 Well, good morning all. This is Patricia and I am traveling for history Before I get to the meat and potatoes of today's topic. I wanted to share a new item to add to my November 2023 shows list which is the list of accomplishments of my channel up until that point I Would have shared it in November except that I was this close to it and didn't want to reveal But I can now So what is that well actually before I tell you what it is if you have ear buds or headphones on you might want to Take them out because I'm going to do a drum roll. I now have over 1,000 videos on my channel and that's a shocking to me perhaps even more so than to you I did all that work and I'm shocked that I have that many videos up on my on my channel these days So something for almost anyone out there and I would encourage you to see what I have so that that's I'm a little speechless over that to be honest All right, so let's talk about today's topic and that is local Google guides a mouthful Certainly and something I'm just going to refer to as guides moving forward This is a program that was started in 2015 by Google and the purpose of it was to enrich their Google Maps So the way it worked and may still work but One of once a person Uploaded a photograph to maps Google will send out an email saying, you know, you're already doing writing reviews You're already now you're adding photos. How about you become a local Google guide? It's free Yay, and you can help your community and others around the world to show them what's interesting about your location. I Don't know about you, but I am a sucker for that kind of introduction and I was I was I was writing reviews I uploaded my first photo ever to series of photos on a place called crazy ponies saloon in Bisbee, Arizona That was back in I think I said in 2016 because I received an email recently from Google saying hey You've been with us for seven years now What's interesting about the crazy ponies saloon is I have no exterior photos at all It was it was so interesting inside rich with details and oh there you go. There's the bar What you may not know for Bisbee, Arizona anyway is that all their music is is played in bars where there are no covers and Just a tip jar for the for the players and that's why my friend and I were there But that is a bona fide saloon. It was a mining town. So The irony is that I'm still in Google Maps and that saloon is long gone But I put it on the map Literally the business did not exist prior to on Google Maps prior to my adding it to it. So that's that's heady stuff So after adding that photo, I also got that email saying hey come on now. You want to do this and frankly I Did and I still do So things I have done Just to give you an idea and my phone is playing a starring role in today's Video I have added all sorts of things. So I've contributed a lot. They there are all sorts of ways to contribute To it you can write reviews as I said you can add photographs. Absolutely I Rate things as well. So, you know when they have the those stars one to five I do wish they had zero stars the number of us who've written if I could give zero stars I would yeah, so zero stars be a great addition to the stars or lack thereof So that's a separate thing from writing a review a review is supposed to be over 200 characters I've added videos and Someone asked how this ties into my channel and that's a big one right there When I filmed on a location so as opposed to filming from home when I'm offering a recommendation of something the what I'm out and about filming I add those videos so Whatever length of video it doesn't matter if it's over 30 seconds because Google will automatically Just take the first 30 seconds of the video and use that now. How does that benefit me? Well on Facebook and Instagram they love reels Instagram used to allow you to upload a video up to 15 minutes in lengths and most of mine fit perfectly in that in that Number but That's not the case any longer. It's reels reels reels and some more reels So I use those as an introduction to whatever my actual video is I always start with if it's longer if it's one of those 30-second reels. I always say that you watch the whole YouTube video Here and put my link right there. So that's a huge huge help for those videos that are shorter than There are 30 seconds are shorter Then Google Maps accepts the whole darn thing. Yay win-win all the way around So Some places I've added to the map have actually been demolished I'm really thrilled to know that there are at least exterior photographs of those places and If you're local to Burlington, Vermont, you know, they're Burlington High School the one on Institute Road it Has been demolished So I was able to film inside of a building So not only do I have the exterior photos and the videos that accompany those photos, but also the interiors The interior that one building as well and that building was the first to go gone. It was its history There's something called Q&A so let's say you have posted a question under some place on the map so Warner Brothers Studios perhaps in Los Angeles Someone did post a question about something this I was I was there back in 2018-2019 Few years ago and had been to Warner Brothers Studios. I was able to answer those