Online Driving Maps - What Are the Most Popular Ones?

Web users in search of driving directions usually visit one of the following sites: Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Mapquest or Live Maps. A good way to gauge these sites is to try plotting out a drive you are very familiar with, such as your commute to work or to a friend's house, and see what the sites recommend. Try out various functions, look at the satellite maps, view the construction or traffic obstruction overlays, look up gas prices at the corner gas station or search for restaurants on your way. Soon you will see which street maps you prefer.
The Google Map site is considered the best mapping solution available on the web, although it is barely surpassing reigning king MapQuest. Advocates for Google say the design functions make it easy for users to follow. For example, you are immediately prompted with an "Address" search box, and then you simply click the "Get Directions" button to get driving instructions from one location to another.
Right on the map, you then have the option to quickly alternate between views of the street map, the traffic map, the satellite map or, in some cases, a 360-degree street view. Google cuts out wasteful turns and delivers direct routes; not to mention the satellite maps are the best, hands down. The "Street View" feature still needs some work but those who use it say it is a great way to choose a new neighborhood to live in or get a handle on the traffic situation.
Despite coming in third, following MapQuest and Google, Yahoo Maps still holds its own. While Yahoo's homepage remains cluttered, their mapping site is very similar to Google's, with simple menu options. With two search boxes, your clicks are minimal and getting driving directions is a cinch. Most of your routes will be the same as your Google Map selections.
The web reviews, rating systems and partnerships Yahoo has forged with other sites like Yelp make it a nice resource for consumer research and local information. Yahoo traffic and construction data is pretty good as well, although their search function could use some work, as it turns up random results and too many paid listings compared to its competitors.
Currently, developers of driving direction sites are looking at ways they can blend the mapping function with their other endeavors. For instance, with "My Tracks," you can create a map of your walking/jogging/biking route, using your cell phone as a GPS device, and save your route to Google Docs. You can also access Google Maps through your Gmail email account window. You can use the Google search engine within the Google Map page to find local businesses as well. These innovations distinguish the winners from the losers.

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Using MapQuest: What You Should Think Of

Remember when you had to carry around road maps within your car to determine how to get places in the past before the online world? You might have even needed to stop in a service station and ask someone for directions in the event you got lost or you would have to get really comprehensive directions from a friend before you left your home. It might be tough to discover how to get to new places and try new things such as book clubs or meetings or classes since you might have a hard time figuring out how to get to new places.

Fortunately, now, you have the internet, and we do not have this dilemma anymore because we can use services like MapQuest to determine where we're going. The procedure for looking up driving directions on MapQuest is an easy one. MapQuest will come up with driving directions for you once you've entered your commencing address and the address that you want to go to. The driving directions can be very detailed, and you'll be supplied with a map. As an example, it is going to even say things like "if you've passed this street, you have gone 0.2 miles too far."

Since it offers you the capability to go new places and try new things which you might not have had the opportunity to try previously, using MapQuest is surely a valuable thing. For instance, let's say you find out about an incredibly wonderful restaurant online that's in a different part of town than you live in. You can simply work out how to get there just by knowing the address. Without the assistance of MapQuest, this is considerably more challenging. You might not ever even hear about these kinds of places and if you had the address, you might not be able to find it on a map.

In order that it provides you with the most updated driving directions you could possibly request, MapQuest is being kept up to date and enhanced every day. MapQuest will even take into consideration things like traffic and also road work. Different routes may also be given to you on MapQuest. So if you detest driving on the interstate, for example, MapQuest will most likely list at least two or three other ways to get wherever you would like to go by taking back roads or perhaps state highways.

These alternative ways may help you become knowledgeable about new areas also. You can quickly learn your way around by simply trying some of the different ways that you might find out about by using MapQuest, and that is undeniable. I highly recommend utilizing this fantastic website relating to driving directions. It is a reliable web page, and it will definitely aid you in getting wherever you are going without losing your way. You will definitely see what I mean if you simply try it out, and that is a well known fact.