I became a Local Guide in August just after I started using Google Maps as a beta tester. I have since reached Level 5 in less than a month and I still continue to make lots and lots of contributions. I do enjoy my 100GB extra Drive storage as I am a Google fanatic and love everything Google. However, my desire to participate in the program has been the satisfaction I get from making the map useful for Sierra Leoneans and people visiting my country.
Before I became a Local Guide, I was only interested in looking out for my friends houses on Maps because there weren't much content there for Sierra Leone. My journey to Level 5 has involved the addition of about 150 businesses. These are mostly top businesses in Sierra Leone that never featured on the map and I often wondered why that was the case for my country when I compare the content on Maps in other places of the world. As there was nothing I could do about this, before now I had accepted that Maps wasn't for countries like Sierra Leone.
I am now however, confident and proud, that other Sierra Leoneans or visitors would not entirely feel this way and that Maps would work for everyone. I am happy that people can now search for restaurants or schools and see a better representation of these in their area and not just a fraction. There is still wayyyyy to go but the journey around Sierra Leone to map Sierra Leone has started and thanks to Google for developing the platform for this.
I have noticed there is no level above Level 5 yet but for me personally, I strive to a Level of Satisfaction and that never ends.
Alexander
2022
