2022
2023 is ending soon. Year ending is special event where we remembers and resurfaces our memories, places we visited and new people we come across. We as a local guides have so much to value and thoughts about the places we visited.
Firstly I wanted to introduce myself, my name is Rahul and currently residing at Trivandrum, Kerala, India. I been part of Local Guide program since 2019. It's been close to 3 years. What I wanted to put forward through this post is journeys and experiences as local guide till 2023 and suggestions on how you can contribute most to the community.
Let us start from the beginning. When I started contributing, I don't know what are the best ways to post a update on a place/business. But there well known and experienced local guides such as @TravellerG who made posts and online meetup to share knowledge to those new comers like me. He covered every sections of how to be a good and efficient local guides. If you have any doubts or don't know how to contribute or even don't know how post a review, check out his local guide profile.
MEETUPS
On April 4th, 2021 me and @abrahamjoseph236 conducted our first offline meetup called CHALAI BAZAAR LG MEETUP . @syedshiyazmirza and @GeoZac also attended the meetup.
Contributions of the meetup
Photos added to maps - 173
Edits made to existing content- 29
New Places added to maps - 36
Most important and valuable things you can find in these kind of meetups is knowing new and wonderful local guides. In my state, Kerala there's less community meetup taking place and in my district it's much less that only two or three meetups were conducted in 4 or 3 years. Local guides should conduct at least one meetup in their district so that they can meet new and experienced local guides. If you conduct a meetup and say you divide meetup group into two or three groups and each group focus on specific areas on where you conducting, results will be much different than if you do it individually without any meetups. Approvals of edits and new places/business will have high chances also.
Requirements for conducting Meetups
- Have a plan before a month you going to conduct [ not going through submissions and approvals of meetups in here ].
- Create google forms or any other forms to collect information on local guides that are going to attend.
- Choose a place where business may change in around 6 months or 1 year [ if you choose market place, it would be wise because place would be updated or renovated ].
This is what I always look into before starting a meetup and most time I forgot things like creating forms or creating a banner for the meetup.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY ♿
After 2021, I did small break because of work until I across a new wheelchair lift at National History Museum . It's first time I seeing these lifts that are wheelchair accessible. I made a post here on connect named as Introduction of Staircase Lift at Natural History Museum . Reason I started on topic about wheelchair accessibility is that new local guide that came to the program should acknowledge some factors that's important in google maps such as wheelchair accessible parking, entrance and toilets. Most business in my area updated their shop for the people with disabilities to enter. Our time is evolving and we should too.
What to look into if you visit a shop/business
- try to take a image of the entrance to show whether it has wheelchair accessible entrance
- take a image of the parking area of that same shop/business [ if there is ] to show whether it has wheelchair accessible parking.
- if there's a toilet, try to capture image of toilet sign with door closed to show whether it has wheelchair accessible entrance and toilet too.
MONUMENTS AND HISTORICAL PLACES
Historical places and museums amazes me. May be that's why I visit most of the historical museums and sites of the place I visit. Most noticeable thing I seen in any historical places is that there was a king who ruled in his era carved a review of a place he visited in a temple he visited in his time. Of course he's not local guide with badges or create meetups in local guide connect but he tends to tell people how good the places he visited was. Even though review wont do good for us, it would tell how our experiences was and atmosphere of that place. I will mention down some historical museums and places I visited
- Kerala museum of history and heritage
- Napier museum
- rock cut cave temple in vizhinjam
- madavoorpara ancient rock cut temple
- St. Angelo fort at Kannur
- Tipu Sultan's summer palace
- chitharal malai kovil
- tea museum at Munnar
There's lot of other historical places but the above names mentioned is must visit [ I guess]. I like to visit historical places other than cafes, restaurants or any other business because it makes see how simple a human beings can be and that can make someone's mind happy.
REVIEWS
Let's cover up review section now. If you visit a place and location on your mobile device is on, you may get notification in google maps to write a review of that place you visited.
Important things to write in a review
- try to add 100 or 200 characters in your review.
- write simple and understandable words so that other local guides and users can understand.
- describe your experience's and write details things that can expect from that place.
- if there's ticket fare, parking fee or anything like that, try to include that.
- most important is to add if there's wheelchair accessible entrance and parking lot.
- There may be two or more business with same name of that place. Then add to the most reviewed ones or visited or original ones .
WONDERFUL LOCAL GUIDES I MET THROUGH MEETUPS AND LOCAL GUIDE CONNECT
I get to know @MICHAELMICKY120944 from last meetup that was conducted on November 2022 called November 2022 local guide Trivandrum meetup . He shared lot of experiences he got from being a local guide. He travelled from nagarcoil to Trivandrum which is around 74.5km just to attend the meetup.
Above newspaper article has been shared by him and passed down the information on how google volunteers helped to rescue Phailin victims
This is all my mind can type and I thank all local guides who been inspiration and guides me till 2023 to be a better local guide. I hope I can write this on 2024 with all you people.
Advance Christmas and happy New Year to all my dear Local Guides.
Wonderful recap of 2023 @Rahul001
I greatly appreciate and like your posts and activities 👍
Best wishes for another amazing year ahead 2024 🎊
Yeas @Rahul001 chalai bazar is wonderful bazar in trivandrum & annapoorna restaurant is sach a reasonable & treditonal malayali food restaurant in this market & one more thing lot of people come & enjoy the food here but restaurant owner & staff well maintained restaurant cleanness & crowd.Thiruvananthapuram such a beautiful & wonderful city.my humble gratitude always this city.
Thank you very much for your valuable compliments about me, dear @Rahul001... It is your kind gesture and I humbly accept the same.
Beautiful post and detailed descriptions - that's great!
The photos are contextual and impressive.
Hope to see more from you soon, dear friend...
Happy New Year...
🤝❤️👍
PS:
I was with my family, along with my daughter who visited us from London - almost last 14 days, I was not in LG Connect - kindly pardon me for the delayed response.
Most welcome, dear friend @Rahul001,
Delay is not a problem at all...
Yes, I was surely expecting your response...
Thanks for the same...
Hope to see more from you soon...
🤝💐👍
