behomeforT: Google CityExperts

Have you ever written reviews? When you went to a restaurant and you really liked the food, or you really hated it. Or when you took pictures and wanted to share them with other people? I am sure you have all read reviews to find out whether you wanted to go to a place or not.

Usually for restaurants I use urbanspoon. For hotels and activities I use tripadvisor. But what if you have no idea where you are going? You are in an area you don't know, and you are hungry. You want to ea asap, but you don't want to spend your money on horrible food.

You could use the "nearby" option on your urbanspoon app, but you could also use google maps. Google maps allows you to see what is close by, and whether people like it or not. With the introduction of CityExperts, it is easy to write reviews through the google maps app, or the google plus app.

According to google, when you become a city expert you get access to fun, exclusive events in your local area and special online recognition.

After a long day at work I attended a Google CityExperts event. I joined up when I received an email from DailyAddict about the event, and I was keen to know what it was all about.

After a brief explanation about CityExperts, we (I brought Mr BehomeforT - I wasn't keen to go by myself) got a nice beer and a cider from Sydney Brewery. We got a welcome cocktail which was yummy, and we also got two drink tokens. Sydney Brewery cider was quite sweet but that's the way I like it :-)

There were some canapes going around and Cornersmith Cafe had a little workshop going where you could learn how to pickle vegies and fruit. One of the Google girls walked up and explained how CityExperts worked, which was quite handy because I had no idea.

There was a little "bingo" game where completed activities or finding people who had done something earned you a stamp. People who completed the bingo sheet or who wrote 5 on the spot CityExpert reviews got a small present from Google.

This was my first blogger event and I wasn't sure what to expect. Surely it's all about the brand. But in a fun way. At least I know a bit more about Google CityExperts now, but I'll have to see whether I use it or not.

See, Google plus never really took off, but perhaps cityexperts may change this. Google plus is handy because you can link all your social media updates and display them on your profile. But is it better than facebook or instagram? Is CityExperts better than urbanspoon or tripadvisor? I don't know. What I do know is that this was a fun night and that I know how to pickle vegetables now.