Claire McLister wrote:
> We've been working with Google Maps, and have created a web service to
> map origins of emails to a group. As a trial, we've developed a map of
> emails to this group at:
>
> http://www.zeesource.net/maps/map.do?group=668
>
> This represents emails sent to the group since October 27.
>
> Would like to hear what you think of it.
>
> Thanks for listening.
>
Mostly I wonder what the point is. For example, given my own somewhat
nomadic life I wondered what location has been used to map my own
contributions.
Examination of the maps source reveals you used the code
_m = createMarker(new GPoint(-82.775497, 40.3736),
'red', "<table width='300px'><tr><th colspan='2'
align='middle'>Ohio, United States</th></tr><tr><th colspan='2'
align='left'><a title='click to change'
href='editform.do?group=668&item=21364'>[EMAIL
PROTECTED]</a></th></tr></table>");
_m.city = '';
_m.country = 'United States';
_m.name = ' [EMAIL PROTECTED]';
marar.push(_m);
to generate my reference. This has never been correct (I am not sure
I've ever been to Ohio) and it certainly isn't now (since I moved
continents recently).
Nonetheless I'm sure that before long these maps will be used to prove
some spurious facts about newsgroup readership to gullible members of
the business community.
If I've got you wrong then please forgive my slight hostility, but I am
particularly suspicious of the "click to change" functionality. You are
clearly expecting people to update their locations, and other
information that might be related to their domains, and I can't help
wondering what purposes that information is intended for.
Finally, considering email address from domains like "verizon.net",
"aol.com" and other large ISPs I can't see that you have a chance in
hell of extracting useful demographics. Which all leads me back to
"what's the point?" - just because you can?
regards
Steve
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Holden Web LLC www.holdenweb.com
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