To further expand the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) social media efforts, Maryland State Parks are now using the social networking platform, Foursquare, to stay connected to park visitors. Using a GPS-enabled mobile device, Foursquare can determine the user’s location to allow them to check in at any Maryland State Park.
“Foursquare is a great tool for park visitors to connect with one another, while encouraging new visitors to enjoy our State Parks,” said Maryland Park Service Superintendent Nita Settina. “It will make for a new, exciting park experience, where visitors and staff can offer up their ideas and insight.”
Foursquare is a mobile- web application where members note their location and share what they are up to with others. Park visitors can download the Foursquare app using any GPS-enabled mobile device. After a visitor has checked in at the park using Foursquare, they are able to interact with other users that have checked in at the same location by sharing tips, fun ideas and photos. Users are also able to send that information to their Twitter and Facebook accounts using the Foursquare app.
Although the social networking site is mostly for fun, it can also be a lucrative competition. Some places give the most frequent users the chance to earn prizes and rewards. Participants who check in the most at any one location become the “mayor” of that location on Foursquare. In the future, Maryland State Parks will begin offering incentives to those who check in.
Visit the Maryland State Parks Foursquare homepage at https://foursquare.com/mdstateparks to open an account and get started. Visitors who already have the app installed on their phones can search for the park they are visiting and check in.
To keep up with Maryland State Parks, follow @MDStateParks on Twitter and “like” Maryland State Parks on Facebook.
Maryland’s State Parks not only provide great outdoor recreation for Marylanders and visitors, they are also a great asset to State and local economies. According to a recent study, conducted in partnership with the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development, the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and the Maryland Association of Destination Marketing Organizations, Maryland State Parks have an estimated annual economic benefit of more than $650 million. In 2010, visitors directly spent more than $567 million locally — $25.56 locally for every dollar the State invests in State Parks —during their visits. And almost 95 percent of visitors had their expectations met or exceeded during visits.
