Google Maps has a new Community Feed highlighting local restaurants and events

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Since the start of the pandemic, Google has been very active in adding new features to help people during these times. Their latest addition to Google Maps is a Facebook inspired news feed called Community Feed.

The Community Feed is part of the Explore Tab of Google Maps. They have designed it so that users can better grasp what’s going on in any given community. Google Maps users will have access to the latest local news, new reviews, latest photos, videos, promotions, new menus, and pretty much anything in between from a local area. 

The scrollable feed is organized in the same manner as a typical news feed. Plus, by clicking on the thumbs-up icon, you can like posts that appear on your newsfeed.

The Community Feed makes it very easy to get recommendations from viable local sources, follow local experts, or learn what’s new in your favorite restaurant or book store. 

Aside from posts from local businesses, users will also have access to content and reviews crafted by Google’s Local Guides. Google’s Local Guides program consists of volunteers that share their knowledge of local events, news, and places. By doing so, the volunteers earn certain perks from Google. However, only a selected number of volunteers will be added to the new Community Feed. 

Google made sure that this new feature feels somewhat more customized for each user. Most of the recommendations are based on the type of restaurants, cuisine, and other preferences earmarked by the user when using the app. According to Google, during the early test of the Community Feed feature, business posts received twice more views before its public launch than before the feature existed. 

Almost all the information that is now available through Google’s Community Feed is not new and was already on its platform, but elsewhere.

What do you think? Could you see yourself using the Community Feed? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Deep Ballu