It may be me, but this has the smell of teen spirit.
Yes I get it. Its a great idea for populating and updating maps for almost free (for Google), but if business owners will have less control of their online business identity than they do now, this is a really bad idea (for the local businesses).
Yelp is already despised by businesses because it generates mostly negative reveiws that cost the business – with little recourse. And its already difficult to rectify a problem with Google My Business. This Google Local Guides add-on sounds just wonderful!
If you have no life, I guess it does make sense to work for almost free and in return get kudos from other people who have no lives (called Explorers).
Those who would sign up for this have not yet heard the phrase “Tourism kills what it loves”. Sorry, but I don’t want to share my favorite cafe or beach with the world, because then it won’t be my favorite beach or cafe.
But what is really wrong with this is that its proof yet again that Google wants to be Facebook and Yelp and… What is wrong with being Google and just improve on what brings home the bacon?
Thats what local businesses want.