01.19.17: Mapping it out

ONCE YOU READ THIS…you’ll no longer have any excuses not to run maps.

Really.

It’s true!

I finally looked into it (yes, you certainly would be within your rights to ask why it took me soooo long!) and did the research I could’ve done a long time ago. And here’s what I learned…from some of you who had checked it out way back when:

You can use a Google map whenever you want! Yes…it’s that simple. Google even tells us it’s that simple. Right here, in a web document titled “Using Google Maps, Google Earth and Street View.” Scroll down just a bit and you’ll see a box titled “Uses in Print.” In that box, it’s clearly stated that it’s “OK to use” Google Maps in “…newspapers, magazines and journals.” 

The catch? No catch. Just be sure to credit Google Maps.

Some of you may object to the fact that businesses are included on some maps, like Starbucks and McDonald’s above. My thinking is that including those may actually help readers to find the place they’re looking for. Those readers may never have been to Northside Elementary School, but they may very well know where the Starbucks and McDonald’s are.

So, I’m guessing some of you may have an objection or two to running Google Maps. Bring it on…let’s talk about it, if you want. 

But…you no longer have any excuses not to run maps.

Really.

It’s true!