This is a sponsored post
When I find something I love, I like to share it so others can experience it too and as my loyal readers know, my love for Haiti runs deep. Three years ago I traveled to Haiti not sure what my purpose other than knowing that there had to be some way I could help. I went to learn about a country that had been devastated by a major earthquake and during my travels, I met artists whose handcrafted goods served as a way to earn income as they attempted to rebuild their lives.
Every year since that first year I’ve returned to help in some small way. The ways in which I help always vary according to need but one way I can always help is by sharing places I love and the amazing art created by those I know with others who are planning their own trip.
Described as a way to “tease out local knowledge, hidden secrets, stories and information about the world around you,” the new free Findery site and mobile app (iPhone is currently available through iTunes, Android is coming next week!) serve as the perfect way to share my knowledge of Haiti. During my travels I’ve become a treasure trove of knowledge about certain places in Port au Prince and the seaside town of Jacmel and Findery lets me do it quickly and easily but in a way that allows me to share the visual beauty of the country I’ve fallen in love with.
Through Findery I can share Notes- a narrative and photos on a map tied to a geographical location that provide detailed information about my favorite Haitian artists communities, hotels, restaurants, and boutiques. My notes are compiled in a virtual file folder called a Notemap.
In my Helping Haiti Through Conscious Shopping Notemap you can find profiles of the different artists I’ve met during my travels. These profiles are actually Notes. Notes about the artists I’ve met serve as one of the most effective ways I can share an inside look at who these incredible people are and how the art they’re making for orders placed by Macy’s Heart of Haiti are changing their lives while inspiring others to shop at their boutiques and stores in Haiti or through Macys.com.
Findery allows users to discover places by typing in key words at the top of the screen or by location through the interactive map. You can also find and follow friends, favoriting their Notes, or adding their Notes to maps of your own. I’m thinking of adding a Bucket List Notemap to collect all of the great Notes about places I want to visit in one place!
While I’ve been compiling Notes for my Haiti Notemap on my computer, pulling in past photos to make collages on PicMonkey, it’s just as easy to create Notes about favorite places on the go using the free iPhone app, currently available through the iTunes Store.
Introducing the Findery app for iPhone! from Findery on Vimeo.
To see how easy it is to get started, visit Findery’s How to Create a Notemap on Mobile or better yet, try it out yourself by following me on Findery!
Findery has compensated me for my time in creating Notes and Notemaps about my experiences in Haiti but honestly, it’s something I would do for free because it helps elevate the profile of Haitian artists and make potential visitors aware of their handcrafts and where to buy their items. All opinions are my own and based on my use of Findery so far.
