Hosted Zip Code Store Locater Software Allows Users to Find Your Business Or Stores

New to the market store locator tool that integrates the Google Maps and Mapquest Maps API's. This tool allows people with multiple business or dealer locations to quickly add zip code store locater functionality to their existing business web site. It is a great tool for all types of businesses that have products distributed to many locations throughout the country. The locater software can also be utilized as a sales team tool for internal business use.
Salespersons can utilize the site to find details and driving directions for a company's repository of dealers. The store locater software utilizes the DotNetNuke asp.net platform as its base. Dotnetnuke is known throughout the industry as the largest and most successful open source project native to the Microsoft platform. All database entries are stored within a sql server database.
Web users can use the web-based Administrative Console to set all their settings and preferences as well as add all their location data into the system. It is a hosted solution allows the user to tightly integrate the search functionality into their existing website. Their private store locater portal then has its URL auto-generated and can then be pasted into an IFRAME on their current business web site.
Of course they provide upgrade plans for company's that require more than 10 locations. The idea of the store locater software is to provide clients with a hosted store locater solution that is easy to update and maintain. The solution integrates so nicely with their existing site that customers their site do not realize the store locater functionality is hosted.

How to Create Party Invitation Maps

Having a party and want to include a map in your invitations to help ensure your guests arrive on time and safely? While GPS (Global Positioning System) systems and online sites like Yahoo! Maps, Google Maps, and MapQuest make getting from point A to point B a breeze, including an elegant, uncluttered map not only provides an appreciated convenience, but is also a perfect compliment to your invitations. They can be custom ordered or you can make them yourself.
Here is one method for creating your own map for two locations such as a wedding ceremony and reception:

1. With the addresses of the wedding and reception, go to Yahoo! Maps and enter the ceremony address as point A and the reception address as point B.
2. Click Go. Make sure your map is centered the way you want it.
3. Click Printable Version.
4. Click Map Only in the new open window.
5. Right click the map and click on save picture as. Save the map to your computer.
6. Open PowerPoint and clear out a slide to work on.
7. Go to Insert>picture>from File and select the map you saved.
8. Trace the key parts of the map you want on your map. On the bottom toolbar, click on AutoShapes>Lines>Freeform. Now you have your tracing tool. Adjust the thickness of the line by clicking on the icon Line Style (the icon with the lines with different thicknesses). A two-and-one-quarter-point line works well. Start at the edge of the map outline and trace the outline of the map until you need to curve then click your mouse. Continue to trace until you need to curve again then click the mouse. You can click as many times as needed for a more accurate trace.
9. Trace important streets using the same Freeform line and a slightly thinner point Line Style (1 point for major streets and three-quarter point for smaller streets).
10. When you're done, delete the original map picture by clicking on it and pressing the delete key.
11. You can change colors by clicking on Font Color. Add shapes by using AutoShapes and text by using the text box. You can also add clip art by going to Insert>Picture>Clip Art.

For an area map of the party location, try this method:

1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Type the address of the party location.
3. Click on Map.
4. To enlarge the map so that it fills your computer screen press the F11 key.
5. Use the + or - option to zoom in or out.
6. Simultaneously press the Ctrl (control) and Print Screen keys, then Copy and Paste into a Word document.
7. Using the Crop tool, crop in on the map.
8. Print the map and trace the key parts you want with a Sharpie.
9. Scan the map and make it a layer in Adobe Photoshop.
10. Trace and color whatever portion you want colored in another layer and delete the first layer.
11. Print on white vellum, card stock, theme-coordinating paper, or coordinating colored paper that's at least one fourth inch larger on all four sides. Add additional flair using craft scissors or decorative corner punches.

For those who are less technical, here's a fast and simple way:

1. Go to Google Maps.
2. Type the address of the party location.
3. Click on Map.
4. To enlarge the map so that it fills your computer screen press the F11 key.
5. Use the + or - option to zoom in or out.
6. Simultaneously press the Ctrl (control) and Print Screen keys, then Copy and Paste into a Word document.
7. Using the Crop tool, crop in on the map.
8. Right click the map and click on save picture as. Save the map to your computer.
9. Open PowerPoint or your desktop publishing program
10. Go to Insert>picture>from File (the picture being the map you saved).
11. Add a text box and type directions or any other information.
12. Print on white vellum, card stock, theme-coordinating paper, or coordinating colored paper that's at least one quarter inch larger on all four sides. Add additional flair using craft scissors or decorative corner punches.

For those who prefer to cut and paste, here is the least technical way:

1. Go to MapQuest.com.
2. Type the address of the party location.
3. Click Get a Map.
4. Use the + or -slide bar on the left side of the map to zoom in or out.
5. Click Print
6. Cut out the portion of the map you need and tape it to a blank sheet of paper for making copies.
7. Cut out your copied maps and affix them to white vellum, card stock, theme-coordinating paper, or coordinating colored paper that's at least one quarter inch larger on all four sides. Add additional flair using craft scissors or decorative corner punches.

If you didn't include the directions to your party in a text box on your map, type them out and print them on white vellum, card stock, theme-coordinating paper, or coordinating colored paper. Here, too, you can add additional flair using craft scissors or decorative corner punches.