questions. There are points for everything on here And they have another thing called answers It's interesting these categories that those are very specific. Those are yes. No, I don't know answers Things like is this place handicapped accessible something I know pretty well because I do actually use a cane you know things like is is it within some other Business or you know another store. So like a like a mall. I always think that like a mall and Or you know Sometimes it's just I don't know and and if you're curious I have answered 3673 of those kinds of yes. No, I don't know questions. It's it's Really surprising so for videos. I've added 422 That was a newer thing and Although I have well I have over a thousand videos. I just said but But 422 is what I've added thus far but the The the thing that's killer is the photographs the number of photographs to date our Well, the number is 16,000 282 I know my mind is blown about that. I don't know about yours, but and Then I can also edit the map I'm gonna come back around to that in just a moment because I think that is the Best thing ever, but I do want to show you I do want to mention that Google Rewards people for these things because you know, they have these the badge system the levels one two and three don't have a badge attached But they they'll say they will encourage you. Oh, come on level four has a badge And again, I'm a sucker for that too. I must be like a two-year-old in this Well, I'm not in middle age this older body now and so when you get to these different levels they have these different rewards and I Want to go ahead and I I didn't unboxing on my YouTube channel about it and Lots of positive comments. Oh, that was so cool, which I agree. It is so cool. So I'll get an email every now and then and the one I'm about to show you was in April when I received it Because it takes about a month. So I'll get an email saying, hey Do you want and then I have a short list of things from which to choose? Socks is usually on the list. I've never gotten the socks, but they're kind of cute but I like to get the pins and in this case I have This pin right here Okay, there we go. Isn't that cute so he has a he has a This around his neck, which is my hand so he has around his neck a Camera and in his hand a cell phone And it's so appropriate it is it is kind of heavy. It's you can see it has this backing You should see the box. It wasn't a box. The mailer it came in was was so It was stuck in the mailer so hard that the back of the pin broke through the mailer But the what they had a card with this too and the card said and I quote Thank you for updating information on Google Maps Your contributions will help people access accurate information at a time when they need it most Here's a little something to say. Thank you and there it is. How about that? Now the reason you see a pinhole in both of them is because these are actually on my bulletin board at home. They They bring me a lot of joy to be perfectly honest. It's it's a it's a lovely It's a lovely piece. What's funny about this pin too is the first one. They sent me they just sent me a pin and The second time I was able to select one and I had two designs from which to choose and I chose This one so the same dog on pin We're gonna pay more attention to these things. Yes, absolutely so That's pretty fun now Getting back to the edits I've added all sorts of interesting things to the map and I'm gonna show you some Photos in just a moment So as I said the very first place I ever added was the crazy ponies saloon ponies by the way kettle P. Oh and why Z because I would never think of that The next place I added to the map Was the receiving tomb This is a now in case you don't know what a receiving tomb is it's a place where Bodies so in there in their respective caskets and coffins and what have you would be Placed over the winter because back then they didn't have the machines necessary to break into frozen ground so they'd be put in these receiving vaults and or receiving tombs and Pretty neat what's and on a side note when I am out and about filming I Unless I actually know from what I'm there to film Because I know what city or town that's in I don't know where I am so when I'm filming a cemetery. I've come upon I'm lucky if I know the name but I I Just don't know so that receiving tomb The address of that as Bellows falls the building above it is the Rockingham meeting house So it's the Rockingham receiving tomb so go figure That was not on the map at all it didn't exist and It's exciting that it's on the map and and people can actually see it another place I and I added was Prospect Cemetery in East Middlebury Vermont Google Maps sent me to the Prospect Cemetery in Virgins, I knew that wasn't the right one because of this glorious Entrance there are three entrances into it all all in a row and this is the only one with that beautiful ironwork at the top I have had the Pleasure and privilege to see a few entrances like that and it's stunning in person Pro tip by the way is if you're going to add a place to Google Maps be on site You're welcome. Don't don't do the Don't make the mistakes I have where I've gone home and then you want to upload my pictures and realize oh dang It's not