How To Outsource Romania's Maps

At the beginning of this summer, I wrote a rant about Romania not being properly indexed on Google Maps. A friend noticed it on Facebook, and asked me if I could help start something about this using the Causes application.

A few months flew by, and the cause "Google! Put Romania On Your Maps!" has 10,208 members as of the time of this post. The cause has sparked others (including a petition on Twitter, to which Google responded), and has been mentioned in the Romanian press and even on the Google Lat Long Blog.

And from that very post on Google's blog comes the company's sheer brilliance: they have an application called Google Map Maker, which allows users to create and/or edit user-generated maps of any given area, based on their own local knowledge. And they just opened it up for Romania.

Now, I didn't exactly know how this works (and most importantly how this crowd-sourced content actually makes it to Google Maps itself), and it just so happened that Jen, a Maps Community Organizer at Google, left some helpful comments right on this blog (you can never, ever say that Google isn't on top of its game when it comes to communication).

Here's how the whole thing goes:

1. Visit Google Map Maker and search for, let's say, Bucharest
2. Add or edit (more about this and a walkthrough in their Help section). As you create or moderate, others will pitch in with feedback (which you'll be notified about via e-mail).
   
3. How does your stuff get to Google Maps (and its API)? There are processes called data transfers, which are done at a certain period of time - the last one was on May 24th - more here - Romania should be on the list next time.

Now comes the interesting part - seeing how many of those >10,000 people actually respond to this call-to-action. It's utterly needless to say that if everyone adds or edits at least 10 items, the first data transfer should cover quite a lot... So map away! [pic via]

Androids Are Heroes Too

Ever since trashing my iPhone, I've had the privilege of getting my hands on a shiny HTC Hero. This has also been the first time I really got to know Android. All I can say is that I'm fascinated.

Is this one a worthy oh-so-sought-for iPhone killer? I think it is. And it's not just about the fact that the device is state-of-the-art (it has everything one needs minus a flash for the camera), it's also about what it more or less stands for: open-source. There's a theory going around nowadays about how the iPhone has already seen it's peak, that companies who try to control their customers will end up in the bin, and how the concept of open-source (such as the Android OS) is getting stronger by the day because it gives its users freedom (and, erm, Google Voice).

All I can say is that, after tinkering with Android, I think that Google's evil plan to take over the mobile telecommunications world (as well) just might work.

"Not another social network?!"

Online social networks have been literally booming over the past couple of years, thriving on the content that they don't even have to create - why should they, when hundreds of millions (if not billions) of users, myself included, are doing it for them?

That's all fine and dandy, but it seems to me that something went wrong along the way, and the bubble's beginning to burst. There are so many out there now, that many people are now hunting down the best app which can do the best job at updating all of them at once. To put it simply, it's just too much to handle, at least for the average (non-geek) user.

Which more or less conveniently brings me to my next point: because of this clutter, many good up-and-coming social networks don't stand a chance.

Take Dopplr, for example. It has a very simple, yet particularly useful purpose: as Jimmy Wales put it, "You put in your travel schedule and link to your friends. It allows you to see where everyone is. I love it." I'm personally an avid user of Dopplr, and I'm making serious efforts to get my friends to join, simply because it's easy to use, very handy and arguably the best there is on its niche. Unfortunately, their usual response is "Not another social network, dude, I can hardly handle the ones I'm on as it is!"

But then again, typical social networking users don't check out TechMeme or follow The Crunchies. Hell, I don't even think they've ever googled their way into finding the best solution. They're not seeing the good stuff. They just go with it on a first-come, first-serve basis.

So I'm wondering whether the problem is, in fact, this never-ending stream of crappy alternatives to the good networks, this clutter... Or is the discouraging and brutal truth that they don't really care? If so, take that for a target consumer. [pic via]

Not Cool, Google.

Dear Google,

I'm a bit disappointed by your neglect of Romania on your Maps service. It's summer 2009, and you still aren't providing any street maps whatsoever (only a handful of major roads). Not that I'm bragging or something, but this is indeed an issue. Here are some facts to help you digest the ugly truth:

• Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population among the European Union member states
  
• Bucharest is the 6th largest city in the EU by population within city limits
• Bulgaria, who joined the EU at the same time, has Google street maps
  
• Apple has been selling Google Maps-enabled iPhones in the country for over a year now
• even an Android device will soon hit the local market

And the list goes on.

The worst part, though? All those questions/requests/rants on your Support page - which, as you may have imagined - still go unanswered. And you even have the nerve to list it as a first result on a search for Bucharest!

The Google Car's been spotted on numerous occasions around here during the past 6 months - great - but isn't an actual street mapping crucial before you start providing Street View? Do something, already!

Yours frankly,
An irritated customer.

Posting habits

In the next instalment of my series of excuses for not blogging often, I say this: it's not really practical anymore, for me at least, because there are more convenient substitutes. Let's break it down a bit:

1. I find an interesting read. I either tweet it, post it on Delicious, friendfeed or on Facebook (and if I find it in the NY Times, I just use that wonderful app entitled TimesPeople).
2. I take an interesting photo and want to post it. It either goes to Flickr, Twitpic or Facebook.
3. I'm at an event and want to do some live 'reporting'. Tweetie it is, then.

So, once again, here I'll only be scribbling down random thoughts which I find inadequate (or, better said, just not short enough) for either of the services mentioned above. [pic via]