2022
When announcement about Connect Live 2020 Application is open, some of my friends ask me tips and tricks in writing that application, so that s/he can be chosen to attend the event. I have promised to write down that tips and tricks. But, alas! I forget it, until one session chit chat with friends remind me of my promise. So here they are, maybe this is the last tips and tricks before deadline, two more days...
I remember last year when I decided trying apply the Connect Live 2019. Though it is still two days before deadline, here are some tips and tricks, hopefully it will help you a lot, especially to those whose English is not her/his mother tongue:
1. Have a clear goal of being a local guide
This activity have a clear vision that is to help people. So the result is how many people are being helped by our contribution on Maps. For me, being a local guide is to help people and enhance my own helping behaviour. Why should I write a review and seems promote those businesses? Based on my own experience, when I was alone in Changi Airport, do not know where should I get my breakfast, then I found a small yet clean tenant in Terminal 3. They sell breakfast in a reasonable price, so I decide to eat there. While I look for its point in Maps, there is no information about this food stall. So I make a place creation, in my own language, so that after me, it will help another Indonesian people who wants to get breakfast there. Am I promote that business? Slightly yes, but the most important thing is by writing and place creation, I am helping people get their need in a reasonable price place. Beside that, of course we will need friends to do a good thing. In Connect Live you will meet many many good friends, together we can make a better world to live.
2. Build patient and diligent in reading
The information about Connect Live 2020 application has many aspects to understand, so you can start to build a patient and diligent habit by reading it many times. I know how difficult it is to understand it in one time reading. But the language is not an academic style, so I am sure you can understand if you have patient and willing to diligently read it many times. Why I mention to be diligent? Because there are at least two permalink that we have to click to get a better understanding, copy it to a new page, and so on, and so on. And, if you are in, this reading habit is needed in getting your visa.
3. So, there are three things that we have to submit: a. a. Connect post
As you might know, we have a blog that connect each other, called www.localguidesconnect.com. So, make a story about your passion to be a local guide in “Local Stories” topic, choose in the left widget in that blog. In this posting write a post that truly showing the real you. It must be interesting to read your struggle and your passion to do that. Or you can choose the other topic. It depends on your heart, though. Choose freely and write from your heart, involve your conscience. That time I exposed a lady that has a hawker near my office. I asked about her dream and related it to my goal as a local guide. And, always take photo because photo can make your writing more attractive.
b. Video making
Last year I try many ways to make an interesting video. That time I thought I should make a video with my city background. But I have only my hand phone, so that the other voice distracted mine. So, lastly, I re-read the clue and there was one point that I followed through. Record your voice in a calm place so that your voice clearly heard. You know where I made it finally? In my own room at office. There is only me. So I made first a simple scenario, I make an exercise in front of mirror to look my expression, and ask a friend to shoot me. The most important in this video is clear talk in English and then tell the audience why you are interested to be a local guide. The committee wants to know that you are really can talk and understand English quite well, so you can follow the event.
c. List making
Here is a proof that you know your area. For me, a list is a must visit or a must needed in specific area. When I submit my application, I make a list of local culinary in Yogya. Why culinary? Because from culinary we can know its local wisdom. I choose local culinary that I have visited from my review. So, in Maps app, click the button “Saved” below, and click “+New List”. Start from there you can add a new list, and make it a public list.
4. Plan to submit your application
Because the deadline is just for two more days, we have to choose submitting in a nonpeak hours. It’s a little bit suffering but it is important. We need to know time zone, the difference between ours and US. While the other areas are sleeping then you submit your application. Why we have to do this? Because in the last minutes, everyone wants to submit. And kindly please imagine this, if every local guides (we don’t know the amount) submit their application, what happened to the server? It will be down. So, need to be clever in choosing time to submit. In my experience, I always get email from US at 03.00 AM, may this can be a clue what time we have to submit the application.
5. Stay calm and believe on what you have submitted
We do the best and let God Almighty do the rest.
Last but not least, I write this in English, so you can use this as your exercise to understand and mastery your English. You can do it and go…submit your application and good luck!
I am with you...
