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[lucky]

Trying to solve my map pin placement problems is really getting me frustrated to the point that I may just give up.

But really: TP provides ways to Delete an entire Travel Logue, a single Entry, a photo. Is it asking too much for you to enable an option to Delete a Map pin. The instructions for Repositioning a Map pin are confusing [to me at least[ and just doesn't seem to work.

Also it sems it is Mandatory to place or accept a map pin for every single entry even if it is wrong.

Updating the map pins is simple, just go to each map pin and select a new place ont he map. When you create a map pin, if you rather not place it, we detect the best possible fit for it automatically.

I'm not sure I understand the frustration.

[lucky]

Izzie,

What if rather than defaulting to the Classic Maps for blogs with over 50 pins we always show the Google Maps ( if the blog is configured to use Google Maps ) BUT we show only the one pin for the entry which is being shown and not the other pins.

The other maps on the page will of course show the other pins and lines. I think this is the best approach and would retain the accuracy of the pin.

The whole point of that map was to show the location of that one entry which this would accomplish.

Would that be better for you?

Sounds great... I appreciate the problems with Google Maps taking ages to load...the more detail, the more time it takes.
Thanks again for looking into it.

Izzie

We've added this new feature ... should be better now.

[uncle_davros]

Lucky, maybe I am only one voice, but I do not like this new feature. I always prefered to see my lines, and as I have over 50 pins, they are not there. I didn't realise this until one of my friends pointed this out. Yes, my Europe map is covered by lines, but on my next trip, my friends will not be able to see the trip unless they change the mapping setting, and the majority of my friends like to follow my progress via the lines. Surely, couldn't we have an option to be able to decide which map is better for you?

Personally, unlike your other enhancements, this was a BAD one

[radsolv]

Trying to solve my map pin placement problems is really getting me frustrated to the point that I may just give up.

But really: TP provides ways to Delete an entire Travel Logue, a single Entry, a photo. Is it asking too much for you to enable an option to Delete a Map pin. The instructions for Repositioning a Map pin are confusing [to me at least[ and just doesn't seem to work.

Also it sems it is Mandatory to place or accept a map pin for every single entry even if it is wrong.

Updating the map pins is simple, just go to each map pin and select a new place ont he map. When you create a map pin, if you rather not place it, we detect the best possible fit for it automatically.

I'm not sure I understand the frustration.

Updating the pins may be simple and you don't understand my frustration. But I am still very very frustrated with the mapping problems.I have. It would take me pages to explain them.

One of the simpler ones. I want to place a pin on Dehli. I do a search to find Dehli. It comes back "Not found". I try New Dehli. Also not found. Same for Khatmandu and some other large cities. But other times it might find Dehli.

I tried placing a pin on the southern most tip of India. Positioned the hand. Quickly clicked then clicked on Accept. The pin was placed hundreds of mioes East of the Phillipines. Sometimes after placing a pin then clicking Accept, nothing at all happens. The program just seems to lock up.

Just recently with only a little frustration I placed pins up to Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Then I tried Cape Cormoren. Now whenn I go back to my previously satisfactory maps for each entry, the local maps are all blank!?

And there have been many more instances of erratic performance that frustrate me. Such I just accept my ineptness and give up\??

I do appreciate a generally superior program and that it's free.

[siscri]

If you're searching for locations using the Google maps feature then it helps to write more information, eg. 'Delhi, India'.

I have never had any problem with it. It should probably just be used as an indication of where your written entry takes place. Why does it need to be so accurate? I don't see why one needs to place a pin so specifically in every little town visited, every hostel you stay in and every bed you sleep in. I doubt anybody is looking at my map pins and thinking he couldn't have written this entry there...the only internet cafe near there is one street over.

[uncle_davros]

I love how the fact that I make a valid point, and nobody listens to me

Why do I bother

[siscri]

I listened. I always listen. I thought you were talking to Lucky.

[andrea]

On each travel blog you can chose which map to show. If you want the lines, you can switch to the classic maps...

[uncle_davros]

Oh I was, and as I said, it is great that noody listens to long term people. New people come along and go, oh I don't like this and that and things get changed, well, I don't like the new changesd and I am telling it like it is

[lucky]

Like Andrea says, you can set your travel blog to use the classic maps which will show the map lines.

The way it was before, for Google Maps with over 50 pins , it always defaulted to the classic maps. So we actually never showed maps with 50 pins on Google Maps...

Now, instead of defaulting to classic maps, it sticks with google maps but only shows one pin.

If you would like the classic maps back on your travel blog, just edit the trip and select "Classic Maps"...

