Social Mapping for the Masses with MyMaps

Google launched its new MyMaps service today that allows anyone to create a customized map and turns all of us into potential cartographers. Using the service you can quickly add placemarks and draw lines and shapes to show boundaries or routes on a Google Map, instantly creating your own mashup. You can even embed photos and YouTube videos.

This is bad news for companies like Platial (who appeared at the Inman Connect conference in New York in January) and Frappr who have been trying to promote the same idea, and who just got their business models stomped on by the Google monster (more monster sightings here).

Once you've made a map in MyMaps however, you can share your creation with the public over a public URL or you can publish it to display alongside Google Maps search results. You can even export a KML file so you can see it in 3D in Google Earth.

MyMaps' applications in real estate are endless in my mind; a buyers agent could create an map of all the properties they wanted to show a buyer and email them a link of the route they'll be taking. Or, a broker could create a map of all the open houses they might be showing on a particular weekend. Any other ideas you can think of?

The only thing missing from this release is the ability to embed your maps in your own web site or blog but I suspect that it won't be long before we can.

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