• bring up a map of nearly anywhere in the world,
• add one or more markers ("push-pins") to the map, with your own custom descriptions, like this:

  

• easily share that marked-up map with anyone, via email, IM, blogs—anything!

Each time you create a map, we give you a short MapFling URL (link) for that map, which you paste into an e-mail, IM, or blog post. People who click on your MapFling URL will see your map, complete with the markers that you created. Here is a sample MapFling URL:

http://mapfling.com/q38zxw9

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Customers flying in to visit your office? Impress them with a MapFling map that shows your office, their hotel, and maybe a few of your favorite restaurants too! Label each location with whatever description you want to include ("Excellent sushi here!").

Meeting a friend at Central Park? It's a big place: with a MapFling satellite image, you can pinpoint the exact park bench where you'll be waiting for her!

Got a house or apartment for sale or rent? Include a MapFling URL in your online ads to get an edge over the other listers. With one click, your renters will know where you are. If you're a real estate agent, blow away your customer with a custom MapFling map showing multiple properties with your customized comments.

Any time you would hunt around for a paper map to mark up and fax/scan/snail-mail to people, you can fling it instead! They will receive your map instantly, complete with your markers and comments. They will be able to zoom in and out on the map, explore the area, and print if they like.

What's more, they can even create their own custom version of your map, adding more markers and adjusting existing ones, and send it back to you! Collaborate on real estate searches, travel plans, party arrangement, or even scavenger hunts! The possibilities are endless!

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• Lets you add multiple markers to your maps: each marker can be at an address you provide, or you can just click on the map to add a marker wherever you like!

• Lets you provide custom descriptions for each marker. Say anything you like!

• Lets you share your map using a short MapFling URL that you can easily and confidently send to others without any fear of it being chopped off or damaged by e-mail or IM programs. Just try that with a 300-character Google Maps URL!

• Is easy to use: while there are other services for creating annotated maps, many of them force you to create login accounts, and most of them present you with many complex options for technical tasks such as GPS or GIS data import. MapFling is for people who don't know or care what GIS is and just want an easy way to send someone a map!

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http://mapfling.com/q38zxw9

If you aren't familiar with what "copy and paste" means, then you can simply type the MapFling URL into your message by hand (it's not that long!)—just make sure you get all the letters and numbers right. Or, you can learn about how to get the computer to "copy and paste" automatically for you by reading the answer to this question.

When others read your message, your MapFling URL will look something like this:

http://mapfling.com/q38zxw9

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• When you first create a MapFling map, its MapFling URL is good for 3 months.
• When someone (including you) looks at your map by clicking on its MapFling URL, we extend its expiration date to 3 months after that time.

If nobody has looked at a particular MapFling map for 3 months, then it will expire, and all information in it (map position, markers, descriptions) will be lost.

Note on policy changes: In the unlikely event that we decide to change our policy in a way that might make your old map expire sooner, we will a. guarantee that your map stays valid for 3 months after the policy change, and b. make it so that when you view your map, you see a warning that the expiration policy has changed, along with the new information. So, as long as you view your maps at least once every 3 months, you are guaranteed to be notified of the policy change and you can take any steps you need to save your data.

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For most cities in the United States, Canada, China, Japan, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, you can get a detailed, traditional street map showing you roads, airports, parks, and other landmarks along with their names. In most of these areas, you can use MapFling to pinpoint any street address that you provide.

But MapFling also has satellite images (photographs taken from very far up) for many more areas of the world. In some areas, the maps are so detailed that you can zoom in and see individual streets, buildings, statues, ponds, and other landmarks! This is great for creating a detailed map showing where you want to meet someone.

It's easy to switch between the various types of map. Look at the upper-right corner of the map. If you click "Map," you will get the street map. If you click "Satellite," you will get the satellite images. If you click "Hybrid," you will get the street map superimposed on top of the satellite image.

When you create a MapFling map, you choose whether to show the street map, the satellite image, or both. When people click on your MapFling URL, they will see the same type of map that you have chosen.

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You can also just start with the world map at step 1 and zoom in on the map yourself to choose locations for markers, rather than having us find an address for you. To do that, click the GO button and then click the link that says "skip straight to step 2."

One of the big advantages of MapFling is that you can place your own markers by just clicking on the map, even if Google doesn't know the street name or address there.

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However, MapFling goes beyond Google Maps by allowing you to create multiple markers with your own custom descriptions and making it easy for you to share your annotated map with others using a short MapFling URL.

MapFling Incorporated is not affiliated with Google in any way.

