Google My Maps!!!

I only know Google Map and I didn't know there is Google MY Maps! So I decided to give it a shot and try it out! Initially I went to Google Map and followed the instructions on Blackboard, and I couldn't figure out how to start but it is different! So then I googled and manage to find some instructions, which I realized that it is a different URL (Silly me!).

I thought it is a pretty cool and easy to use application. It resembles a little bit of how photographs that are shared on Flickr, where we can annotate where they were taken, and put descriptions in there!  BUT the thing with My Maps is that there is no way you can upload pictures that you have taken! It has to be directly from the internet! I tried it out and put a pin on where I live, attached a picture URL I found online and a short caption:

It feels like a traveler image blog or something like that, where we can track where we have been to for holidays (I thought it is pretty funny if I were to do an image blog about going to Publix for grocery shopping and etc hahaha!) It's also like a travelling diary where you annotate where you have been to and find pictures online to beautiful it with pictures! Guess what! Being a geeky person, I found a way where you can upload your own pictures onto My Maps! Via Facebook!! So what you can do is this! For example, if you have been NYC and took some pictures of the Empire State Building, right click on the image and copy image address!

Then paste it on to My Maps!

Voilà!! There you go! Personalized Traveler Image Blog! haha! You can even upload videos! I thought it is a pretty cool "add on" to your other social media tools like Facebook. My Maps give us a very good geographical visualization of the entire world, showing us where we have been to for holidays or work trips.

We can toggle the base layer map into various forms too like Satellite map!

Since I am blogging about Google My Maps, I thought I would also share a little bit about Google Map! It is an excellent tool for me who doesn't travel much to be able to explore different part of the world VIRTUALLY without the need for me to be physically present at the location! NYC! If I want to explore NYC a little bit, I can drag and drop that little yellow man icon on the bottom right hand corner of the image, and put it anywhere on the map (I know some of you will try to drop him into the sea! hahaha own up because I did it too! haha, but it will automatically zoom you to the nearest road to the point where you drop the man off.

So I virtually went to Central Park and decided to explore the road a little, it will show you the arrow on the road and you can just virtually "walk" the streets and enjoy the views! How cool is that! Save money on air ticket :P hahaha! No jams and no sweat :P just kidding! haha!

How about exploring Antarctica?

Isn't it cool! How about making exploration a little more exciting!! At the bottom left hand corner, you can toggle between a flat map or a globe style! When you spin the globe, it will show you different places of interest in various regions. You can just click on the image below and it will bring straight to the point where the picture is taken!

I explored a little deeper into where those pictures came from, apparently there is another tool that allows people to share pictures and annotate them onto Google Map!! It's called Panoramio!!

I am pretty sure people who are into photography and travelling will appreciate these tools!! As for me, I love these images, there are really nice pictures taken by professional or amateur photographers! As for learning, I think it would appeal to people who study geography or geology, who are interested in things like fault lines, contours and other geological features on earth. It just goes to show that there are A LOT of places in the world that we have not yet explore and seen! It's time to plan for many trips around the world!