Hi Local Guides!
My name is Tony and I'm a Local Guide based in North Carolina, USA. I wanted to take a moment to chat with the community at large to ask a simple question, "What are you a Local Guide?"
I was inspired to write this post because I was answering this question myself while I was completing my Local Guides Connect application. I am excited to put my application in and I encourage you all to do the same. If you haven't heard about the Local Guides Summit yet, click here to learn more and submit your application before May 1, 2018!
So, why am I a Local Guide?
At first, it was a feel good thing. "I want to help Google Maps because they help me, for free!" I saw it as a way to give back to the company that makes my travel experience so much easier.
Once I started getting perks, my dedication skyrocketed and I began snapping photos of every place I've been to. Grocery stores, restaurants, parks, and beyond. I began updating locations on maps, drawing in streets, and exploring the platform as a whole to find every possible way for me to earn a point.
After a while, that became tiresome and I realized that all the time and effort I was putting into the platform had a bigger purpose. As someone who works in economic development, I saw the community benefits of updating and contributing to Google Maps. Whether it was supporting local small businesses by taking picture of their stores, or updating pins to help people navigate their communities a bit better, I decided to take on the challenge of digitizing the real world, something that Google has been doing for quite some time.
Once I realized that snapping an innocent pic of a place or dragging a pin over on my smart phone to update an address could make thousands of other people's experiences that much better, the experience came full circle. I'm a local guide because I want to give back to the local guides who've helped me navigate unfamiliar places, discover new spaces, and learn more about the unique locations right in my own backyard.
Thank you Local Guides for all your potentially awkward parking lot photoshoots, candid street pics, and awesome panoramic shots. I'd love to hear your reasons for being #LocalGuides. Feel free to share a story from your Local Guide adventures too!
2022
