MapQuest Blog

There are so many ways these days to connect online and show the world your passions, collections, favorite restaurants and whereabouts (to name a few). However, getting those items on a map and posted to your blog or website has always been a bit of a challenge.

Thankfully, MapQuest just introduced their GeoRSS Embeddable Map feature that allows you to easily share location referenced content on a MapQuest map within your blog or website. The feature requires access to an online service that provides a feed with location data (Flikr, Brightkite, Yelp or When.com are examples) and places icons of your content and their location on an embedded MapQuest map.

The example below depicts our very own "Mark The Star" in various points of interest around the city of Denver. We have utilized our Geo-tagged images on Flickr and brought them into the MapQuest map via Flickr's "geoFeed" feature.

So get ready to try out our new easy-to-use GeoRSS feature for Embeddable Maps. And, if you don't need the GeoRSS ability, we encourage you to still look at how simple it is to add a map to your blog or website with our embeddable map feature!

Maybe you're like me and fondly recall those classic Sid & Marty Krofft shows like H.R. Pufnstuf, Sigmund & the Sea Monsters and, of course, Land of the Lost. Remember the rubber-suited Sleestak and the early stop-motion animated dinosaurs? It was so cool! Well, Universal Pictures is bringing Land of the Lost to the big screen this summer, starring Will Ferrell in an adventure full of spectacular sights and super-scaled comedy – and this time, the Sleestak are even scarier and the dinosaurs will eat your face off! Starting today, MapQuest has launched a fun new experience inspired by the film – the MapQuest Land of the Lost Adventure Sweepstakes.


During the 3 weeks of the adventure you can try out MapQuest features on the special Land of the Lost sweepstakes site and enter for a chance to win great prizes. While you're there, you can also see movie trailers and exclusive photos. The more you play, the more content is unlocked to view.

I hope you take a look at our MapQuest Land of the Lost site and enjoy playing the adventures – there's a new one every other day. So come back often and have fun going back in time and space. Land of the Lost is in theaters June 5th.

Try out an Adventure!

Last August, we launched a new MapQuest.com Beta that upgraded our classic home page. We added a map with traffic, gas prices and weather data as well as upgraded our forms to include a copy and paste option that let you paste an entire address into one field for maps and directions.

This morning, that Beta home page became the new home page at MapQuest.com.

We took several suggestions from you, our users, to make further improvements. For example, we added tabs to the form area that allows you to quickly switch between the map and directions forms. We also went "fullscreen" and made the map bigger-making it easier to view and utilize.



Keep your eye on our new scrolling "ticker" at the top of the page and the "What's New" tab on the home page for announcements of more new and improved features from MapQuest in 2009!

If you would like to learn more, read our feature page discussing the latest round of updates. As always, we welcome your feedback!

For many, the end of the year presents an opportunity to reflect on everything that the year has brought. Let's take a moment to see some of our key accomplishments in 2008.

We completed an amazing amount of work behind the scenes, but it's the services we provide to our users that matter most in the end. So, in expedient fashion in order to move straight to planning for 2009, here's our Top 8 in 2008 review:

#8 – Fuel Cost for Trip Calculation

With gas prices spiking over the summer, many people were forced to evaluate just how much a trip might cost them. By entering your vehicle information in the settings for My MapQuest, we can help you estimate the cost of gas for a trip based on your vehicle's miles per gallon and the local gas prices along your route.

#7 – MapQuest on iPhone

No doubt the iPhone is a popular gadget. You've always been able to access MapQuest.com from your iPhone but, we launched an iPhone-optimized site which automatically loads when you visit MapQuest.com from your iPhone. The site offers the iPhone flick and pinch gestures that so many love.

#6 – Real-Time Traffic

In March, we launched our real-time traffic feature. With coverage now in over 100 metro areas, you can view traffic flow, road closures, incidents, and construction to plan your drive. Traffic is even available on MapQuest for mobile web and our iPhone web version.

#5 – Draggable Routes

Our Draggable Routes feature launched in November and lets you drag your route to get you to your destination the way you want. Draggable routes lets you create directions around that stretch of highway you know is under construction, drive that scenic route along the highway, and drive through other parts of the city/state/country on your trip.

#4 – MapQuest 4 Mobile

Getting maps and directions is easy from your computer. But,often times, you need to find places and get directions when you are out and about. MapQuest 4 Mobile, our new, free mobile application, makes that a snap on many BlackBerry devices and carriers.

#3 – Saving Your Maps and Routes with My MapQuest

How often do you plan your trip or route in advance? With the introduction of My MapQuest this November, you can now save your maps and directions and retrieve them anytime. You can even save the directions you've customized with draggable routes (see feature #5) for later use.

#2 – MapQuest Local

MapQuest Local released with accolades in September. With loads of locally relevant content including news, movies, reviews, and much more bundled into a single page for a single location, Local is a great new online destination for finding what's going on in your destination location.

#1 – Brand Refresh

Last but not least, we refreshed the MapQuest identity as a reflection of our site's evolution. The logo was redrawn from scratch, to make it fresh & modern, yet familiar and instantly recognizable. The colors are sharper, the layout of MapQuest.com is cleaner and the brand is more vibrant and proud. It's a design that stays true to what you said MapQuest means to you.

We also re-introduced "Mark the Star," a fun and friendly character who marks the locations you find on MapQuest. He's been with us from the beginning, but he finally got a little polish, personality and an elevated status across the site.

