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Maps & Map Points
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Can you define a map?
A map is a large area such as a city, a state, or a country that can hold many map points. You can create several maps with lot of map points to suit your needs. It is important to understand the difference between a map and a map point in order to make full use of the service.
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Can you define a map point?
A map point is a location on a map such as an address that is physically represented by an icon (marker). You can have many map points saved within a map. It is important to understand the difference between a map and a map point in order to make full use of the service.
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Why do you have two sections: My Maps and Public Maps?
Each section is a totally separate entity. The "Public Maps" can be viewed by anyone who access the site and "My Maps" are private and can only be viewed by you and the people you share them with.
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Are "My Maps" really private?
Yes they are. You can only view them when you are authenticated using you user name and password. For safety your password is encrypted in the data base. Not even the site administrators have access to your password.
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Can I add a new Public map point?
Yes you can. Doing so is a great way to share with other users a point of interest.
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Do public map points require approval?
No, but the Site’s administrator can change this setting at any time to require approval if the circumstances make it necessary such as inappropriate submissions or spamming.
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Can I create a new Public map group?
No, only administrators are authorized to create Public map groups, but you can suggest a map group and we encourage you to do so. The feedback form has a subject line for this matter. You can create private maps though.
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How many private maps can I create?
You can create as many as you wish.
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How many map points can I add to a map?
You can add hundreds if you want to, but the more you have the longer it takes for your map to render all the map points (icons).
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How can I share a map?
You can share a map point, but you can't share a whole map. Instead of sharing a map this property will be called 'colaboration', and will be part of a future release.
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How can I share a map point?
Select the map point from the list box and then click the 'Share Map Point' from the menu bar. On the To: text box enter the email address or addresses separated by a coma. You can send a copy of the email to yourself. The other user do not have to register to view the map point and you do not need to give him/her your user name and password.
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When I save a map point why do I have to select a country?
You only have to do it when you save a public map point not a private one. For public map points though it is important to know where a map point is located and as the Site grows; it will help us in the future to have a section of map points by country.
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When saving a map point how do I set the latitude/longitude of a map point?
The latitude and longitude information is set when you click the map, search by address, or search by lat /lng and click the "Save Map Point" link on the menu bar. You don't have to set them up manually.
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How is the zoom level and map type been set?
The zoom level and the map type are coming from the home page map, so your saved map will look exactly the same as the original one, but you can still change them from the drop down boxes on the "Add map point" modal form.
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What is the 'point information'?
The map point information is the text that will be shown in the info window.
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What is the 'info window'?
The info window is the little text bubble located above the icon.
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Can I use html in the point information text box?
No, html is not allowed. If you use html it will be shown as text characters. We have provide you with a rich text box instead so you can format the text as you wish.
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Can I use embeded YouTube videos in my map points?
Absolutely; a video will help you better indentify and expand the information about a map point. Your video will be shown under the "Video" tab.
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Can I embeded other video formats like Yahoo?
No, only the YouTube video format is supported.
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Where will my uploaded image be shown?
The image will be shown in the info window under the "Picture" tab.
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What image formats can I upload?
You can only upload .jpg, .gif and bmp images to the server.
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Do I have to resize the image before uploading it?
No, you do not have to resize the image before you upload it; the system will do this automatically for you. It will recognize whether the length or the width is larger and will resize it accordingly to make it fit in the info window.
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Is there a size limit for the image file?
Yes, the image file size limit is 500KB, which should be adequate.
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Can I change the image?
Yes, if you are not happy with how the image is shown in the info window, you can edit the map and upload a new image. The new image will automatically replace the previous one.
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Where will the 'more info' url be shown?
The 'more info' url will be shown at the bottom right side of the map.
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Please explaing how the Yahoo and Live maps work?
This is a nice feature that will allow you to compare how the same map point looks in those two services. The links will use exactly the same settings that you choose for your map such as lat/lng, zoom level and map type, so you do not have to worry about setting them up.
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Registration & Login
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Why do I need to Register?
Each map point is associated with a user name; so the same user can edit or delete his/her map point. Furthermore in order to take advantage of services like "my private map points" it is important to register. It's free and only takes a few seconds to register.
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How do I Register?
To create an account you will need to visit the Registration page and complete the form for creating a new account. Once there you will specify details such as your user name, email address and password.
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I have a Username and Password, How do I Login?
After successfully registering you should have a username and password. You can then visit the login page and enter your username and password to login.
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I already logged in, why do I get logged off automatically?
When logging in if you do not check the ‘Remember Me’ option you will be automatically logged off after an administrator-defined length of inactivity, usually 30 minutes. If you would like the site to always log you in automatically, please check the ‘Remember Me’ checkbox.
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I forgot my username and/or password.
If you forgot your password you can visit the Reset Password page and have a new password emailed to you by entering the user's name account you're registered with. You will be sent a new password since we store your password encrypted and we have no way of retrieving the original value. Once you receive your new password you can login and change your password. If you forgot your user name contact us and we'll retrieve it for you.
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What if I’ve registered but still cannot login?
If you’ve registered and can’t login, check to ensure you have a valid username and password. If you are sure the username and password are valid, but still can’t login your account may be on hold. In this case it is best to contact the site administrator.
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I’ve logged in before, but now can’t login?
First check to ensure your username and password are correct. If you still can’t login your account has either been put on hold or deleted due to inactivity. Please contact the administrator.
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General Issues
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Which browsers are supported?
We currently support: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6+, Mozilla Firefox 1+, Opera 9+, Safari 2+.
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Which browsers are recommended?
We recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 and Mozilla Firefox 3.
Why? Because the link to Live Search does not work with other browsers.
If you experience any other issue with your browser, please let us know here.
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Cookies & JavaScript?
In order to use the Web Site you must have JavaScript enabled.
Activate JavaScript in IE7
* Click Tools and select Internet Options.
* Select the Security tab.
* Click the Custom Level button.
* Scroll down to the options under Scripting.
* Under Active scripting, check Enable.
Activate JavaScript in Firefox 2
* Click Tools and select the Content tab.
* Select enable JavaScript.
* Click the OK button.
You do not need to enable cookies to visit the Site, but you need to enable cookies if you are going to register.
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What countries is geocoding available in? (search by address)
The Maps API Geocoder can currently geocode addresses in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, The Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, and the United States. The accuracy of geocoded locations may vary per country.
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Issue with the Yahoo® and Live Search® maps links?
The first time you click on the Yahoo® maps link a general map is shown; this happens because Yahoo® detects what type of internet connection you have, and then place a cookie on your hard drive with that information; from then on the link should work just fine. The Live Search® map does not work with the Opera and Safari browsers.
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