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My ActiveRain Friends on My Google My Map

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Compelling Media + Design

Google MapsIt's been just over a year since Google released the My Maps feature within Google Maps that allows users to easily customize, brand and take their own user-created maps to a new level and publish them on the web.

At the time, I wrote a few posts on the topic - Creating Google Listing Maps: Part One & the follow-up post Part Two.

In the past year Google has added some new features, like the ability to collaborate with multiple users, export your maps to Google Earth (cool & efficient), and to add and incorporate other data like Picasa and Panarimo photos, The Weather Network info, or Places of Interest. Searching - or creating maps - by the Places of Interest is pretty cool because you can check off five different "layers" - or search parameters and have the map pull up local schools, places of worship, hospitals, coffee shops, etc. Creating custom local maps is easier than ever!

But the the most amazing update they've made since launching is the ability to Reorder the items on your map. This was a key feature to release because it allows users to easily update their maps and present information that they find is most important at the top, and in the exact order they want.

For a listings map, you can reorder by price as new listings come in, move Sold listings to the bottom for awhile, then delete. Or you may want to present the info arranged by community. You have the options, and with the ability to rearrange the order, you can show what you want in your preferred order with a few drags and drops of your mouse.

To celebrate the one year anniversary of Google making maps extremely easy to create and customize, I wanted to make my own My Map of ActiveRain Friends - to highlight the friends, associates and subscribers I've met through ActiveRain and give some link love to their AR blogs.

Here's it is:


View Larger Map

Thanks to the ActiveRain Community for making the site such a great place to hang out, learn, make friends and do business.

And if you need the help of a real estate professional, consider one of the fine people above!

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* Rate A Home
Rate A Home - Saugatuck, MI
Jason, great ThemThem to all your friends on Active Rain, as well as Google and the Active Rain Team. To cool!!!!!!
Apr 16, 2008 07:37 AM
John Karadsheh
KOR Properties - Mesa, AZ
ABR, CRS - REALTOR - Mesa, Arizona - Las Sendas

Jason,

That is sooooo cool, I can't wait to try it out, thanks for sharing!

Apr 16, 2008 07:40 AM
Jason Todd
Compelling Media + Design - Halifax, NS

Duane - thanks, it was a lot fun to see where everyone is on the map

John - my pleasure - the maps are pretty easy to make, so have some fun

Apr 16, 2008 07:46 AM
Don Rogers
Keller Williams Realty Chesterfield - O'Fallon, MO
Realtor, Broker, CDPE, GRI, OnullFallon MO & St Charles County MO homes

Jason, you always post great information.  Thanks :-)

Don R.

Apr 16, 2008 09:03 AM
Kent Simpson
Realty One Group Mountain Desert - Tucson, AZ
Real Estate Is About People
Jason - pretty nifty mapping, but couldn't you find a better picture of me?  Oh, wait...that's my fault...I've gotta get a better profile pic!  Thanks for sharing this with us.
Apr 16, 2008 03:22 PM
Susie Blackmon
Ocala, FL
Ocala, Horses, Western Wear, Horse Farms, Marketing

Hi Jason, love the map and thank you for the 'link love.'  The map reminded me... don't let me forget to ask if you know how to use Google Earth Pro.  I have it but don't know how to use it, and maybe we can do something with it...

Terrific post!


Apr 16, 2008 08:19 PM
Gita Bantwal
RE/MAX Centre Realtors - Warwick, PA
REALTOR,ABR,CRS,SRES,GRI - Bucks County & Philadel
Thanks for the information . I have not used googlemaps . I will bookmark this post.
Apr 16, 2008 11:15 PM
Jason Todd
Compelling Media + Design - Halifax, NS

Don - thanks for your support, I always appreciate your encouragement!

Kent - if you update your photo, let me know, and I'll tell Google :)

My pleasure Susie- I've done a few things with Google Earth - one cool thing about the Maps is that there's a "View in Google Earth" tab so you can automatically convert your reguslar map in a Google Earth map

Gita- one great thing about the Maps is you can build on them over time, adding placemarks, photos or video over time

Apr 16, 2008 11:40 PM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate
Excellent use of the mapping feature. Thanks !
Apr 20, 2008 12:41 PM
Julie Neerings~Lifting Hearts ♥ Building Dreams~
Agent Referral - Salt Lake City, UT
Jason~Thank you so much for the link love. This tool is absolutely fantastic. I'm forever amazed at the resources we have available and how inspiring it is read blogs such as yours for additional ways to make our blog really stand out.  Have a fabulous week my friend. 
Apr 20, 2008 12:59 PM
Jason Todd
Compelling Media + Design - Halifax, NS

Thanks Missy- there are so many possibilities with Google Maps... you could pretty much brand your your community with your own custom maps.

Hi Julie- thanks - it's cool to see all of the different areas of the US and Canada that people are connecting from, and through ActiveRain - Cheers

 

Apr 22, 2008 03:09 AM