actually on the map and they have to trace it back It's a Photo I did not send that I had meant to send was of the Union Church in New Haven Mills, Vermont I have plugged in I had plugged it into Google Maps and Google Maps took me to Not the Union Church took me to a vacant lot And I don't you think that vacant lot would have been large enough to accommodate said church I Had found it by accident and another way so I plugged in the street and then I found it that way but But anyway, I didn't add it at the time Given the constraints of sun setting and stuff like that But but really pro tip if you can add it in the moment. That's fantastic When you do add something to the map a building to the map you'll get a list of of What it is Cemetery is not obvious on the list. For instance, you have to really kind of dig for it But it's there You'll find it. I mean if I could find it you can find it too Another place I tried to add to the map is the honeymoon cabin in south here of Vermont It's a wonderful little building. It was Advertised by a woman a woman who owned these honeymoon cabins and this is the only one This is the only left surviving as I recall. It's on the same grounds as the Old-white meeting church and although I tried to add it to Google Maps. It didn't recognize it So good luck finding it, but it's on the route to directly in route to in south hero Vermont And open seasonally Another place I added is the Guilford Center meeting house Now the photo you're going to see you'll see it's just that upper portion it's Given how tall it is when I filmed it. I was actually diagonally across the street To show you the entire building because it's so big and it's on a postage stamp size property But it wasn't on the map It's there now and the beauty of that is of course that this building is on the National Register of Historic Places It should be available so someone can go and drive to it as I did and see it and experience it in person I do tend to add a variety of cemeteries to this map and the So this next one is the East Moncton Morgan Cemetery And I'll tell you an unfortunate story about this because this is what happens when I'm not paying attention And and I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. I used Google Maps to get there When I tried to upload my photos and video to it it didn't know it existed. I I I Don't understand the disconnect between those two things, but hey, there we go so So I was there and punching in East Moncton Cemetery and it came up with with Are you trying to add this? I saw East Moncton and the letter C and I I punched that It was the East Moncton Church same road same side of the road They're not together though. The cemetery is not part of the church. It's not a denominational cemetery So I had to add it so it's also it was formerly known as the Morgan Cemetery But I didn't want to say Morgan Cemetery because that certainly is not on the maps at all no directions to it But it's also listed as on the Vermont Old Cemetery Association website They have it listed as East Moncton hyphen Morgan Cemetery, and I'm sure that's the way you're gonna find it on Google Maps because that's how I entered it So if you're gonna be adding places to the map pay better attention than I because otherwise You're gonna create a lot more work for yourself. You really want to add something to the map and the most recent place I added is The Meade Moncton Cemetery in Heinzberg, Vermont You will never see that cemetery when there are leaves on the tree never ever. I know because I saw this once I know maybe in 2022 and Didn't stop because I was heading someplace and then Just just just in November. I happened to see it I was driving to the East Moncton Cemetery and Out of the court of my eye because apparently I have some sort of radar about this I saw this out of the court what I saw was headstones and they were It gets its name from Meade Farm, which is nearby and It's on the way to Moncton, but as it is in Heinzberg and for all intents and purposes It's an abandoned cemetery, which is a shame, but it is now on the map I need to drive that route to make sure it's the pin is actually in the right place And then I can adjust it from there Google these we you know local Google guides add a lot to the map Editing the map itself to add places in is incredibly meaningful and And important I can also change business hours I'm pretty sure actually anybody can do that, but I know as a guide I can do that and I remember changing And they don't always accept it sometimes you have to go back and do it again I do want to say that there was a Local cafe the cafe is still in business. I just don't want to say the name I I Changed the hours this is back on June 29 2018 and it's fun on Google In these in the edit section that I can see that Once it was accepted and to date that particular edit on the hours has garnered 1 million 729,100 views on the change of hours for a local cafe Heady stuff no doubt and I've also added I've also corrected the map to say that a business has closed Permanently I've done that for at least two businesses Now they have these interesting levels with local Google guides. They have these levels of Photographer director reviewer You know a new contributor