Making our mark

It has been a four month odyssey - learning to add placemarks to Google Earth and Google Maps that point back to our original content. To achieve that goal, I had to learn how to create KML files - XML files designed to work with geotagging. Along the way, there were countless failures. There was hair-pulling. There was inappropriate language. One night I decided that KML stood for "Kan't make landfall." Then there were the occasional successes. I could make KML files that would hold water. I had files that were "accepted" in Google Earth Gallery, after which they disappeared into hyperspace. I created simple placemark files in Google Maps that were "Publicly viewable," although almost nobody ever looked at them. Then I signed up for Google Earth Community and began sending the KML files up where instant icons were created to link to my placemark in Google Earth and Maps.




My sidebar article about the matter appeared in Library Journal a couple of days ago - you can see at http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6602836.html . The main article by Illinois public librarian Mikael Jacobsen is well worth reading. On Sunday, I noticed that files I had submitted to Google Earth Community were appearing in Google Earth all by themselves. Anyone who has checked Gallery/Google Earth Community in their Google Earth layers will see my files. This is what I call "Mission Accomplished." The exposure so far has led to a noticeable increase in the traffic to our original content, and it's just going to get better.

I just got to the point where I have so many KMLs and gadgets out there that even I am losing track. To that end, I am developing a blog to add links to everything I've created lately. You can see it now at http://terrysgadgets.blogspot.com/