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10 Ideas for Localism Posts Using Google's New "My Maps" Feature

ok - ok, first things first. I technically only have 8 items listed in the idea section... My brain gave out at eight. But I thought, hey who wants to read the "8 ideas...". --- 10 --- just seems to be the 'official' number for things like this. So please comment below and include ideas that this helps you generate. Then maybe the title could become 100 Ideas for Localism Posts Using Google's New 'My Maps' Feature. :)

Why I like this idea?

Google Maps is a free new tool. I wanted to try it out. It has a lot of possibilities.
I had fun writing this and the actual localism post.
Localism post provides useful information that takes you some time of living in the town to figure out.
Addresses a common misconception that most people have about the town.
Leads to tons of possibilites of other articles to write like this.

What did I create? See it in action...

Ideas for localism articles using google maps...

Is there something that everyone *thinks* about your town that is not necessarily true?
Apply the same concept to your town for those of you who live in a town that is really not far away.
Map a few good walking spots.
Map out some popular biking paths.
Map out area playgrounds or parks.
Map out some shopping areas.
Map out any types of attractions... build short day trips of a couple things for people to check out.
Map the secret spots that you the local know?

Tips on creating your google map...

How to find google maps.... go to www.google.com/maps and click on the "My Maps" tab.
Figure out before hand which order you want the items in the list to appear. Google does not yet offer the ability to sort the items you include on the map. They list in the order you add them. This will save you time and heart ache.
Google User Guide for My Maps
Once you have the map created, click on the "Link to this page" link in blue to get the url to link to. When you click on the link, google adds the full url to the page in your address bar. ("Link to this page" is included above the buttons to change between traffic, map, satellite and hybrid map views).

So, what do you think? Do you like this idea? Have you done something similar? Did this lead you to other ideas? If so, please comment and help get this post up to the '100 ideas resource level'.

Posted by A Crye-Leike Blogger, Angie Vandenbergh on 05/04/2007 01:19 PM

Comments (94)

cryeleike, collierville tn real estate, memphis real estate, active rain, activerain community support

94 Comments on 10 Ideas for Localism Posts Using Google's New "My Maps" Feature

MAY

2007

This is where I'm showing my stupidity...

Interesting info Angie, but what is the benefit of doing this for my company? I'm sure it would help somehow but am not seeing it...

All the best,

Beth

Hi Beth,

There are a lot of benefits to posting this type of content. The first is that your blog is also included in localism.com and that is targetted toward the consumer. So when someone visits localism.com and they go get information about 'City A' there are sections 'about', 'market reports', 'news' etc. When you post blogs in these categories, consumers looking at those blogs will see your contact information - and see you as the 'expert' for the area.

Another benefit is search engine optimization... it is one more location where you can talk about your markets and link to your sites etc.

Another benefit... is just topics to blog about in general.

You could apply this differently depending on your area of expertise in the business. Maybe since you are a home stager - you include a map to the best places to find good deals on furniture or something like that...

Hey, there's idea #9 - Show furniture stores in the area.

I like this idea - great presentation! You can always spiff it up to better represent you and/or your company with logos, pictures, etc. Or you can just put a place tag with Your Name, Realtor instead of your office name.

Linda Slocum, http://SantaClaritaRealEstateBlog.com

Great blog. I had not been thinking about including Google maps in my local blogs, but I am now. Thanks.

I think this type of blog could go well to complement a listing blog. Not directly linking the two or even including the home address. It could be good to map out (from a subdivision name) the local schools, parks, train, shops, etc. This way it could show up on the same neighborhood page and give great additional information.

Thanks for the great ideas. I'll be working on this tonight! Sherry

Great post!!! I tested the new map feature, but definitely need to look over the user guide. I can see this will be a great tool. I live in an area where new subdivisions are announced almost weekly. To make a customized map to go with my blog informing the public of what is yet to come will be so helpful. Thanks.

This would be good just for tourism, and will get you the exposure. Being from San Francisco, I can use this to map out for people what they might want to see when in town. Great idea!

Thanks Angie for the idea and latest Google Tour. I always like to know about the latest tool I can use to grow my business. Have a great evening and weekend.

Thanks everyone for your feedback... just to summarize a couple new ideas added in comments above...

#10 - Create a google map to complement a listing (include info from the map in perspective to the home, how to get out of the subdivision, where the grocery store is, shops, parks etc) You could even include this with your listing flyer. - Thanks Sherry

#11 - Create a google map to show new subdivisions in your area (Thanks Tina) I can see how this would be helpful if someone is interested in new construction and there are a lot of changes in the area.

