Getting Started with Google?s My Maps
Google's My Maps is yet another cool tool offered by the always evolving Internet giant. Google My Maps lets you create Web-based Google Map mashups and save or share them with friends or the world. Mashup, by the way, is techno-jargon for a Web site or service that combines content from multiple sources.
I checked out Google My Maps and found it impressively easy to use.
It let me throw together a walking tour of Boston complete with pictures and video in under 20 minutes.
Google's My Maps was released today and is a tool aimed at non-techies empowering them to create Google Maps mashups. Until today, customizing Google maps has been the exclusive domain of experienced software developers. Here is a link to PC World's news story about Google's My Maps announcement.
You can browse maps that have already been created, or you can dive in and create your own like I did. Check out Google's example of a map it created to demonstrate the power of My Maps. One is called America's Highway: Oral Histories of Route 66 and here is another map titled 2004 Presidential Election that illustrates how My Maps can do more than provide guided tours.
Building a basic Google My Map is easy. But adding multimedia elements to Google My Maps is not so simple -? despite what Google claims.
Getting Started
To get started with Google's My Maps you'll need a Google account. Once you've signed in, select Google Maps and then choose the My Maps tab. Using four My Map tools (see image below) you can create placemarks, draw lines or shapes, and navigate your map.
Once you create a placemark you'll want to add content to it. To do this just hit the "edit" button. Now you can add images, video, or text. (see image below for My Maps in edit mode)
Creating a starting point and route with annotations is easy. More challenging will be adding multimedia elements to your Google My Map. You can?t insert an image by uploading it to Google Maps. Instead, you have to have the exact Internet URL address of the image you want to add.
To add your own images to your Google My Map you?ll have to put them on a public Web site such as Google PicasaWeb, Flickr, or on server space offered by your Internet service provider. Once you upload your images to either one of these places, grab the exact URL of the desired image and insert it into the Google My Map editor.
You can also insert video into your map from YouTube. To do this, find the video you like on YouTube. Next copy and paste the YouTube "embed" code of the video and insert the code into your map.
(You can add video hosted on YouTube to your map.)
You can choose to make your maps public or unlisted. To make your map public, for example, select your map and choose the "Edit title/settings" link and click public. You can share your map by sending people the URL of your map or you can post your map on your blog or Web site.
So far I like what I see and am looking forward to enjoying maps made by the Google community and making more of my own.
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Google ... The Super Wal-Mart of the Internet,
Is thia a good thing or not a good thing?
Power corrupts and absoulute power corrupts absolutely.
Google's mantra is "Don't be evil", I wouldn't worry about them taking over the world. It's not in the founder's nature.
"Google ... The Super Wal-Mart of the Internet" as Sonnet11 says ? I don't agree. Just look how Wal-Mart treats their employees and how Google does with theirs. Such a difference!
Anyway, I agree with the fact that we have to distrust the Internet giant by behaving with care. Have a look on the Google Watch website (www.google-watch.org) which is an independent website watching at Google.
Super Wal-Mart? Absolute Power?
Another shallow attempt at tossing words with emotional ties.
Personally, I like Google, they push the gauntlet. In years past the tools of the Internet have transformed. (i.e. yahoo, altavista, bigdog, copernic, google) there are other companies besides Google; does not have absoute power, they are not a monopoly or even an oligopoly.
I also like Wal-Mart, and prefer to go there vs. the butcher, the bakery, the produce market, the auto parts store, the household goods store. They pushed the concept of the supermarket. And again no absolute power.
If you want words that spark emotion try...
Liberals = progressive (slang) = progress towards socialism = "each according to their need" = Anti-capitalism = cater to the lowest common denomintor = content with mediocrity.
-l-
Goto http://www.mymapsplus.com to embed maps created in Google My Maps into a website or blog. The embedded map can be customized with a range of features including clickable polygons and sidebar