I think this is exactly what you are asking for....

[uncle_davros]

But Luc, this does not work. it defaults for the single pin, which I do not want. I ahve looked around and it is not how it use tobe. Maybe, you could point me in the right direction. Until then, I think that it is crap that my friends have to change on the actual blog site.

A very disappointed user

[hdh]

I'm with uncle_d on liking the lines available. On the other hand, I LOVE it figuring out for you where you are, instead of having to take a best guess on a tiny map.

Is it possible to either (a) select google or classic maps separately for travelogue-header, entry, and map-pin map views (thus being able to keep classic maps for the user view and still use google for map placement) or display only some of the lines (say the last 20 or 50) if there are too many pins. The last few lines is enough to show what you've been up to recently, and on a country rather than world map, only a few will show up anyway (for most of us). Or better still, both of the above?

And while I'm at it, is there any way to get a larger view of the map for printing out? Being able to ultimately print out maps (with lines!) for our hardcopy photo album was what got me switching over to travelpod from a yahoo group in the first place, but the as-displayed maps is too small to print decently.

Cheers, and thanks for a nice (if apparently controversial) improvement

Dave


Not sure where the smiley came from......

D

[radsolv]

One work around, which probably won't satisfy the whiny one, [and who am I to talk?] is to start a new Blogue when you get to Fifty Entries. One pin per entry right? So there should be no default to dots only.

[lucky]

It's not currently possible to enlarge the maps but they should print fine at as 3 inch thumbnails.

Now, for the maps... It's currently possible to just edit your trip and set it's preference to Classic Maps, which does show the lines.

Before, when someone had over 50 pins with Google Maps selected as a preference, it showed the classic maps, which some members didn't like.

So we changed that to stick with Google Maps, but, to make it useable, we had to limit it to show only 50 pins.

If anyone has an over 50 pin entry and would still rather go with the classic maps ( which do have the pins ) then it's a simple edit in your travel blog profile to switch to classic maps which gets you back to the way it was before.

We had no idea this would be so controversial but the feedback is appreciated.

[radsolv]

Three or four times recently when I was editing one of my Travel Logues or creating new entries or maybe just reading some one else's Travel Pod seemed to be behaving very erratically. It did not completely lock up nor send any error messages.

And since this was happening while I was trying to set or reset or check on map pins this was one source of my frustration.

What was happening was that where photos usually were, there were just tiny icons. Nothing would happen if I clicked on them. Also where maps usually appeared just a white rectangle appeared. Clicking here and there no change. I'd try logging off and logging back on. No help. Exiting TP entirely and re entering. Still the same mysterious behavior. Also tried exiting my browser and restarting it.

I would give up for a few hours then maybe return and all would be back to normal. What was happening.

It seems the problem could have been with Travel Pod programs, with my browser, or my operating system or my ISP.

My ISP is Optonline.net. It is cable. Very fast and very reliable. Rarely outages or problems. My computer is a Macintosh Mini using OS X Panther. I have three browsers available. I usually use Firefox by Mozilla, but also have Mac's Safari or MS Internet Explorer.

Any thoughts what the problem could have been.

I have just finished completing the skeleton of a rather long Logue placing many map pins with only minor problems. ScotWoz you have the right idea. I shouldn't try for precision at this point at least. In the vicinity is good enough for government work. But it still mystifies me and is a bit frustrating when google will find and place some country capitols like Dacca, Singapore, Manilla, Taipei for example as well as some rather obscure towns like Butwal, Pagan, Penang but then can't find Tokyo or Dehli or a few such others. Or when I clicked on a map of India at the southernmost tip of the subcontinent. And then clicked accept, the pin wound up hundreds of miles East of the Phillipines. Weird.

Enough now!

[ScottWoz]

Art,

Thanks for mentioning this, it explains a lot.

Luc,

Come to think of it, the problem I emailed you about five minutes ago originally started out in the exact way radsolv has just described. I was originally looking at the mapping options after reading this forum when the whole thing locked up in the same way as explained above. It's only now, almost twenty four hours later, that I'm finally able to access Travelpod and the forums in full without a problem.

Any ideas?

[lucky]

Art,

Thanks for mentioning this, it explains a lot.

Luc,

Come to think of it, the problem I emailed you about five minutes ago originally started out in the exact way radsolv has just described. I was originally looking at the mapping options after reading this forum when the whole thing locked up in the same way as explained above. It's only now, almost twenty four hours later, that I'm finally able to access Travelpod and the forums in full without a problem.

Any ideas?

We are experiencing some heavy load today. We're working on it now.