Great ideas Angie! I didn't even realize these maps were available. Something to experiment with. THanks!

Haha this is awesome! Thanks for the ideas, they are swarming like uhhhh Butterflies now :-D Ohh baby this is going to be fun. No wonder Google Loves ActiveRain so much :-P

Good ideas on how to use this new tool from Google. I'll have to take a look at this over the weekend.

Great post. I will have to take a closer look at it. Thanks for sharing.

My son, Rob Johnson, uses maps very effectively whenever he's taking buyers out to show property. They love the maps he makes for them.

Very cool Angie, bookmarked for when I have time to give it a try.

Great use of google, thanks for sharing! I gave the article a five.

HI Angie.. good to bring this out into the light. I've been using google maps for a while. I liked all your points for Localism. Nothing like writing and showing :)) see you later gator.

Angie - BOOKMARKED!! Thanks for sharing this tip! I'll have to check this out for my posts - thanks for taking the time to write this out to share with us.

Ann

Angie,

I have been using a similar tool from google called google maps API for a while on my website. I use it to make maps of neighborhoods in my area. I have an overview map showing all the neighborhoods and then an individual map for each neighborhood. I have a client who found me because they searched the web for the name of a particular subdivision and between the map page on my website and the localism post I had done I was half of the search results on the first page.

Rita

Anjie,

I tried the feature and did include it on a recent post. I was in a hurry though and did not use Googles link feature.

I can hardly wait to get started! Angie thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Kelly Rider

Success Lending

I think the Google maps can really be helpful with anyone's local posts. Thanks for a great idea.

Angie,

That's a great idea, thank you for sharing it. I think I will have to use that in the near future.

Angie, I am having a hard time capturing (copying) the map so I can place it in a blog. How did you get yours to look so good? Sherry

awesome ideas. I like the ideas. and they spark me to move on some of them.

I love ideas. I never thought about google maps. They can be very beneficial. I didn't know there was a my maps option.

MAY

2007

Rita -

Thanks for sharing how you are using google's map api. I have looked at that as well, but felt that took a little more time investment to learn. Question for you though... is the map api from google something you've used yourself (creating those subdivision maps) or hired a webmaster/programmer to create for you?

Thanks - Angie

Sherry -

To capture the image on screen... (the picture of the google map that I included in my blog). There are different ways to do this, but this is what I do...

On screen pull up site/page to capture
Hit "Print Screen" button on keyboard
Open photo editing software that you have (I use Adobe Photoshop)
Click to create a new image. (Photoshop automatically sets the pixel size of the new image to be the same size as my screen capture.
Paste (Control+V or Edit->Paste) will put the screen capture into the new image.
Crop - image as necessary to highlight section you want to save.
Save file - typically with a screen capture that I want to display online I will save as a .gif.
Now you are ready to use image in blog.

Good idea Angie. I'll have to muck about with the Google API and see if these could be incorporated into a more detailed city/neighborhood view that could be group edited by the users... allowing for an annotated map guide to the location... could be fun (might be overly complex though).

Thanks so much! I can't believe how much their is to learn here!

Angie, I've been trying to use Google maps for a new community post, per your suggestion, but to create the gif file to use on the post, you say:

Hit "Print Screen" button on keyboard

I've tried this several times (on two different computers, so I don't think it's a problem with the computer), but nothing happens. Do I have to press something else down to get the "print scrn" button on the computer to actually do anything?

hey Brian, I just used Angie's method and it works great. Hitting the Print Screen button works like clicking copy. You won't see anything, but your computer puts the image "somewhere." All you have to do is open up your photo editing software (I use photoshop too) and go to edit/paste. It will paste in the whole screen. You then need to crop out the extra google stuff you don't want. I hope this helps. Sherry

Thanks, Sherry! It just worked like a charm!

MAY

2007

Brian - glad you got it figured out.

Sherry - thanks for answering the question for me :)

A Day Late! I thought of this only yesterday and haven't figured out how to get the icon for Goggle Maps on my Home Page. I have the globe icon on desk top. Ii visited Iraq yesterday. Very sandy indeed, lol.

Anyway, I sure do like the way you think. SO what if there is only eight. You could have made 10 or 20 reasons but the real idea is that the tool is there why not use it.

Anyone out there that knows how to make the Globe icon show on my home page-I sure would appreciate it.

All the Best Angie. Hope your market is smiling on you!

