Author: Adam DuVander

There are many custom maps you can make online, such as a neighborhood garage sale map or even a Google Maps store locator without code. While maps made for your eyes only can be helpful, they become even more powerful tools when shared. Whether you want to share your custom maps on social media via the web or on a mobile device, it’s easy to do with BatchGeo. Just obtain an image of your map—a screenshot or the high-resolution file you get with BatchGeo Pro will suffice.

Once you have your image, you’ll want to ensure it fits the ideal dimensions of your preferred social media platforms (we cover the sizing requirements below). Then, you’re ready to share the image of your map and the link to your website or map with your friends and fans on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

The top social media platforms don’t permit users to embed HTML within posts. This means that when you share your maps on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, users won’t be able to interact with your map the same way they can when they see it on BatchGeo or embedded in your website. While we check in with Mark Zukerberg and co. about this, you have several options to get your location data in front of friends and followers on the world’s largest social media platforms through the use of image posts. Your options include taking a screenshot of your map or downloading a high-resolution PNG image (a BatchGeo Pro feature).

Take a Screenshot of Your Map

The first way to get an image of your map suitable to share on social media is also the most customizable: take a screenshot of your map. Use the built-in screenshot feature of your computer to grab a portion of your screen: Windows + Shift + S on Windows 10 or Command + Shift + 4 on Mac. On Windows, you’ll be directed to the Snipping Tool or the newer Snip & Sketch. On Mac, you’ll need to drag the crosshairs cursor across the area of the map you wish the include in your screenshot. Once you have your desired area covered, simply let go of your mouse to take your screenshot.

You can also take a screenshot of your map via your Android or Apple smartphone. On an iPhone 8 or earlier, press the Top or Side button and the Home button at the same time and quickly release both buttons. On an iPhone X or later, press the Side button and the Volume up button at the same time and quickly release both buttons. For any Android phone, locate your device here to learn how to take a screenshot.

Taking a screenshot of a specific area on your map—whether on a computer or mobile device—allows you to control and customize the area of your map you’d like to share. You can zoom in and out of BatchGeo maps on both a web browser or mobile device. You may choose to zoom in on one location, making it the focal point of your image, or zoom out to capture your map as a whole.

Download BatchGeo Pro’s High-Resolution PNG Image

The second way to get an image of your map to share on social media is by utilizing a BatchGeo Pro high resolution, printable PDF or PNG file. To make use of this feature, right-click on your map within the BatchGeo web browser. Click Export PDF / Image and select PNG Image and High Res 11” x 17” Printout. A clear, high-quality PNG image of your map will be downloaded on your computer. You either can upload the image from your computer into a social media post via a web browser or, if you’d like to do so on a mobile device, send the image to your phone and upload accordingly.

Resize Your Images to Look Their Best

Each of the three top social media platforms has their own ideal sizing dimensions when it comes to sharing images. We’ll list the specifics for each platform below so that you can adjust your screenshot or high-res image to fit those dimensions. Another option is to use a tool like Sprout Social’s free Social Media Image Resizer to ensure your social media posts always look their best.

Ideal Image Sizing for Facebook

Facebook’s ideal image dimensions are 1,200 pixels wide and 630 pixels tall. Once you have resized your photo, select Photo/Video on your Facebook feed and select the image. To share an image via the Facebook mobile app, send the optimally-sized image from your computer to your phone. Then, open up the Facebook mobile app and upload the image.

Whether you plan to share a screenshot of your map or the high-res image BatchGeo Pro provides, be sure to include a status that links back to your own website or map so users can easily click over to the interactive version.

Instagram’s Ideal Image Sizes

Instagram users expect high-quality images when browsing on the app. We can use the same methods we used to obtain a screenshot of your map or use BatchGeo Pro to download an automatic high-resolution, printable PNG image. You’ll just need to adjust the dimensions before you share your map in an Instagram story or post.

Instagram Story

The ideal dimensions for sharing a map in an Instagram story are 1,080 x 1,920 pixels. You can manually edit your screenshot or high-res image to fit those dimensions, or you can use a social media image resizer tool. Once you have the image of your map in the correct size, send it to your phone. To add it to your Instagram story, click the Camera button on the top left corner of Instagram and select it from your camera roll.

Of course, as with Facebook, it’s important to share your image with a link to either your website or to the map itself so users can view the interactive version. As Instagram only allows you to post direct links in your stories if you have over 10,000 followers or you’re a verified user, you can add the link to your bio (which is clickable for everyone) and point users there for easy navigation.