Ellen Henneke is a freelance provider of professional virtual business services with more than thirty years of experience in the corporate arena and nonprofit sector. Her favorite pastimes are writing, art, photography, and party planning. Her writing accomplishments include several self-published works; a non-fiction book about nutrition titled "The Clear Cut Laws of Nature," a non-fiction travel adventure titled "Outside My Window," a fiction Goddess adventure titled "The Journey of Seven," which she also illustrated, and a series of co-authored how-to guides titled "The Enlightened Party Planner: Guides to Creating Parties from the Heart." http://stores.lulu.com/enlightenedparties
As an artist and photography hobbyist, Ellen specializes in travel, nature, and wildlife images. Her artistic goal is that you see through her eyes, through her skill, her passion, her vision. View her entire collection at http://www.ellen-henneke.artistwebsites.

You Won't Find Sesame Street on MapQuest

Sesame Street
must exist in an alternate universe. I recently asked a fellow, "Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street, where the air is sweet?" He gazed at me rather curiously and quickly walked away. I searched today, but couldn't find Sesame Street on Google Earth or MapQuest. I would like to find this wondrous street, and perhaps live there even as a homeless man. I would very much like to live in a place where it's sunny every day and be able to bask in the cool shade next to Oscar's trash can.I yearn for cookies. I feel as if I'm destined to live in a world (or on a street) where gluttony is an acceptable practice -- a street where Cookie Monster, not Diet Pill Monster, is a renowned icon. A safe street which is routinely patrolled by Super Grover would give me the security I require to sleep well at night, and the comfort to take frequent naps during the sunny daylight hours. I have fantasies at night about using the free email hosting enjoyed by Elmo, never having to worry about spam, nor malicious trojans. I'm almost hypnotically drawn to a neighborhood where there is a big bird, but never a big turd.
I have dreams of feeling sheltered in a neighborhood which is devoid of junkies, pimps, and antidpressant pushers. Pausing for a moment, I'll admit that somewhere in this spacious universe there may be a Sesame Street West where puppets, muppets, and their human caretakers are struggling to survive in a cold, callous world. A dark street where every other light is burnt out may exist on Sesame Street West. On such a street, I can envision drive-by shootings being commonplace, where gum and kool-aid are viciously shot at defenseless muppets using slingshots and supersoakers. Upon that street in the West Side are extremely poor muppets who don't have the financial ability to afford high-quality carpet cleaners to bathe with after being victims of the latter-stated gum and kool-aid attacks. In the West, a big bird will restrict himself to being friends with only another big bird and never a snuffleupagus -- a big bird whose heart isn't blind to the appearance of other muppets. This is the dreary avenue where muppets will kill other muppets for having religious or political beliefs not matching their own.
As a constituent, I would demand a street where shop keepers would not behave like crazed vigilantes; they would call the police when I shoplift instead of violently attempting to retard my life using a semi-automatic weapon. I hope to one day walk down a street where capitalism is not confused with exploitation, and where shop keepers will act in a proper fashion. I have a dream to walk hand-in-hand with muppets everywhere, singing gaily to upbeat music, dancing merrily along a clean street -- a dream where even a grouch who chooses to reside in a trashcan is not a complete outcast. In the interim, I will retain my optimism, and search for other dreams while napping occasionally.

By Andy Alt / Mental Dimensions
http://mentaldimensions.wordpress.com
Depression and mental health theme, with humor, comedy, farce and rants, combined with occasional doses of sincerity
This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License

How to Find Free Driving Directions Online

Whether you are searching for directions to the next town or across country, you can go online to download free driving directions. You can search by quickest route or shortest mileage, depending on which is most important to you. These maps will also tell how many miles you will travel and approximately how long it will take you to get there.
Such sites as Expedia.com and Mapquest will allow you to find directions to just about any destination. When you go on the sites, you might have to maneuver a bit to get to the driving directions. For instance, on Expedia.com you have to click on maps and then click on get driving directions.
You will be prompted to put in your departure address and arrival address. We have found that all the sites that provide free directions work well for the most part. However, if your departure or arrival address is in a very rural area, new neighborhood or small town, you might not get the correct driving directions. Your directions will probably end by saying something like "take local roads". If you get that response, you are better off contacting a business in the area to get them to give you directions.
In addition to driving directions, you can download free maps of different cities. You will find this to be true more for larger cities than small towns or rural communities. Free State maps arm you with Interstate and Highway information.
If you are traveling a long distance, you should consider downloading a map of the area in case you run into road construction and detours. For long distance travel, purchasing a map or atlas, such as a Rand McNally map is probably in your best interest. It is always a good idea to keep an atlas in your car of the state in which you live and other states that you frequent just in case you get lost or want to take an alternate, more scenic route.
For free driving directions, the internet is your best place to start. Most of the directions are easy to read, even for the most map challenged people. If you have any questions about the maps you download, it is best to check with someone in your destination city to be sure you know where you are going. These directions also provide you with helpful information about how many miles you will be traveling and approximately how long it will take you to arrive at your destination. This information allows you to plan for the appropriate amount of travel time and to decide where you might want to stop on your way to your destination to spend the night or just stretch your legs.

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