MAPPED OUT
Build a Google map of your town’s
hot spots. By Diane Gilleland
If your city is craft-friendly, create a useful Crafty
Google Map. Crafters from all over will thank you!
1. GET A GOOGLE ACCOUNT.
If you use other Google products, like Gmail or
Google Reader, then you already have one. If not,
set one up for free at
google.com/accounts.
2. MAKE A BIG LIST.
Decide what locations (galleries, shops, cafés, etc.)
you want to include on your map. You can cover the
whole city, or just a handful of your favorite haunts.
You’ll need the street address of each place.
6. DOUBLE-CHECK THE LOCATION!
Google warns us: “Landmark placements are
approximate.” So when Google Maps finds a location, double-check it. Find the menu at the top of
your map and click Satellite. Use the slider at
the top to zoom in. At maximum zoom there’s an
aerial image that will usually confirm whether your
placemark is in the right place. I found that Google
located Collage (my favorite shop) a few doors
down from where it actually is. This is easily fixed —
simply drag the placemark to the correct location.
7. CONSIDER COLOR-CODING.
If you have many locations, you can color-code your
TIP: If you’re going for all-inclusive, try doing placemarks. Click on the large blue pin symbol in
a search in Google Maps for terms like “craft the placemark information window and find a menu
supplies” and “art supplies” in your city. of colors and symbols. In my Portland map, I use
blue for craft supply stores, green for craft schools,
yellow for thrift stores, and purple for boutiques.
3. START YOUR MAP.
Go to
maps.google.com. Click on the My Maps tab,
then click Create a New Map. From there, add a
name and a description to your map.
4. ADD A PLACEMARK.
In the search bar at the top of the Google Maps
page, enter the address of a location you want to
include on your map. Click the Search Maps button.
This location will appear on your map as a placemark. Look in the placemark information box for
the Save to My Maps link. Click it, and select your
map from the menu. If you live in a city that has
Google Street View, you’ll see a photo of the place.
8. ADD ZONES.
If your town has specific neighborhoods that are
noteworthy, you can use Google Maps’ shape tool
to draw a zone marker on your map. Click on the
Shape button at the top left corner of your map.
Then draw a rectangle (or whatever shape you like)
around an area by clicking on each point of the
shape. You can then add notes about this zone.
9. CONSIDER COLLABORATING.
If it’s too much to build a Crafty Google Map by
yourself, you can collaborate with a few friends.
(Each will need to have a Google account.) Click on
the Collaborate link and follow the directions.
5. CUSTOMIZE YOUR PLACEMARK.
Click on your new placemark and bring up its information window to add your own info. You could add
10. PLACE YOUR MAP ON A WEBSITE.
things like store hours, phone numbers, or what To show off your Google map, click on Link to This.
kinds of supplies they carry. Look at the information Then copy and paste the HTML code into your own
window to find a Rich Text Editor. Use this to add website or blog.
bold, italic, or colored text, or to build a hyperlink.
When you’ve added all the material you want to the
placemark, click the OK button.
For Diane’s Google map of Portland, go to
diyalert.com/crafty_portland_map.