Instagram Post

Instagram posts have different ideal dimensions than their story counterparts. To share an optimal-sized screenshot or high-res image of your map in an Instagram post:

1. Adjust the size to be 1,080 x 1,080 pixels for a square photo, 1,080 x 566 pixels for a horizontal image, or 1,080 x 1,350 pixels for a vertical post
2. Or, upload the image to a social media image resizer
3. Then, share the image to your phone and post it on Instagram by clicking at the bottom of the screen → Library (iOS) or Gallery (Android) at the bottom of the screen and select the photo of your map you’d like to share
4. Add a hashtag or two, such as #batchgeo just like these other BatchGeo users did.

Once again, it’s always important to share a link either to your website or to the map itself so users can view the interactive version of your map’s image. Yet, Instagram also prevents clickable links in your captions. Stick it in your bio instead and let your followers know you did so.

Ideal Image Sizing for Twitter

To share your map on Twitter, use a screenshot, or high-res image. Ensure the image will look it’s best on Twitter’s platform by re-sizing it to Twitter’s recommended size dimensions of 1024 x 512 pixels. Then, upload your image using Twitter in your web browser or on your mobile device.

---

It’s time to share your maps with friends or fans use either using a screenshot or the printable, high-res images you get with BatchGeo Pro. Share to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, or even Pinterest using the same methods as described above: obtain a screenshot or high-quality image and post to the social media platform with a link to your website or map. Knowing the right dimensions for each platform, or letting an online tool do it for you, will ensure your personal or business social media profile looks great 100% of the time you share your maps.

For those who like the wind, the best place to live would be Chicago, also known as the Windy City. Those of us who enjoy basking in nature’s greenery should be visiting the Emerald City of Seattle at least twice a year. And those who like fruit? Perhaps the Big Apple of New York City.

But where are rain-lovers (or haters) supposed to go? Perhaps those who love it should move to Portland, Oregon whereas those who hate the rain should steer clear of cities in the Pacific Northwest altogether. But is what immediately comes to mind when we think of cities and rain true? Do cities in the PNW actually get the most rainfall? As a map of the rainfall total by city shows us, maybe not. Prepare to be stupefied by which U.S. city gets the most rainfall, the place that gets the least, the rainiest region of the country, and the months of the year that see the most rainfall. We’ve got all the rainfall data you cirrus-ly seek.

View Rainfall Totals by City in a full screen map

The map depicts rainfall data of 282 cities like the rainfall totals of Kansas City, Iowa city rainfall, and the annual rainfall of New York City between 1981 and 2010. The precipitation data is from the National Centers for Environmental Information or NOAA. Precipitation, in this case, indicates “the liquid water equivalent of snowfall” and is in inches.

Which U.S. City Gets the Most Rainfall?

Of the rainfall rates of 282 cities in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Islands you can explore on the map, one stands out. The U.S. city that gets the most rainfall is the non-continental U.S. island of Pohnpei. Pohnpei is one of the Senyavin Islands, which is part of the Caroline Islands. It received an average of 181.22 inches of rain yearly between 1981-2010. Pohnpei tends to receive the most rain throughout May (18.35 inches). It’s least rainy month, February still receives 10.02 inches of rain, which is more than many cities receive in an entire year.

Pohnpei’s rain clouds clearly work in overdrive as the island even receives 24 inches more than the second rainiest place: Hilo, Hawaii. Learn more about Hilo and the other places in and near the U.S. that receive lots of rain on the table below.

CITY	STATE	ANN (INCHES)
POHNPEI-CAROLINE IS.	PC	181.22
HILO	HI	156.79
YAKUTAT	AK	155.12
KOROR	PC	147.64
CHUUK E. CAROLINE IS.	PC	134.54
MAJURO-MARSHALL IS	PC	127.42
PAGO PAGO-AMER SAMOA	PC	122.63
YAP-W CAROLINE IS.	PC	120.93
ANNETTE	AK	101.63
QUILLAYUTE	WA	99.54

Note that the first (and only) city to appear on the list of top ten rainiest places located in the continental U.S. is Quillayute, Washington. Fans of the Twilight saga may be familiar with this city as the Quileute tribe of werewolves were often seen running in the rain. At least Twilight portrayed accurate meteorology.