Sincerely,

William Johnson

William - Thanks for the feedback. Glad you found some useful info.

I'm not sure what you mean about the 'globe' icon. - Maybe the google earth icon, I'm guessing. Are you wanting to link to google earth? If so, I just did a quick search to see if I could find a page from google with the icons, but I couldn't. Not to say it doesn't exist - I just couldn't find it.

But... you could apply the same technique I listed above for the screen capture (print screen, pasting it in new image, cropping out etc then using that image on your site.)

Hope that answers your question?

MAY

2007

Angie, Great idea for adding value to our localism posts!

MAY

2007

This is great information, I just got at least 10 ideas (it was really 6, but nobody likes that number either) to do for my local area, thanks =)

MAY

2007

Angie! Awesome simple idea. I'm headed over to Localism and get my maps posted right now! Thanks!!

Vicki, Please share the link to the post you create. I would love to check it out.

If anyone creates a blog using these ideas... leave me a link here. I would like to check out your post.

Hi Angie. Here's one of my Goolge mapping blogs. Let me know what you think. Sherry

Sherry - WOW - That is a really great example. Thank you for sharing. I love how you used the different icons. I didn't even know that was an option. I had to go back to google maps and figure out how to change the picture. I found it by clicking on the default icon graphic in edit mode. But I wouldn't have noticed that before if I hadn't seen it in action. Makes the maps even more valuable. Great idea for the activities in relation to a subdivision.

Thanks so much for the info, this will be great for us realtors in rural areas.

Wow! I'm learning something new again!!!! Thanks!

MAY

2007

I didn't know about Google Maps. You learn so much around here. Thanks.

MAY

2007

Thank you for spotlighting this. I've been working with this since it came out and I think that this is a great tool that new members need to know about.

Thanks for all the great ideas. We are going to get started!

My sister googled the Wheaton Memorial Day Parade and my google map came up - she was so surprised to see my face. I mapped the parade route so people would know where to go, or what to avoid. Everyone get ready for the 4th of July. We had about 200 hits on Memorial Day. Sherry

MAY

2007

Angie, nicely done! Isn't Google a wonderful tool. I'm sure you have heard or seen the blog post on using Google Maps on your PDA! If not, let me know and I will provide it to you. Thanks!

David, I have not seen the pda post. If you would please put a link to it in the comments here. I would like to take a look and I think people who read this would be interested as well. Thanks!

MAY

2007

Very nice Angie........no wonder you were featured and got some extra points. I'll bookmark and rank this one for sure!

JUN

2007

Just posting a note here of a new blog I did using Google's My Maps - Craving Barbeque? Take a Peak into the Memphis Barbeque Debate

I included a map to all of the 'best' barbeque spots in Memphis. 'Best' depends on who you're talking to :)

As a stager, I will give it some consideration.

Great ideas!The new MyMaps is a great feature to easily add mapping. I just wish it was possible to better integrate this directly into the site (without jumping up to the Google Maps API.

JUN

2007

Sounds like it could have many possiblities.

Would this be promoted through you own website, or some other type of media, ie. localism.com?

Thanks!

Wonderful ideas. I have bookmarked for when I am awake enough to implemant them.

John - You could really do either. So far I've just been using the my maps on blogs for localism. But could certainly also incorporate into another web site. Only thing like Brad mentioned... is that in order to integrate into the site you would have to use the google maps api. That would involve more of a time commitment to figure out and in many cases possibly having a person with web expertise work on it.

JUL

2007

I have done it about 6mo. ago on my website. I created a page with GOOGLE Map for all My Listings. In addition I also created the GOOGLE Driving direction: Starting address-------Ending address.

It was a hard and meticulous work...but looked very professional and impressive. The problem I had was that going into that page and changing every so more often, listings (adding and deleting) on regular bases took a hell of a time... I gave up and found software that automatically post listings (including the Map and Direction.)

JUL

2007

Hi Arina, Thanks for sharing. What software did you end up finding and switching to?

JUL

2007

I have used google maps -- I had no idea about this feature. This is a great way to highlight local information. I am amazed by all of the things one can do with google maps. Thanks for taking the time to give instructions on how to use some of these features.

Angie,

Thanks for the link and the info about Google, I LOVE the idea of giving people short-cuts around town. What a resource! I have just started thinking about the changing and far reaching opportunities that Google offers with it's mapping options. I live in a mountain resort town and when I find the time I want to begin creating a map that shows all of the great recreation opportunities that we have. Hiking, biking, trail running, peak bagging etc. This can be shown with photos and video and also the vicinity to neighborhoods and listings. Here is my area stats version.

