You may already be aware that Google keeps track of your location if GPS is enabled on your mobile device. Well, this becomes even more creepy if you decide to join the Local Guides program to contribute to Maps.

In addition to annoying push notifications that will make your phone ring whenever you go to the gym or to get food, every once in a while you will receive precise email instructions like these:

How to create photo tours in your favorite stores

Do you want to support small businesses? Take photos inside local stores and share them on Google Maps. Try to shoot them in daylight and help others discover new products to buy.

Your photo tour at the store:

– When you enter a store, take a panoramic photo to show what’s inside
– Publish photos of shelves full of products
– Add close-ups of your favorite items

Share your photos on social media with #LocalGuides and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Connect to find out where the global community is buying. Do you have a question? Something to share?

Actually, yes. Why are you trying to mock Foursquare with almost ten years of delay? Meanwhile, UGC has lost its charm and we all became more cynical. But above all, why don’t you use a small fraction of your tax-free profits to pay real photographers? You have much to gain both in terms of credibility and quality.

Want to travel the world without leaving home? Here’s your chance (kinda). Google has partnered with Discovery VR to launch Discovery TRVLR, a 38-episode immersive series which promises to take you “in every corner of the globe across all seven continents”, starting from Auckland, New Zealand.

How can you go wrong here, at least as a tourist? There’s no doubt you’ll save precious time and money compared to a real life, pre-packaged tour.

Find all episodes of Discovery TRVLR on YouTube or the Discovery VR app. They can be comfortably experienced in VR with the new Google Daydream View headset as well as with Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, and Oculus Rift.