Internet forums and steelhead fishing

There is no doubt that internet forums provide a wealth of steelhead fishing information, and information in general.  When I was getting started I looked through the last several years of posts on the forums and you can find every answer to any question you could ever want to know.  However, there are some negative aspects of this I would like to discuss.  "spot burning" is 100% real.  That is when someone posts a picture of a specific location that is known.  On the internet there are hundreds of "trolls".  People that surf the forums looking for information but do no participate in conversations.  Post a picture of a popular spot, and the next day you will notice an increase in the amount of fishing traffic there.  I have seen this happen several times in my young steelhead career, and am much more guarded about things like that.  It's a different story to post them on my page, because you as a reader choose to come here and I appreciate that.  Plus many of the pictures I post people know about, and if you have never seen it, you probably won't know where it's at.  Anyways posting pictures with obvious backrounds can come back to hurt you, especially if you plan on fishing there the next day.  I am just now starting to see the other side of things regarding sharing specific spots.  There are certain spots that I will share with any of my steelhead friends, then there are a few "gems" still out there that I or a close friend may have stumbled upon and keep to ourselves.  It is great to help out fellow fisherman and watching a new guy/gal catch their first is a very rewarding experience.  At the end of the day though, there is nothing wrong with holding those select few spots close to yourself and your "circle".  Facebook has been the single most helpful tool when it comes to steelhead fishing.  I can see friends post pictures of water conditions, as well as reports and some funny stories that come along the way.  There is tons of information on the internet that can be very helpful to angler, but the best information of all is the kind that you learn on the water.  So you hear of a creek that may be great how do you know if it is? Go fish it, if it sucks then you know not to go back, never know it could be that last secret here on the Alley.