1. Create A Basic Map

Let's say your Twitter account name is @someone and you post the following update to Twitter:

@geoly taj mahal, india

In a blink of the eye, Geo.ly replies with this update for you:

@someone Geo.ly MAP, http://geo.ly/5by8 (40% geo accuracy) for Tajganj, Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Your map is created by Geo.ly and its url, http://geo.ly/5by8 is included in the reply.
The (40% geo accuracy) indicates how good the address match for your location is - this runs from 0% (poor) to 100% (excellent).

2. Syntax For Creating Maps

Geo.ly's Twitter service supports an extensive command set that you can make use of to customize your maps.

You can:

1. choose the type of marker to display denoting a place, event or meeting
2. give your map a name
3. add extra relevant information or instructions to your map
4. associate your map with another web page

The basic syntax for a map request is:

@geoly command:value command:value ... command:value

The following (single character) commands are supported:

• Location & Marker Type
  • p:location - chooses a place marker for your specified location
  • e:location - chooses an event marker for your specified location
  • m:location - chooses a meeting marker for your specified location
• Map Name
  • n:map name - sets the title or name to map name
• Extra Information
  • i:extra information - adds extra information to your map which visitors can see when they look at your map
• Linked Web Page (URL)
  • u:page url - sets the page url of page that you want linked to your map

If you don't specify the marker type command, p:, e: or m: then the text after @geoly is assumed to be your location (and a place marker will be shown by default). The map request MUST always include the location information.

If you don't specify the map name, n: command, then the name given to your map will be the same as the location you give.

3. Example Map Requests

Create a map for a birthday party (with an event marker on it):

@geoly e:15301 sumner drive ca72653 n:Jamie's Birthday Party i:The party is on Sat 24 June at 2pm. Pickup is 4pm.

Create a map for a well known landmark:

@geoly p:the white house i:The president lives here u:www.whitehouse.gov

Create a map for your business:

@geoly p:200 via martiri,roma,italy n:Pizza Palazzo i:The best pizzas in Rome! Tel 12345678 for a booking u:www.pizzapalazzo.it

4. Tips For Locations

1. Most landmarks and tourist attractions can be found without specifying their full address, eg Eiffel Tower
2. Geo.ly assumes that your address in the US and will return this map if preference to any other country
3. If the address is outside of the US then add the country to your location, eg "1 Maple Ave, London, UK"
4. It's generally not a good idea to add a house or building name - this tends to cause the geocoder to fail to find your location
5. The best locations include (any or all of) the following:
   • Street number
   • Street name
   • Town or City
   • Zipcode or Postcode
   • Country (if outside the US)

5. What If My Map Location Is Wrong

If the map you get back from Geo.ly shows the marker in the wrong location, then disregard the map url and ask Geo.ly to make you a new one!

Just try giving a more specific location or address the next time.

6. What If My Location Is Not Found

If you post an address that Geo.ly cannot geocode (convert into a place on a map) then you'll get a reply to that effect:

@geoly big bill socks

Geo.ly replies that it cannot find your location:

@someone Geo.ly SORRY, cannot find: big bill socks, please try again

7. If You Need Help

Just post the following update:

@geoly help

Geo.ly replies with a help message giving you the typical syntax for a map request and the url for this help page.

@someone Geo.ly HELP, m[eet]|p[lace]|e[event]:location n[ame]:yourmapname i[nfo]:someinfo u[rl]:webpage, See http://geo.ly/page/twitter