I am Mahabub Hasan, born and raised in Old Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Although I work in the IT business, my passion for volunteerism has been a part of my life since college.
I have always enjoyed networking and community activities, and if I had a dream, it would be to become a community manager for one of Google’s communities. While that dream has not yet come true, my journey with the Local Guides program has been nothing short of extraordinary.
A Google officer gives tips to a person on how to write food reviews and other topics, moderated by Community Manager Katie Glass, who was my mentor until 2016.
A promotional banner at the beginning of the program
My Journey with Local Guides
I began contributing to Google Maps in 2008 through Google Earth, but my contributions under my current ID started in September 2011. My passion for mapping truly took shape when I began using Google Map Maker, which allowed me to make meaningful edits and additions to maps. Initially, the program was known as “City Experts,” but it was rebranded as “Local Guides” ten years ago.
News Link : Google relaunches ‘City Experts’ program as ‘Local Guides,’ making it more community-friendly
How I Found City Experts
Between 2013 and 2014, I was involved in a Google project called “Word of Mouth,” which was a pilot project for what is now Google’s popular keyboard, Gboard. During this time, I collected the largest linguistic data corpus in South Asia, leading to a video documentary by a Google team from New York about my contributions.
During this project, I shared my desire to work at Google with an officer named Katie Sanders. She mentioned a vacancy for the City Experts program, but I did not meet the qualifications. However, my enthusiasm for Google Maps contributions remained strong. At the time, there were only five official Local Guides communities, and my attempts to create a new one were initially unsuccessful.
Former Local Guide community managers Corrie Davidson , @TraciC and Christina stand holding souvenirs from Bangladesh Local Guides.
Then, under the supervision of former Local Guides community manager Corrie Davidson & Ketie Glass, a community called “Bangladesh Insider” was established on Google+ Group on March 7, 2014.
Custom maps created by the Local Guide team, including official and official communities, that have not been updated since 2016.
When City Experts transitioned to Local Guides 10 months later, our community was renamed “Bangladesh Local Guides.” Shortly afterward, it was recognized as the first unofficial Local Guides community.
Gifts received as an unofficial Community Moderator
Developing the Local Guides Platform in Bangladesh
Initially, the Local Guides program was centered around Google+, but we expanded our presence to Facebook groups and Local Guides Connect. By collaborating with other Google communities, including the Google Developer Group (GDG), we successfully grew our membership to over 13,000 people across Bangladesh.
Due to my prior involvement as a Regional Lead on Map Maker and a chapter manager for GDG, promoting Local Guides activities became easier. These roles provided credibility and connections that helped in organizing events and meet-ups.
First Virtual Meet-Up and Community Engagement
The first virtual meet-ups on the Local Guides platform started in 2015. This format became more widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic when Traci, a Google team member, formally announced virtual meet-ups as an alternative engagement method.
Understanding the importance of public engagement, we created a meet-up calendar and organized approximately 25 meet-ups annually, totaling over 250 meet-ups in the last nine years.
Bangladesh Local Guides has hosted some of the largest unofficial meet-ups in Local Guides history, with 120 to 150 participants joining from all over Bangladesh.
Additionally, in 2016, I had the honor of presenting Bangladesh Local Guides at a GDG event attended by over 800 participants.
Initiative to organize a regional meet-up
Since 2016, I, @IlankovanT [Sri Lanka], Amitesh [India], and @SovitaD [Nepal] have been deciding to organize a regional meet-up, and while we were all getting our visas together, 2017 came. After that, we held a meet-up in Kolkata and Darjeeling, India, on March 25-27, in which about 40 people were local guides from 4 countries.
**Throughout my journey, I have achieved numerous milestones, including:**
- Participating in the 2015 City Challenge, where Bangladesh made it to the top ten, leading to an official event in our country.
- Being invited to and attending the Local Guides Summits in 2017, 2018, and 2019.
- Winning multiple awards:
- Tastiest Souvenir Award (2017)
- Hashtag Royalty Award (2018)
- Most Place Q&As Among Connect Live Attendees (2019)
- Receiving the Guiding Star Award during the first edition of the Guiding Star program launched in the COVID-19 era 2020.
- Being recognized as a Meet-Up Champion in 2021.
Despite my extensive contributions to accessibility, I was unable to achieve the title of Accessibility Champion, which remains one of my few regrets.
Requests to the Local Guides Team
As I celebrate my 10-year journey with the Local Guides program, I have a few requests that I believe would improve the experience for contributors worldwide:
- Region-Specific Hangouts: Different countries have unique cultures, languages, and social norms. Organizing region-based hangouts would help address localized challenges and improve the program’s impact.
- Efficient Issue Resolution: Many mappers face persistent issues when making edits to Google Maps. A dedicated technical support team should be established to quickly resolve these problems when reported.
- Regional and International Events: Hosting more regional or global events would re-engage many active Local Guides who have lost motivation over time. These events would provide recognition and appreciation, encouraging continued contributions.
- Pilot Projects & Part-Time Opportunities: Google Maps frequently runs pilot projects, and Local Guides—given their expertise—should be prioritized for these initiatives. This would ensure dedicated and knowledgeable contributors are working on these projects.
You can read my archive series if you have the time to get a clear idea of the various topics from the early days of the community
- Local Guides archive Series 1 : [ Review ]
- Local Guides archive Series 2 : [ Community Official & Unofficial ]
- Local Guides archive Series 3 : [ Community Moderator and Hangout ]
- Local Guides archive Series 4 : Meetup[Apply-Publish-Feedback ]
- Local Guides archive Series 5 : Connect 1.0 & 2.0
- Local Guides archive Series 6: Exclusive Badge
Some memories of the past 10 years of involvement with Local Guides
*Local Guide City Contest Top Ten Chart* *Monthly hangout meeting with unofficial community moderators*
On Friends Day, Local Guide shared on official Facebook a picture of the then 3 unofficial community moderators, and one and a half, we were the first cross-country meet-up in 2017 under the name of South Asia Meet-up
. I have gone through your writing and known how devoted you are regarding Google Maps and related things. You are the pride of Bangladesh 
. Through your various activities, Bangladesh Local Guides is now known in the world. As a small member of Bangladesh Local Guides, I acknowledge that you are not only helpful, but the advice you give us at different times is undeniable 
.
your passionation for Google makes you consistent to your path & your consistency makes you Amazing localGuide, congrats 