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Become Part of Your City’s Community

Join free and help show your city to locals and visitors.

What you can do as a member

  • Review the places you know. Parks, walks, beaches, playgrounds and more. A line or two helps the next visitor.
  • Add your photos. Show what a place looks like today.
  • Report what’s changed. A closed track, a flooded path, a broken swing. Others can confirm it’s still the case.
  • Suggest a fix. If a guide has something wrong, tell us and we’ll correct it.

What you get

  • Your name on what you post. Use your first name or a nickname, and change it up to three times.
  • A badge that grows with you. See the levels below.
  • One account everywhere. It works on all 20 Explore city sites and in the Explore app.

How you move up

Everyone starts as an Explorer. You move up by posting things that are approved, and every approved post earns points.

  1. Explorer. Where you start. A person checks your first three posts before they appear, and you can see how many have been approved.
  2. Local. Yours once three posts are approved. The Local badge shows beside your name, and your posts appear as soon as they pass our automatic checks.
  3. Trusted Local. Yours after 20 approved posts. It tells readers you’ve been a steady, reliable voice.
  4. Seasoned Local. Yours after 40 approved posts. You’re one of the people your city relies on.
  5. City Guide. By invitation, for people who know their city well and help look after it. Explore’s own account in each city carries this badge too, so you can always tell an answer from us or from someone we’ve asked to take on the role.

Levels are earned by what you post. They can’t be bought.

This is how each level looks beside your name:

Local3 approved posts
Trusted local20 approved posts
Seasoned local40 approved posts
City guideBy invitation

Badges

Badges say what kind of local you are. Each one is yours from the first time you do it, and you choose which one shows beside your name.

On land

Track walkerReview any walk
Park regularReview any park or reserve
RiderReview a cycle trail
CamperReview a campsite
Dog walkerReview a dog park
Early riserReview a sunrise or sunset spot

On the water

SwimmerReview a swimming spot
SurferReview a surf spot
AnglerReview a fishing spot
Waterfall chaserReview a waterfall
Hot pool regularReview a hot pool

Family

Playground parentReview any playground
SkaterReview a skate park

Town and history

History buffReview a historic place
BookwormReview a library

What you do

PhotographerAdd your first photo
HelperAnswer another local’s question
First footprintBe the first to review a place
Eyes on the groundReport a closure or a change

Founding local

Founding local #27Be one of the first 100 to post in your city

Your profile

Every member has a profile showing their display name, city, level, badges and reviews. It never shows your email or real name, and you can switch it off at any time in your account. See an example profile.

How points work

Points are separate from levels. Levels count how many of your posts have been approved. Points add up from what you post, and they show on your profile under Your impact.

  • A written review: 10 points
  • A fix we use: 10 points
  • Each photo: 5 points
  • A report (closed, flooded and so on): 2 points
  • A star rating: 1 point
  • Each time someone finds your post helpful: 1 point

Points are counted when a post is approved, and come off if it is later taken down.

How we keep it friendly

Everything is checked before it appears. Reviews are for places, not businesses. The full list is in the community rules.

Free, and yours to leave

Joining costs nothing. You can delete your account and everything you’ve posted at any time.

To join, tap the person icon at the top of any Explore city site, or open the Explore app and choose Sign in.