Google has added features to Google Maps that let you save, annotate, and share directions using My Maps. Users can save driving directions by simply clicking the “save to my maps” link below the directions.
From there, you can either save the directions to an existing map, or create a new one. Then, it takes you to the My Maps editor where you can edit the saved placemarks and route, and also add new places and details as you wish.
“You’ve probably been there: a friend asks you for directions to your house for a party, or to that nice picnic spot you recommended, so you try to scribble some lines on the back of a napkin or you try to explain out loud that they should take the second (or is it the third?) left,” says Taj Campbell at Google’s Lat Long Blog. “It’s particularly a pain when you want to tell a bunch of people – like your entire housewarming guest list – directions.”
Another new tool lets you draw lines along roads to illustrate how to get from one point to another. To use this, just go to the drop-down menu in the line tool by clicking and holding briefly on the button.
This tool calculates the best driving route and snaps the line you created to said route. You can then save this as well.
These features can certainly be useful for sharing directions with friends, and can be a fantastic element within Google’s social network, that you don’t really see with others.
