Serendipity found its place at #Trover
Just some of the unexpected faces of modern China
Not sure when I did run into Trover, but it somehow crossed my Path. It may just be Twitter for -great- images if you will, but a great image ought to be more effort that the –average- tweet. Trover made it through the trial period I apply to any new (social) tool. What is it about Trover that made it stick?
Share discoveries
The idea of sharing a photo discovery with the world is somehow appealing. Whereas Flickr is rather humongous and 500px more for the pro, Trover excels at simplicity. My photos are taken while waiting at a train station or at a holiday destination. Although I aim for aphorisms, I usually just add a one-liner. Some photos are from the inside of a building. Finding those gems is a bit harder than the ones that are publicly accessible.
The visible hand
Collect discoveries
With the list option, I have started to collect Troves in the categories “Maps and Globes”, “Best of Holland”, “Books and Libraries”. These are mostly images I just run into, I have not scanned the images database (too much) yet. So far a list is just a handy option for my personal use. There are some really great lists out there on Trover like This Ghost Town, My Street (by Julia), Dream Destinations and The Best of Trover 2012.
Find gems
I guess Trover is all about finding gems of places you might want to go to. Take Beijing, New York or Utrecht as examples. I have been using this option a few times now, it really gives you a nice impression of a place you have not yet been to. Your search my result in a staggering mosaic of photos and sometimes even high levels of awesomeness. But really finding well hidden gems might be well worth the search effort.
Serendipity
The option “The latest from around the world” gives you a free ride across our globe. It just took me to New York, Moscow, San Fran, Holland (NY) and Tbilisi. Abundant Troves of many untold stories are there to be found. Serendipity found its place at Trover. In this age of the thank-you economy, it is effortless to ‘like’ the pictures, so I just hit that heart symbol as a ‘token of my appreciation’.
Just one of the things one discovers while trying to unthink geography..
Not sure where Trover is heading (I still am interested in that API), but so far the trip has been a pleasant one. It’s business model beyond “share remarkable places and things in a fun, visual way” is not clear to me, but that usually is a good sign.
I have grown to appreciate Trover, so this blogpost is just a tribute to the makers of: thanks & keep on Troving.