Lab 3: Neogeography

View A Summer Day on Martha's Vineyard in a larger map

     I think neogeography can be a great thing because it allows normal people to share knowledge of places and things that only they might have with the rest of the world through the creation of maps. 
I think there is huge potential for neogeography to benefit people because it can instantly turn a tourist into a local or make the newly re-located feel right at home.  I personally have used neogeography many times to my advantage when visiting places I have never been so that I can get to the local favorites and skip the tourist traps.  I think you can get a much better feel for a new place when you follow what the people who live there see and do everyday instead of just going to the standard crowded tourist attractions.
     There are, however, definitely some pitfalls and negative consequences of neogeography as well.  Since literally anyone can make a map now and make it public on the internet, the quality is obviously not going to be consistent.  Bad maps or maps made by people with very little knowledge of the places and attractions they include may lead people in the wrong direction.  The ease of making a map will make the sheer quantity of maps available so large that it will become increasingly difficult to find the good ones.  Also, for locals who prefer to keep their favorite spots secret, one person can make a map and instantly reveal all the places it took them years to find.  In this way, I think that neogeography definitely takes away some of the pride involved with getting to know a place intimately by living there and discovering things on your own or through real life interactions.  Neogeography so easily available on the internet makes visiting places less personal; instead of asking someone how to get somewhere or for a tip on where to eat, we now go straight for our computers or cell phones and search the internet.