Episode 53 - News & Updates

The Google Maps team (or rather teams) have been quite busy recently in coming up with new features and changes to existing ones, so the only sensible thing for me to do is to come up with another News & Updates episode. I also came across some interesting and/or funny Maps-related news stories, so keep listening to the end to find out what those were about. Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

Local Guides Connect is the official forum that Google provides for local guides. It’s a place where we can all exchange our experiences, celebrate our achievements, ask Maps-related questions, and even utter our frustrations about seemingly unfair treatment of our contributions. On July 15th, Connect celebrated its 10th anniversary, and to honor this occasion, I asked all of you to let me know what your favorite Connect post was from those 10 years by submitting short audio clips. Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

In the last few weeks quite a few interesting and/or newsworthy facts about Google Maps and the Local Guides program have popped up on my radar. So the only sensible thing to do for me is to make another News & Updates podcast episode.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

Everything about Google Maps and the Local Guides program is absolutely flawless. It’s all absolutely perfect. Or is it? Well, in reality, like in every aspect of life there are some imperfections of course. I have been wanting to make a podcast episode about that for a while, but always found it hard to rant about my favorite hobby. So I decided to outsource that task to AI. And I’m pretty sure the result will baffle you at times.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

The Google Local Guides program is based on users of Google Maps making voluntary contributions to the map. No money is paid whatsoever for the (sometimes quite elaborate) work local guides are performing. From time to time, however, there are some small non-monetary rewards, commonly known as perks. And those are the topic of this episode. Make sure to stick around until the end, as I will share some tips on how you might also become eligible for some of the most valuable perks.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

It’s been almost a year and a half since the previous News & Updates episode, so you can imagine that there is quite a bit to report on. There are new features in Google Maps in general, but I’ve also spotted a number of changes that are first and foremost meaningful to local guides, especially those who regularly make edits. Make sure to stay tuned until the end, as I also have some nice stories showcasing the impact Google Maps can have these days in our everyday lives.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

The year 2025 not only saw Google Maps turn 20, but also the local guides program has a special birthday to celebrate, as it by now has existed for 10 years already. Within the local guides community and on LocalGuidesConnect, the official forum, a lot has been organized for this occasion - and I would also like to contribute by making a podcast episode for this 10th anniversary of the local guides program, containing contributions from local guides worldwide.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

If you’ve never heard of Connect LIVE, you might wonder why a podcast episode about the return of Connect LIVE is needed at all. If you know what it is, on the other hand you’ll probably be extremely excited about the fact that Google decided to bring it back. Just keep listening to find out the details.Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected]

One of the most popular episodes of the LetsGuide Podcast is episode 10, titled “Level 5 in a Day”, where I explain how it is possible - in a completely legitimate way - to score 500 points (the amount needed for level 5) in a single day. Reaching level 10, however, requires 100.000 points, so you would have to spend almost 7 months (200 days scoring 500 points every single day) to reach that goal. In today’s episode I am revealing some advanced techniques that will enable you - once more: in a completely legitimate way - to get the prestigious level 10 badge within 1 single month. Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].

In the past few months quite a bit of exciting new things have popped up, both on Google Maps and in the local guides program. So what else could I do but put together a brand new “News & Updates” episode? And as a bonus we have some exciting details about the upcoming EuroMeetup 2024 in Manchester. Check out the shownotes on https://www.letsguidepodcast.com. To get in touch, just send an email to [email protected].