Perspectives

<quote here>
We’ve joined forces with Twitter and Twittervision to give you instant updates on Super Tuesday. Throughout the day, you can watch Twitter texts from across the country. And send in your own updates!
</quote>
Twittervision has always been fun to watch. And to make your ordinary super tuesday fun (after you’ve voted, that is) , visit Google Maps + Twitter. I think this is basically twittervision with filters on words like “obama” and “poll” and “vote”.

Google Local India Sticker
Originally uploaded by shivku.

I was at a watch repair shop at BDA, Complex in Bangalore and I was surprised to see a Google marker stuck on one of the side walls of the small shop. On Closer analysis, It revealed itself as a “Google India Local Maps” sticker that Google possibly has shipped it over to these guys.

So, did the shop owner marked himself on the map (Using My maps) and got the sticker shipped? Very unlikely. I dont think he has used email, let alone maps online. I also tried searching for “Clock repair” and could not find anything useful. Infact, I could not find “BDA complex” in Koramangala, Let alone the “clock work shop” inside it.

So, that just means someone came over and distributed these stickers? That is cheap.

Having said that, the idea rocks. First, They have gone really local. This is as random a shop as it can get. Not the kinds you will find even on yellow pages. Second, this is free physical contextual advertising. Not many people are online in India yet, and not many non-internet ( Newspapers or TV) ads are contextual. Now, things in the physical world that you can relate to on the internet which is (also) contextual, well..that is a killer combo. Precisely what made me come back home and search for “clock works” near my house in Google maps.

Sridhar pointed out this, the other day. Go to Google maps. Search for Chennai. Click on “Find business” tab. Search for a business, like pizza. Click on print map. God Bless America.

Interestingly, the map is of some place called coffeyville in Kansas. Do they know folks at chennai drink a lot of coffee ?

No, it is just centre of the United states, with whatever zoom level you choose to view the Indian location with!

I am not sure when this got out, but remember Google included tiles for India a little while ago? And do you know they have a downloadable mobile app for maps? Now, they have put them both together. And it is rocking!

You still cant search for anything within India. You would still have to head over to Yahoo maps for that! But what strikes me is the clarity of the map when viewed on my Nokia N73. I was to go to a school for an admission for my brother. I just knew it was somewhere in Indiranagar. The “city local on telephone” guys like 080-22222222 and 080-2777777 were both unreachable at that point.
I remembered G had many interesting points of interests on their maps. I just gave it a shot and I was able to find the school in 2 mins!

Again, Rock on google. What are you enabling search ?