It'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:

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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