OpenTracks needs you to exist ;-)

First of all, this tool has been designed as a community, where the objective is to share your nature outing good plans. 

However, by default, your unpublished walks, hikes, bikes, treks and trails are private and do not appear in your search results. Which is normal, since their details need to be provided (photos, description, keywords, etc.) before being appreciated by all. But if you don’t make this effort, no other member of Opentracks can enjoy them.

So far, throughout all our registered activities, only half of them is visible to all. To correct this, POST the most beautiful ones!

You may be wondering why. To PROVE others that your country, your region, your city is the most wonderful, surprising, exotic of the world (We’re all a bit chauvinistic)… and WIN plenty of OpenCoins! Indeed, now when you post an activity, you can be provided with points to spend in our future gift shop.

The tracker’s gift shop: a win-win relationship

At OpenTracks, we think that the more you participate to the community’s development, the higher your reward. The trackers who regularly offer their time sharing their hikes, will cumulate coins without any effort.

Thus, you will unlock features, customized skins, collectable image packs, new map backgrounds and many other surprises… Indeed, the tracker’s gift shop will open soon. 

Instructions to collect OpenCoins

You want to generate profits ahead of our webshop opening? Here are 5 techniques to retrieve Coins:

1/ Sort out your already taken tracks, select the coolest ones, add some photos and a clear title; then post, and pick up coins!

2/ With the internal mail, contact your trackers friends whom you shared your latest outing and ask them to add you as co-creator (before posting); add some practical infos, a photo or complete the description, and it’s in the bag!

3/ Find your already posted activities, and complete them: a point of interest over here, a photo description over there, request a new posting report and here you are, with easily won OpenCoins.

4/ And finally, plan your next hike and start from the right foot winning plenty of OpenCoins: charge the battery of your camera and use it, on the spot, locate all the practical advantages of the site, etc.

5/ Good to know: the more detailed and presented the activity, the more visible in the results. Thus, it will be more likely to be used by another tracker; this will give you more Coins! For each tracked activity, it’s an additional coin.

6/ Bonus: To inspire the forthcoming hikers, remember to share your personal activities on other sites. We made it easier for you thanks to the button located on the list of your saved activities. Thus, with one or two clicks, you can transmit your walk on the social networks, display your route map on your blog, copy-paste the link on all the sites of your choice.

Post your itineraries for the community, quite an art

To better support you in the design and the referencing of your sports outings, we implemented a system of assistance for publishing.

Now, when you press the “Post” button, an insert is displayed and guides you to the improvements you can bring to your work. Here are some to keep in mind: 

A catchy title:

to attract trackers and make them visit your activity and perform it, the latter should generate interest: what better way than an enticing title! Have a look at the existing activities names located at the same place, and innovate so that yours is unique.

A cover photo:

by default, the first photo in your gallery is displayed in your search and in your activity card. Therefore, take the time to choose a beautiful picture, attractive or representing the major point of interest of our hike. Stand out by the framing, the subject, the brightness…

 A description offering all its value:

as with the title, your description must appeal to all. Mention the points of interest of your hike, the pros and the cons. Sometimes, a small and unpretentious Sunday walk will attract more visitors than a stunning sportive hike. The trackers will be grateful to you about the clarity and sincerity of your comments, and will reward you with a good rating.

cover photo, title and activity description

Photos to highlight your activity:

the other community members will be attracted to beautiful photos, encourage this selection. Comment your photos, link them to key words and  pinpoint them on your itinerary for more impact.

No identifiable person on the photos (particularly on the cover photo):

if you happen to have recognizable faces on your photos, we recommend you to set them in “private” mode. Your activity must not represent a souvenir photos gallery.

Points of interest and practical infos:

specify a car park nearby, or a difficult passage, indicate a cave, ruins, picnic tables, wc, or a stunning but partly hidden point of view can only have a positive impact. Geolocate and comment them in detail to increase the quality of your recommendation to the other trackers. Be forthcoming with infos!

General keywords:

make the search easy in your activities, by characterizing them as accurately as possible. Family, shading, animals, ruins, point of view, historical monument… Add all the keywords that could be useful for the other trackers. 

A clear guidance:

the tracker should perform the activity without questioning about the directions to take and the path to be followed. Add indications of geolocated directions (practical information), if necessary: turn left, turn right, straight ahead.

No trespassing on private or unauthorized tracks:

military ground, closed condominium… Prevent the trackers from following you in the inconveniences that such a trip could involve.

A good quality trail:

there are GPS bursts or a route error in your live recording? Don’t hesitate to retrace it manually from the activity edition. Your route must guide as best as possible the next trackers who will follow it.

Of course, the more informative and visual your activity, the higher your reward in OpenCoins. 

Be aware that the first 10 outings posted in each department will receive 10 extra Coins, so we're looking forward to all your publications!

Florian from OpenTracks (Sandra for English translation)