Which U.S. City Gets the Least Rainfall?

Pohnpei, Hilo, and Quillayute may receive nearly unbelievable levels of rain, but Yuma, Arizona, may be the most impressive place on the map. The city received an average of zero inches of rain throughout all twelve months of the year, from 1981-2010. Other uber-dry cities include Barrow, Arkansas, which you can see on the table below.

CITY	STATE	ANN (INCHES)
YUMA	AZ	0
BARROW	AK	4.53
BISHOP	CA	5.18
LAS VEGAS	NV	5.37
BAKERSFIELD	CA	6.47
WINSLOW	AZ	7.01
ALAMOSA	CO	7.31
RENO	NV	7.4
PHOENIX	AZ	8.03
YAKIMA	WA	8.25

The table contains three cities in Arizona with less than nine inches of rain yearly, two cities in California and Nevada, and one city in Arkansas, Colorado, and Washington. Yakima, Washington’s presence on the least rainy list may be shocking as we just finished telling you about how Quillayute, Washington is the first (and only) city to appear on the list of top ten rainiest places in the continental U.S.

What the Map Tells Us: The Rainiest Region

As is often the case, a map allows us to visually identify trends in data that may not be possible to pinpoint in an Excel spreadsheet. The map is grouped by the average annual rainfall of each of the 282 places in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the Pacific Islands. Looking at the overall map, we can see that the southeastern United States appears to receive more inches of rain than the much dryer West. Let’s narrow down the rainiest region by selecting different ranges of the average annual rainfall.

When selecting the largest range (181.22-51.03), we see the majority of markers are located in the non-continental U.S. or down South. Just one city in both Oregon and Washington, along with one city each in Massachusetts and New Hampshire give us northern representation in the continental U.S. for the largest rain range. Several cities in Texas, Florida, and the entire South seem to be rainier than most cities in Oregon and Washington.

Let’s continue adding additional ranges, such as the next largest (50.95-43.21). We see a similar geographical pattern; cities in the northeast and midwest regions of the U.S. don’t pop up until you get to the 43.08-37.72 range. As we veer into 37.57 inches and below, we just start to see Western representation. A majority of Western cities see under 27.74 inches of rain per year, as compared to a majority of the southeast, which is by far the rainiest region with an upwards of 51.03 inches per year.

Mark Your Calendars For the Rainiest Months of the Year

The map’s default grouping is annual precipitation in inches, but we can see the other groupable categories by clicking the dropdown arrow in the bottom lefthand corner of the map. We’re curious about the truth behind common phrases like “June Gloom” and “April showers bring May flowers.”

When averaged, the month of June is typically the rainiest month of the year. The average June rainfall of all of the 282 cities is 3.55 inches. Compare that to February, which typically sees the least rain of the year with just over 2.55 inches. That’s an entire inch difference.

Here is the exact order of the rainiest months of the year:

• June (3.55 inches)
• July (3.50 inches)
• August (3.43 inches)
• September (3.41 inches)
• May (3.32 inches)
• October (3.21 inches)
• November (3.18 inches)
• December (3.10 inches)
• April (2.93 inches)
• January (2.78 inches)
• February (2.56 inches)

While Southern California’s “June Gloom” was proven true, May tends to bring even more rain than April, which debunks “April showers bring May flowers.”

---

So, what’ll it be: the island of Pohnpei — or any of the Caroline Islands for that matter — or Yuma, Arizona? While you ponder that, see how you can put your own Excel data on the map:

• Export Google Contacts to Excel and Make a Map of Addresses
• How to Print Address Labels from Excel
• Use an Excel Pivot Table to Count and Sum Values

You can use our free mapping tool to visualize the locations in your Excel data.

Coordinating a neighborhood garage sale — be it large or small — is not an easy project. However, there is one important task that can be easy: making a neighborhood garage sale map. A map will ensure you and your neighborhood close out the sale with the most payoff. Bargain hunters will have access to all the information they seek in one place and they’ll easily be able to navigate your sale.

While a neighborhood garage sale map certainly makes it easier for buyers, it also makes it easier for sellers to make a profit. A neighborhood garage sale map you share on social media or even embed on your website can draw more savvy second-hand shoppers to your sale, increasing the odds your stuff sells. For all its benefits, it can be hard to believe any organizer of a neighborhood garage sale wouldn’t utilize a map. Putting together a neighborhood garage sale map is likely the easiest task of the whole project. Just gather the garage sale location data you probably already have, copy and paste into a customizable map, and you’ll be able to share it with the world!

