Advanced Access Blog

Looking for more local exposure?  Or at least a cool new tool?

AskCity is getting some good buzz and I thought I would check it out and write a bit about it.

When you visit AskCity you will see a map of the US.  You can use the zoom bar on the left to zoom in a bit if needed, then pick a shape tool on the palette and select your general area.  Next, click the magnifying glass next to your shape, and enter what you want to search for.  You will then get a split screen with your map on the right marked up with locations for your search, and on the left you will have the business info and link(s).  (You can search for businesses, events or movies).

I wonder what business would be good to add to AskCity?  Real Estate office locations perhaps?  Once you get your focused map, you can add addresses to the map, free hand draw on it, add shapes (arrows directing someone)… take a snapshot of the map and send it off to people.

So this is a great place you should get listed… AND this is a great resource to use with your clients.  You can use this to show a relo buyer where their new place of employment is located in relation to the homes they are planning to see.  You can also mark off day care facilities, shopping, and whatever else is important to the buyer with the add address feature and/or other palette tools.

Here’s the fun part… you don’t need to do all of this with screenshots and photoshop… just click the “permalink” link at the top.  The page will reload and you will see a longer URL in the address bar.  Copy that… that’s the permalink for the map you created.

Here’s mine… I just did a simple circle shape in Southern California and searched for the term real estate.  You can also click the maximize icon on either side of the screen to see the map or results larger.

Want to be on AskCity?  Here’s the info from their help section on getting added.

Have fun, whatever you decide to use AskCity for!

This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 5:37 pm and is filed under Cool Tools, Search Engine Tips, Techie Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.