Self-proclaimed foodies are no strangers to leaving restaurant reviews on Yelp. While writing restaurant reviews won't earn you a free meal, if you write one for Google, you can now earn rewards.
Many might not know that Google has its own service to compete against Yelp and TripAdvisor, called Local Guides. The platform lets users write restaurant reviews, add new places, answer questions (such as if a venue is family-friendly) and update information on establishments (such as editing what time they are open until).
To get more people involved in the community, Google announced that it will give users points to earn rewards that range from early access to new products to 1 TB of free Drive storage for participating.
To start earning points, users can enroll to become a local guide for free. Google Maps then provides a location history where users can rate, review, add photos and fix information. Each contribution will earn the guide one point.
Users can write reviews on both the app and desktop version, and can track their progress on the new Contribution tab. This tab will also feature suggestions for places you can contribute to, so that everything is kept in one centralized location.
As per Google, the following is the breakdown of the points and reward system:
- Level 1 (0 - 4 points): Enter exclusive contests (think new Google devices!) in select countries.
- Level 2 (5 - 49 points): Get early access to new Google products and features.
- Level 3 (50 - 199 points): Show up in the Google Maps app with your official Local Guides badge.
- Level 4 (200 - 499 points): Receive a free 1 TB upgrade of your Drive storage, allowing you to keep all the stories, photos, and videos from your travels in one safe place.
- Level 5 (500+ points): The very top Local Guides will become eligible to apply to attend our inaugural summit in 2016, where you'll be able to meet other top Guides from around the world, explore the Google campus, and get the latest info about Google Maps. Look out for details early next year.
Download the latest Google Maps update for Android and iOS to start earning rewards.
Source: Google Lat Long Blog