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In the address, you should provide at least the city, as in these examples:

new york, ny
san francisco, ca, usa
bonn, germany
bangkok, thailand

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500
101 main, sf, ca

Many areas of the world for which we do not yet have street maps currently have very detailed satellite images (for example, the major cities of Asia). So you can find the city by typing in its name (say, "Bangkok, Thailand"). Then, click the "Satellite" button at the top right of the map. Now you can zoom in on a precise point in the city and place one or more markers.

You can also just start with the world map at step 1 and zoom in on the map yourself to choose locations for markers, rather than having us find an address for you. To do that, click the GO button and then click the link that says "skip straight to step 2."

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http://mapfling.com/q38zxw9

"Copy and Paste" is a common, useful thing you can do with text on your computer. It allows you to copy text from one place to another without having to type the text yourself. So you can use "copy and paste" to copy your MapFling URL into the program you use to send e-mail messages.

In general, to learn how to copy and paste, you should consult the manuals and help that comes with your computer.

But here is a procedure, which works on most computers, that should help you get started. This assumes that you have already created your MapFling map and you are at step 3, where MapFling has just given you your MapFling URL:

• Move the mouse to the left end of the MapFling URL on the screen.
• Press and hold the mouse button (if you have two mouse buttons, use the left one).
• Drag the mouse across the MapFling URL. Notice how the text gets highlighted as you drag. This is called "selecting" text. Select the whole MapFling URL by dragging the mouse all the way to the right of the MapFling URL.
• Release the mouse button. Now you have selected the MapFling URL.
• Use your mouse to (left) click on the "Edit" menu at the top of the window.
• Use your mouse to (left) click on the "Copy" option on the "Edit" menu.
• Now, switch over to your e-mail program or whatever program you wish to use to send your MapFling map to others. Begin a new message.
• Use your mouse to (left) click on the "Edit" menu at the top of that program.
• Use your mouse to (left) click on the "Paste" option on the "Edit" menu. Now you should see your MapFling URL appear in your e-mail message. You're done!

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There could be several reasons why your MapFling URL might not have worked:

• It might have expired. If nobody views a MapFling map for 3 months, then it expires and its MapFling URL will no longer work. See this question for more detail.

• Mistyped? Although MapFling URLs are short, it is still possible to accidentally mistype them or accidentally chop off a letter or two. Currently, all MapFling URLs have this form:

  http://mapfling.com/XXXXXXX

  They begin with http://mapfling.com/, followed by 8 letters and numbers (which we've written above as XXXXXX). For example, here is a sample MapFling URL:

  http://mapfling.com/q38zxw9

  Upper and lower case are not significant (you can type the same MapFling URL in upper or lower case and it will work either way). If there's any extra stuff after the 8 letters of the MapFling URL, we will ignore it and the MapFling URL will still work.

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37.4419, -122.1419

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If there is a good business case, we might also consider ad exchanges with high-profile sites and quantity advertising deals that do not involve Google. If you are interested in this, contact advertising@mapfling.com.

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• In your party, invitation, wedding, concert, or social networking site, users can create and share custom maps associated with their identity in your site. Maps can be part of their personal profile or part of messages they send—the only limit is your imagination!

• Your real estate, classified, sightseeing, tourism/travel, or relocation site can generate and deliver interactive maps of interesting properties or landmarks to your impressed customers, branded with your own corporate image.

• Your corporate site can welcome customers, business partners, and interview candidates visiting your office with an interactive map of your location and relevant sites in the area such as their hotel, restaurants, and field offices. The maps retain your own corporate look.

• If you are in charge of deploying or dispatching salespeople, repair crews, drivers, inspectors, or other connected mobile professionals, imagine being able to send them their assignments with a customized, interactive map. Integration with route-finding services (for driving directions) is also a possibility.

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MapFling has the same information about you as all general sites on the internet, such as your IP address.

MapFling does not store or read any cookies on your system.

Some advertising systems that MapFling uses may attempt to store or read cookies on your system, but you always have the option to disable cookies in your web browser software.

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Once you have created a map, anyone can look at your map if they have (or can guess) your MapFling URL. Although it is not particularly easy to guess a MapFling URL (it's about like guessing someone's telephone number), you must understand that MapFling is designed as an open system for non-secret data. For example, if you guess at a random MapFling URL and type it in, you can look at someone else's map, in the same way that if you dial some random digits on your telephone, you will reach someone else's phone.

None of the information in your map (such as the map position, marker positions, marker descriptions, etc.) is protected from viewing in any way. For example, there is no password for the map. Do not use MapFling to store any type of sensitive data; we take no responsibility for any exposure of your data to anyone. Furthermore, you are explicitly forbidden from using MapFling for any illegal purpose.

Modification

Nobody, not even you, can modify a MapFling map once it has been created. So, while people can see your map, they cannot change it. See this question.

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