they do everything they can to make you want to participate which I like and So for instance for I'm not quite a novice trailblazer yet Geez I've got work harder at that. So there are three pieces to that for instance Adding the first photo of ten places I have 112 photos so that what boxes checked write the first review of ten places I'm halfway there at five out of ten and Adding ten improved places. I have added six approved places. So That's pretty fun Again, I am a sucker for all that kind of stuff One thing I want you to know that's really important is that if you're thinking about doing this I Want you to know that the very first thing that Google will tell you is that they will never ever ever ever pay you For the for what you provide and in fact when you When you go to sign up to become a local Google guide You actually have to have to agree to terms and conditions That you understand that they will never ever ever ever did I say ever ever? Pay you but they also insist that you you can never Make money off of this Yeah, it's it's two sides of the same coin or the same side of one coin. I find that fascinating So when I receive these offers for these free pins and whatnot free things sure I'll take a freebie Do you know though? They sent me an email once saying you know Here's a gift for you, but you'll have to pay for it. It was a reduced price. I Found that Audacious No Brazen yeah galling I found a galling they are making money off of everything that we upload All that data we give them that they Use and make money on that we provide and we don't make money on there are forums on this online I just discovered this past week Talking about it and and the Google moderators chime in saying no no no will never pay you never never ever But Google Maps is far better with our contributions than not so So be mindful of that if that's important to you To get paid you will not get paid. There is no pay involved But you get as I said these these nifty gifts like these pins or socks if you like I don't remember what else is on the list. Those are the only two things I can remember If you're curious by the way, I am a level 9 Google guide and there are 10 levels. They do add levels periodically I hope they add more because I like to rise to a new challenge and I think it's pretty fun In case you are wondering overall about the the number of views I've had of my Photographs now understand I do have that 16,000 and change number. I have uploaded and Since I let's updated Uploaded photographs I gained another 158,300 views of them Back in April 2023 I had received a notice that I that my photos had garnered Had garnered 12 million views, but as you can see here 19,677,615 views and I remember early on I would get these emails from Google Saying well the photo you uploaded and mind you this started before I had my channel. I had uploaded a photograph of Of the service Service center the so the service desks at Goss Dodge in South Burlington, Vermont When they were every it was all empty. I was the only one in the area and that had garnered 80,000 views pretty quickly I had uploaded Photographs of Sears closing that's at the University Mall where it was in South Burlington, Vermont What was closing at garnered? I don't know 50 60,000 views When I uploaded a photograph of the light the lighting department at Home Depot over a hundred thousand views and I Also uploaded photos of the movie aisle, you know the DVD aisle at Best Buy and a mind-blowing hundred thousand plus views. It's a DVD aisle at Best Buy in Williston, Vermont I'm a bit flabbergasted by that but you know these 19 so When Google shows me the stuff now is it's a you know 20 million views 20 million views My in November Let me see in November. I received an email about my contributions Oops wrong email. So each month they offer an update and Places I've been So in November, I was in one country the US. I visited six cities 17 places and two of those were new Traveled 185 miles over the course of eight hours over the entire month and Then they showed me the places I visited and all that good stuff But then they also sent me My contributions so make this in November my contributions had 1,000,000 707,000 61 new views. I am one person adding to Google Maps and It's it's it's absolutely mind-blowing to me so it's just wild and What are the thing that I get to do is participate in these beta programs which I love beta programs So they have a new one They'll talk about perhaps in the future. I haven't tried it yet but Pretty wild absolutely wild so So I hope if you're if you receive the email from Google saying once you've added a photograph, hey Why don't you become a local Google guide show people your area introduce them and and You know show them around this may be for you too. It's definitely for me It's just a lot of fun. Alrighty. Well, as I say at the end of all my YouTube shows Videos that so much. I thank you so much for hanging out with me today learning something about local becoming a local Google guide and We appreciate your being here This is Patricia And I am traveling for history and I hope you have the rest of it I hope the rest of your day is absolutely fabulous. Thanks so much for watching and I shall see you soon Bye now