Time flies when you’re having fun! We’re thrilled to announce that this month marks five years of Connect. We launched this forum, exclusively for you all in the Local Guides community, in July 2016. Since then, we’ve been through so much change, but one thing remains constant: the dedication of our community.
To celebrate this milestone, we have an entire month of interactive content and fun surprises planned for you. But first, let’s take a quick walk down memory lane.
When we first launched Connect, it looked like this:
Thanks to excellent ideas from many of you in the community, we’ve added numerous new features and sections since then. Now, we’ve evolved into a platform that looks like this:
We’re so grateful that you’ve all taken this journey with us. To say thank you and kick off our celebration, we’re giving a shiny new badge to everyone who is registered on Connect. These will start rolling out soon. Any new Local Guides who join Connect before the end of the month will also get it, so spread the word to your friends.
This is the first of many posts we’ll share this month reflecting on the past five years. In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you about your favorite Connect memories.
How long have you been contributing? How did you first discover Connect? Tell us your story in the comments below. You can also celebrate Connect’s 5th birthday with us on social by tagging #LocalGuidesConnect.
Super thrilled to celebrate Connect’s 5th Birthday! Super thanks to @TraciC and her awesome team! Thanks for making this community fantabulous! And oh my gosh, I don’t even remember Connect looking like that in the early years!! Looking forward to the shiny new badge and also the fun stuff you have planned out for the rest of the month!
My favourite Connect experience is checking out the Food & Drinks section! It never fails to excite me with all the amazing cuisine and dishes from all over the world!! It’s really great to learn new things and even swap recipes!
Yay, new badge! Thank you for sharing @TraciC !. I will make sure to share it with the hashtag and make an extra effort to get more Local Guides to join if they haven’t already!
It’s amazing how much it has changed over the years, it has also been a while since I last saw a screenshot of the old Connect. The memories!
I have been only reading Connect for 4 years, and have been contributing for about 3 and a half years. I discovered it by clicking on the link on a Local Guides e-mail, but I really started being active here after @FaridTDF encouraged us to do it after the first meet-up we had
Congratulations, Connect, the team, and @TraciC !
Probably just like many Local Guides, I came here for applying to the LG Summit. When I joined here the first time, actually, I totally confused because of various reasons. I thought I would leave here soon but now, I’m still here. This is a very interesting fact and pleasure for me. Thank you for giving me many many meets and fun things, and I’m looking forward to the growth of Conenct from now on as well
Happy 5th, Connect! Time flies so fast and we’re still here! Congratulations and thank you for continually improving this and making it more #LocalGuideFriendly, @TraciC and awesome Team.
Congratulations to you and your team @TraciC , and of course, to all the Local Guides who, as you say, contributed with excellent ideas in making Connect what it is today. I don’t recall how I first discovered Connect but I think it was by way of an email invitation. I joined Connect just over a year after its formation and wow what a journey it’s been for me!! I’ve learned a lot, made one or is it two goofs, contributed a little here and there, chatted with and made hundreds of new friends all over the world, and only recently was made a Connect Moderator! As someone very close to me (whom I won’t name) has often said, “Adam, you spend hours working on Google Local Guides. Sort your priorities out” lol.
Hola @TraciC ! Les cuento que como la mayoría de los Local Guides, empecé a participar en Maps casi sin darme cuenta, subiendo fotos a Maps, escribiendo comentarios y contestando preguntas. Un día me llegó un mail, me picó el bichito de la curiosidad y busqué en Google qué era el programa de Local Guides. Enseguida me derivó a Connect y traté de encontrar otras personas, de Buenos Aires, o de Argentina, que estuvieran haciendo lo mismo que yo.
Ya pasaron 5 años y la verdad, si bien no entro muy seguido por falta de tiempo, creo que es una plataforma maravillosa que me permite contactarme con gente maravillosa de todo el mundo sin tener la barrera del idioma para comunicarnos.
Las publicación que más me gustó producir es “Sorpresas de papel”, en la que escribimos Local Guides de diferentes países, entre quienes se encuentra @Cecilita . Sin su contribución nada de lo que contamos en esa historia contada desde distintas perspectivas hubiera sido posible.
Saludos a todos!! Orgullosa de todos los compañeros LG con los que compartimos Connect.
Happy 5th birthday connect! It’s such a wonderful platform, a place where we all can share our experiences, stories and of course CONNECT from all over the world.
So excited to see the surprises you have planned for us this month! Let’s get this party started!
Wow @TraciC I am so blessed to be a part of it so many positive things come out from being an LG: having friends from all over the world, learning about other countries and cultures, contributing to society via Connect definitely it is a self gratifying accomplishment.
I’m really happy to be a part of this community from the first day also be a beta tester. @TraciC soon I share an Archive series about this Connect Forum.
Lats 5 years spend more then 150k minutes, write in their 508 posts, earn 44k + love, and many more.
Happy 5th Birthday Connect! @TraciC , as you know I have been here and contributing from the very beginning.
I was one of the original Connect beta testers before the site was launched live to the public. I have meet so many great Local Guides from around the world in the last 5 years that have become friends I can only tag up to 10 here (you know who you area!). My Local Guides stories are endless.
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It’s such a wonderful platform, a place where we all can share our experiences, stories and of course CONNECT from all over the world.