And of course, we can't forget you. You've sent us your stories, your suggestions, your questions and corrections. A small group of you even worked closely with us weekly-sometimes daily- to provide your feedback and direction on our projects and concepts. Your feedback was crucial to the successful launch of all 8 products listed above. A heartfelt "thank you" from all of us at MapQuest.

And now, onward to 2009!

We hope you like all the new changes lately at MapQuest. We recently updated the home, Maps, & Directions entry pages with a map and copy/paste forms, added a great new Local feature, and released a free beta version of MapQuest 4 Mobile...and believe it or not, that's just the beginning.

With all that's brewing in our products, it only makes sense that we would update the MapQuest visual identity too!

You may have noticed some brighter colors, cleaner icons, larger buttons, a more efficient layout, and now, an updated logo. Or, maybe you haven't -- and that's OK. The visual changes aren't meant to distract, they're intended to make your experience simpler and more efficient as we experiment with new innovations.

Our Research & New Focus

We spent a lot of time planning, researching and talking to you about how you wanted MapQuest to evolve. We sought input from some of the best in the branding business and put the results of those efforts in front of hundreds of users like you.

We learned that our brand means a great deal to you. Many users have been with us from the beginning – over 12 years ago. But, as we evolved our product and service offerings so should our logo evolve.

The New Logo & Design

The visual updates we're making reflect this new focus. We explored countless logo options ranging from just the removal of the (in)famous "sparks", to a complete brand reinvention.

Because you've come to know and recognize our brand and the value it exemplifies (MapQuest is the #11 web domain), we landed on a design that stays true to what you said MapQuest means to you. The colors are sharper, the layout is cleaner and the logo is more vibrant and proud. This logo was redrawn from scratch, to make it fresh while staying familiar and instantly recognizable.

We have also given the MapQuest star a more prominent role in our products, representing not only the locations we find for you, but MapQuest's accuracy and friendly personality. We affectionately refer to it (him) as "Mark the Star," as in 'it marks the spot.'

So, although you'll see more changes, announcements and features in the coming months, we're still the MapQuest you have come to know and trust. We'll continue to innovate and deliver on the promises our brand makes: accurate, trusted, friendly, and easy to use.

As always, we welcome your suggestions and feedback.

As Mark said, today's launch of the MapQuest Beta is only the start of many exciting things to come from MapQuest. Let's take a look at some of the areas in more detail.

The Map

Probably the most significant change to the Beta is the addition of a map to the home, map, and directions form pages. The map provides immediate access to key local information.

The starting location of the map is based either on your personal settings or your current location. By default, it looks first for your home or work address in your MapQuest settings. However, if you choose to change the location using the link above the map (1), it will override all other defaults and we'll remember that location the next time you visit MapQuest.

You can easily print the mapped location, send the location to your cell phone or email, or generate a link to the mapped location with the buttons along the top (2). Enter a business name or category in the search nearby box (3), and we'll search for places near the location specified.



Just above the map, you'll find the current weather conditions for the area (4). Click on the weather link to pop open more weather information including a forecast and even weather cameras, where available. On the map itself, click the gas prices button (5) to pull the latest information from our gas prices site to show you the highest and lowest prices in the area. The traffic button (6) activates live traffic conditions in over 85 cities, and find relative speed or flow, incidents, and construction.

Local weather, traffic, and gas prices on the home page map are just a start. We will be introducing more local information in the future. What would you like to see on the map?

The Forms

We've also combined the forms for maps and directions on the home page. You can search for a business or enter an address to get a map in left half of the combined form. Getting directions is as easy as tabbing the keyboard or clicking the button to expose the form for the ending location.



Your saved and recent locations are still quickly accessible in the drop-down and you can access a quick list of airports and search categories by clicking on the magnifying glass icon in the search field.

Another key update to the forms is the introduction of the copy and paste address option. This alternative form style allows you to copy and paste addresses, even multi-line addresses, directly into the address box. You can easily switch between the new copy and paste forms and the classic forms by clicking the toggle link in the bottom left of the form box. Whichever form style you prefer, we will remember your preference throughout your visit and when you return.

The Logo

Did you notice our new logo? I'll let our senior designer talk about the refreshed brand in the next post.

Thanks to a lot of hard work from our team here at MapQuest, we'll be making updates and releasing more new features very soon. So try out our Beta and, as always, be sure to tell us what you think.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Chip Diffendaffer
Product Manager

Today's Beta launch is focused on the new MapQuest home, maps and directions form pages. One quick look at the new home page and you'll see we have retained your favorite features while revamping the page from top to bottom starting with a refreshed logo and a crisper look and feel.

New to the home page is a map. But, it's not just a map, it's a map that contains location-relevant content that you can toggle on and off like gas prices, local traffic and current weather. The map location is defaulted to your current location or personal settings.

We've also streamlined the address input forms based on popular demand from our users, adding the ability to copy and paste an address into one field.

There is so much more to tell you – but I'll let my MapQuest colleagues give you more details and highlights in Part II from Product Manager, Chip Diffendaffer and Part III from Senior Designer, Gavin Graham.

So please take some time to explore the new Beta pages and check back often as we'll be rolling out more exciting features soon! And of course, as always, give us your thoughts and feedback.

Happy Mapping!

Mark Law
VP of Product