JUL

2007

Thanks for the great info!

We have bookmarked you blog for future reference! Thanks so much for sharing! It amazes us how much information and neat "toys" there are. Thanks again!

Wow...you could use this feature for a dozen different things to map: schools, future/planned schools, fire departments, parks, etc...thanks for the idea!

Super great post! i can't wait to try this. Bookmarked and rated 5. Thank you!

AUG

2007

Hi everyone (if you are still getting updates on this post...)

I was thinking about this post today and curious if any of you that commented here, ended up writing a new post that used a custom google map you created.

If you did, please stop back by here and post a link to it. I would like to take a look through what other people have set up. I've been thinking about different ways to use this again.

Thanks!

Thank you very much for sharing, some of them were very good ideas.

AUG

2007

Shane - Glad you liked it. Please share if you end up writing a post using google maps. Thanks!

AUG

2007

Have you looked at Platial.com?

Hi Mike, No I have never heard of it before. I went there just now, honestly to make sure this wasn't some crazy comment :) and I saw the introduction about the people's atlas. Do you have an example of something you've made there?

AUG

2007

Thanks for the post Angie. I think Localism in itself is an awesome tool, so great advice getting it synched up with Google Maps.

Sunday is my day to blog. I may experiment with the map thing and see if if I can add it in. I'm just getting started but I'm trying to implement the ideas given here as best I can. Thanks

Joe - Glad you liked it. Leave a link here if you end up using it.

Vicki - Hope you're having a good Sunday. If the experiment works out let me know :)

NOV

2007

Just now getting around to implementing this on my sites. Thanks for the instructions.

JAN

2008

GREAT ideas! Thanks for sharing. Off I go to Googlemaps!

I really appreciate you sharing this with us!

JAN

2008

This is great, I was just wondering about how to make show the boundaries of a neighborhood, I signed up, drew the lines and it was done in 5 minutes. Awesome. Thanks. ~Rita

Hi Brian and Rita - I like the neighborhood boundary idea. I just recently made a map with an overlay to show where Midtown Memphis is. You can see the overlay in the image here of Midtown Memphis Map.

JAN

2008

I don't know if this is a new feature since you wrote this post, but you can now easily embed the maps directly in your blog. "My maps" provides the embed code so you don't have to do the whole print screen image thing. This is a great tutorial. I can't wait to use it for some blog posts. Thanks Angie!

JAN

2008

Graet idea! As soon as I have time to look into this I plan on mapping all the area Active Adult Communities that I feature on my website. Thank you!

JAN

2008

I know that I am a little late but I have been struggling this morning for a blog topic and you helped...Thanks!

JAN

2008

Angie, good post and a great idea. I've just posted an article about all of the new developments happening in our capitol city and I'm going to go back and add this map to put things in perspective.

Thanks, the Cashflow Coach

FEB

2008

Great Idea for Localism! Actually for any agent anywhere!

Angie,

Thank-you for the information. Now I am going to see if I can wrap my brain around this and put Google maps to work for me.

FEB

2008

Angie - That is a great idea. I like using the aerial and bird's eye functions of Google Maps too.

FEB

2008

Angie, I think those are some great ideas that I am going to start using as well. I love finding new tools that help in the trade. Thanks

FEB

2008

Great idea to put the map on localism. I am going to try it right away on my next blog. Thanks for the idea.

FEB

2008

Great idea! The mapping function will work on my new blog! I assume google treats any blog with this function with raised search engine capabilities.

FEB

2008

Thank you for sharing this GREAT post. AR is a wonderful place, full of sharing, helpful people.

Hey Angie,

Great Ideas! I am bookmarking and will definitely use this. I can think of using the google map to define the city limits. I live in a town that shares a school district with surronding cities. Realtors constantly misrepresent what city the property is in. Posting a map on Localism to illustrate this would be beneficial.

Thanks again, Chris

FEB

2008

Hi Chris, Thnaks for sharing. That's a good idea. I actually did something similar on a few pages of our web site. Check out this page with a map of Central Gardens (a neighborhood in Memphis).

JAN

I'm going to try this. Do you think it would help me show up on Google maps? I've done everything I can think of and still I do not show up in my city on the Google map.

JAN

Hi Julie - I don't think this will help you personally get listed on google maps. You'll need to add yourself as a business to their local pages. Here's a link for the page to get started...

http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter?gl=us&hl=en-US

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