View Neighborhood Garage Sale in a full screen map

Gather Your Garage Sale Data

The first step in making a neighborhood garage sale map is gathering your data. If you are the person in charge of your neighborhood’s garage sale or you’re sharing the coordination duties, you likely already have all the stops of the neighborhood garage sale noted somewhere.

You’ll want to move your data into a spreadsheet if it’s not already. Perhaps other organizers put all the locations in an image. While this makes sharing on social media easy, it adds one step to the map-making process. If you have all the garage sale locations in image form, the simplest way to move them into a spreadsheet is to use a JPEG to Spreadsheet converter. If you have the locations in a document, you can skip the image conversion and simply copy and paste the data into a spreadsheet. 

Easy Image to Spreadsheet Conversion

A tool like Easy PDF’s OCR converter will have your image data converted into a spreadsheet in no time. Just upload an image that includes locations of the garage sale and it’ll be converted to an Excel file to use with Excel or with Google Sheets for a more collaborative option. We’ll show you the minor adjustments you may need to make to the spreadsheet in a bit.

Document or Notes App to Spreadsheet

Perhaps instead of an image, you have a list of addresses of neighbors shared in an email or a community forum. Or, perhaps they’re in a Word Document or other place where you store notes. That data can be copied and pasted into your spreadsheet of choice. You’ll need to make some adjustments to get it to the correct format, but doing so won’t take much time at all.

The Best Spreadsheet Format for a Map

You’ll want to have your spreadsheet sorted into at least one column: an address column. This column is what we will use to map the points, so you’ll want to be sure it contains only addresses. If you’d like to specify a city, state, or country, add those in as separate columns.

An optional column you can add is a short description of each garage sale. Say each household participating in the neighborhood sale has let you know the specific things they’ll be selling. You can add that information to its own column to help buyers discern the spots they’d like to hit. You may also decide to add a numbered order column. This can give garage sale goers an idea of how large the neighborhood sale will be or make it easy to say “meet me at garage sale #27”. BatchGeo can also create numbered markers for you via Advanced Options > Label each marker.

You can also make it so map viewers have the ability to sort your map by the different categories of garage sales. This will allow treasure seekers to more easily hone in on the sales most up their alley. To do so, assign each location in your spreadsheet a category. For example, if you know one garage sale will mainly sell furniture and household items, you can add a column to your spreadsheet and assign this garage sale “Home goods”. Keep categorizing each sale so that when you make your map, it will be sortable by category.

Make and Customize Your Map

Once your data is in the best spreadsheet format for a map, all there’s left to do is map it! To ensure you accurately plot each and every sale, stick with a mapping tool that uses parcel geocoding instead of the less accurate interpolation. Our mapping tool uses the preferred method. Just copy and paste your data into the tool, and you’ll be able to move on to the fun part: customizing your map.

As our Introduction to Map Making on the Web tutorial highlighted, BatchGeo allows you to customize your map design and map markers. For map makers, you can choose from seven marker colors for the free version of BatchGeo and 10 marker colors with BatchGeo Pro. In both versions of BatchGeo, you can select from one of three marker shapes. To further customize your map, BatchGeo offers you the choice of five base map styles. Pick the one that stands out the most to you!

Share Your Map with the World

Now that you’ve finished making a neighborhood garage sale map that contains all the information a bargain hunter could ever need and more, it’s time to share your completed map with the world!

You can share the map to your Facebook page, Twitter, or Instagram, or other social media sites. To share a public or unlisted map on social media:

• Copy the URL from the location bar using Ctrl+C (Cmd+C on Mac). For example: https://batchgeo.com/map/neighborhood-garage-sale
• Paste that URL in an email, text message, or on a social network

You can even embed your map into your website, or really, anywhere. We also have the option to make your map a mobile map, which will help your bargain hunters to easily identify where they want to go on the day of the sale. Wherever you wish to share your neighborhood garage sale map is up to you, but wherever you want to share it, BatchGeo makes it easy.

---

BatchGeo’s mapping software allows you to easily and accurately plot each and every sale of a neighborhood garage sale, no matter the size. Our users love that the maps they create with BatchGeo are customizable and totally shareable, as you can see:

Make your own neighborhood garage sale map today or check out how we make use of our mapping tool for other maps like building a Google Maps store locator without code.