When you post an article, you will have to select a Category and a Tag. The Category usually corresponds to an assignment name, so you just pick it from the list (i.e., your Listicle assignment should be categorized as a Listicle).

You will also have to Tag your article. Tagging, much like you might use a hashtag in Instagram or Twitter, draws attention to your content when people search for it. For example, if people are just looking for food articles, they can search for the tag. The reason that I’m asking you to do multiple tags is to make sure you get out and experience different parts of the locations you are at. Part of travel is doing new things and not just relying on the familiar. For a tag to be meaningful, some significant part of your assignment should involve the tag. For example, if you were writing a Feature article about Devil’s Head Fire Tower Lookout trail, and you have a sentence that reminds people to bring water, that’s not a significant enough addition for an Advice tag. However, if you have a 9-item list of tips (as the article I linked to does), then you could tag that advice.

Here are the six tags that you have to use:

• Advice – if you are telling people how to do something or giving them tricks for something in your assignment, tag it with advice.
• Food – if you are writing about food, eating, or even a food-related tour (e.g., brewery tours of San Diego)
• Nature – any description or destination that is natural. Gardens and parks count (e.g., Botanical Gardens, Washington Park).
• Tourism – use this tag when the location is meant to attract tourists. Yes, tourists visit Wash Park, but parks are usually meant to attract and serve the community. Tourism tags are for things like Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave or Swetsville Zoo, but it also could mean Lakeside Amusement Park or the Denver Firefighters Museum.
• People – If you talk to people, or the piece is about people, then you can use the tag.
• Insight – This tag is for assignments in which you are reflecting or writing about a place’s effect on you.

You can combine tags. For example, if your Listicle is titled The Most Unique Restaurants in Denver According to Locals, I would expect it to be tagged with Food and People. A visit to Buffalo Herd Nature Preserve in Golden could be tagged Tourism and Nature.

Obviously, you can use tags more than once during the term. Also, feel free to add your own tags to better help somebody looking for your topic, but try to remain descriptive and avoid abstract expressions. For example, “Boise,” “Parks,” or “Railroad” are good; “Beautiful” or “Itdoesntgetbetterthanthis” are not good.