Google is always finding ways to make Google Maps a more useful tool for getting around. The company just announced a new feature on The Keyword that turns a section of Google Maps into a sort of social network. If you're a frequent contributor or something that uses Google Maps a lot, this update is really exciting.

Google calls its new section the Community Feed. It creates a very Facebook or Twitter-like experience that sees you scrolling through a news feed featuring the latest reviews, photos, and posts added to Google Maps by local experts, people you follow, businesses, and even publications.

Google Maps' New Community Feed

There's a lot of stuff to see and do around us, and Google Maps is designed to help find the best of those. With this update, you'll be able to find recommendations around you in a completely new way.

All you need to do is head to the Explore tab, and you'll be able to take advantage of the new feed. Like any good news feed, Google has tailored the Community Feed around the things that interest you. If you've indicated that you enjoy buffalo wings and second-hand clothing, you'll see more of those in your feed, for example.

Your feed is populated with local experts, people you follow, and local businesses. Businesses can post about a new service. It can post about whether it has a limited time specialty or if they're open for dine-in, for example. Not only will this update help you find out what others in your area are recommending, but it'll also help local businesses connect with you, which is more important for them than ever in these difficult times.

Google says that users submit more than 20 million recommendations for their favorite spots, updates to business services, reviews and ratings, photos, answers to questions, updated addresses, and more. This update will help surface all of those submissions to more people, which is always a good thing.

How Useful Is the Community Feed?

How useful the Community Feed is will depend heavily on where you live. If you're in a major city with tons of Google users consistently offering recommendations, it'll be a game-changer. If you're like me, and you live in a smaller city, it's all but useless. My feed consists of two posts from the last week and tons of posts from weeks and months ago.

It's still fun to the photos that are posted by users in my area, there's just not a lot of action to speak of.