Create Your Own Google Map In 10 Minutes Or Less

Google Maps has introduced a new feature that allows anyone with a Google Account to create custom maps. The new “My Maps” tab can be found on the left-hand side of the page next to the “Search Results” tab.

I created a Miami City Tour Map to explore the new feature, it took me about 10 minutes. Making a map is easy. Just click the “My Maps” tab on Google Maps and click the “Create a new map” button. If you’re not logged in to your Google Account, you will now have to login. You can then add a title and description to your map, and decide whether to make it public or unlisted.

After creating a new map, you are offered 4 tools to edit the map:

• a hand tool to drag the map around
• a placemark tool to drop new markers on the map
• a line tool to create paths (like a bus route)
• a rectangle tool to add shapes (like neighborhood boundries)

A range of HTML formatting options allow the maps to be very customized and include images or video.

To share the map, click the “save” button, and then click the “Link to this page” link at the top right of the page.

Hats off to Google, “My Maps” is a very cool new feature. Giving users the ability to create customs maps isn’t new, but it was never as easy as it is now. I bet we’ll see many more Google Map mashups in the future.

Here are some example maps created by Google employees as part of an internal contest using the new tool:

• Route 66
• Olympic Host Cities
• Travel Guide for Kauai, Hawaii

The My Maps feature will come in very handy when planning a trip.

If you want to make a map, consult the My Maps user guide.

Related Links: • Visiting the Googleplex for the Geo Developers Day • See a birds eye view of Miami with Google Maps Related Categories: Technology, Gus Moore heads up Miami Beach 411 as site administrator. You can reach him at 1-305-754-2206. See more articles by Gus. See more articles by Gus Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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