with preferences on the back end of things, but does anybody know of any plans to create more robust Local Guide profiles based -or- perhaps deeper integration with Google+? Thanks all!
2022
