MappyNews fait une pause.

Mappy News, le site "read the news on a map" fait une pause.

Plusieurs explications:
- Google Site est sorti mais n'est pas vraiment un outil adapté à faire un site Internet mais plutôt un wiki/intranet. Le site peut-être public et pourrait être intéressant: je trouve que l'intégration avec les autres produits Google sont encore trop limité. L'inclusion de nouveau module demande encore des manipulations comme des copier-coller de lien...
- Google Page Creator n'évolue pas beaucoup dernièrement. Je rencontre quelques problèmes qui rendent la mise à jour et le développement du site trop fastidieuse, alors que cela pourrait être d'une facilité déconcertante.
- la présence de concurrent assez costaux. (j'en ai présenté certain sur ce blog)

Known Issues

I couldn't do the update i wanted to do this weekend.

Google Page Creator is not helping me a lot. Couldn't make the Google Reader clip script work on a new page. I know it can work as i made one work on the main page but not such luck on this one.

I could change the map codes using IE.

Then, I don't have the tools to make a new home page using all the space. I need 3 large columns to feet all the content.

Had new ideas but i guess it's postponed. Priority 1: good looking Home page!

News sources and more thoughts

Today I've picked up 3 news. I didn't do much with it but the project is going forward nonetheless.
I've been thinking about some issues. One of them is the news sources.

• Newsalert

2 things I put on the map were coming from "newsalert". I've always think twitter was a great way to get breaking news. I'm not sure who is behind newsalert but, one thing for sure, it's not "reliable". I mean, not every news are covered. (maybe I will try to contact them/him/her to know more) they can be a day without a tweet (though there are breaking news worth being covered...)
Actually, Newsalert inspired me MappyNews.

Anyway, today was great. 2 breaking news. that's I've put on a map right away. I couldn't spend to much time on it, so there were no real "added value". just a continuation of the experiment.

I didn't tweet those because it was already done. Newsalert could be a "partner" of Mappynews. I don't want to duplicate the content but enrich it.

Both link in Newsalert were from the BBC website. I put them on the map. But after thinking about it, I should make a research in Google News and link to that so as to offer diversity of coverage, and as well as the latest evolution of the news.

• Floods in Mozambique

That's the other thing I've put on the map. It's no breaking news I think. It's been 10 days or so. But i've picked up an article in my feed reader.

Actually when i did a research on Google Maps for "Flood in Mozambique", it return some mapping already done by the company. It seems there were some important floods there in February 2007.

• Location of a small village in south Thailand

After mapping (not precisely) the Thai ambush this morning, I've tried to find the district or the village in Google Maps but all i found was the news I had mapped 5 minutes before. Are there that quick to index the content in GMap? I need to run some test. maybe the research include what we have mapped.

• Links to Google Maps content

One thing I would have like is to be able to link from Google Maps to Google Maps without openning a new tab. It must be possible. there has to be way though I know it's going to be difficult for me to find it.
It could be great. The link in the bubble will add other content when being clicked.

For example, My brother gave me a link. it's a map by the french newspaper "20 minutes" with all the places where Sarko (French lame president) is going. I added that link in the bubble. When clicked I would just like the content being added to the map. not open a new tab with a new map. See what I mean?

• Website edition problems

For the time being MappyNews is not ready to be launched further. I have got a problem on editing the website in Google Page Creator. (Hope the new version is coming soon)
The map script doesn't behave well in the window when being edited. Hard to explain.
I've tried another version of the website. and another one.
I'll give you the update when I solve the problem.

Collaborate

The maps of MappyNews are completely open for collaboration via the Google Maps website.

Mappy News "capital"

Mappy News is just an idea yet, as you might have guessed from what the website is displaying now.

We are using free hosting, mainly from Google. Mappy News is using the latest features of third parties website to offer what we believe can be an alternative originial information canal.

I only own a single computer and an internet connection at home and at work.
The other things we own and use are free accounts on other website to create contents with the available Internet tools.