When and where to Geotag and how it can relate to sustainability:

We live in a modern age with modern conveniences and problems. Here’s some food for thought if you engage in online postings and use of geotagging. 

What is Geotagging? 

Geotagging is when you add the location of where you are to a connected post- like an Instagram picture. Geotagging can also help give your post more views when people are researching relative areas so there are incentives to using this tool.

When to do it- Geotagging can be very helpful if you’d like to spotlight a small business like Triad River tours. If you’re showing off your white water rafting trip online and tag Triad in your location, that engagement would definitely be appreciated. It helps the company gain extra traction on the internet and you look super adventurous, win win! Helping local or small businesses is always a great thing but if you tag somewhere that’s incredibly known it really has no profound positive or negative impact. Ex: if you post a picture of the Eiffel Tower and tag the location everyone already knows that’s in Paris, France and probably would make that same connection if you posted just a picture with no location attached. As one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world you’re probably not making much of an impact on whether people do or don’t visit.

When to not do it- Time and place. If you’re someone who is cautious and maybe more private you can always make a post about a place you visited after you’ve left. The internet is a vast place and unless your profile is set to private anyone can know where you are if you’re sharing it online. 

It’s also wise to not blow up locally loved spots by giving everyone online exact coordinates. Keep nature special and respected. Instead of sharing the name of a secret beach maybe just tag the county it’s in. 

Don’t feel like your gate keeping the outdoors but rather sharing sacred spots with people who will cherish it. Although everyone should have access to nature and its healing properties we need to nurture that relationship by integrating balance with sustainability efforts. Mother Nature gives us shelter, food, tranquility, and so much more, we need to think more about how we can give back.  You know that feeling of visiting a very trafficked waterfall and you see litter all along the trail? It’s simply not healthy or a pleasing sight. Sometimes you wonder how someone who made the effort to appreciate nature and dwell in its magic, would later decide to trash it.

This is the problem with geotagging. People see a cool picture online, go out to visit, take a picture, leave a mess behind them thinking nothing of it but how many “likes” they’ll get. On the other hand, there will also be people who could find their new favorite place to visit thanks to you and leave it just as pristine as they found it. So share places with people like this and less with people who are solely looking for instant gratification and shallow thrills. Sometimes people's intentions aren’t super obvious which is why It’s safest to just keep your locations vague and if an outdoor enthusiast asks you to share specific locations, give them the information in a private message. 

Thanks for your appreciation and respect for the wondrous outdoors.

As always, Happy Trailing!