Google Maps has grown to become way more than just maps. It’s also the place you can share your location with family and friends, contribute photos and reviews to local businesses and attractions and many other Local-Guide-related things. Today, Android Police reports that Google is now adding the ability for users to create public events, and the feature even seems to be live for Australian users.
Maps has been tracking public events for a while now, but it’s been a bit hit-and-miss, so it makes sense that Google is letting users add their own. With Google+ about to disappear from the face of the Internet, Google probably also needs a friendly user-facing way to add events outside of a Calendar, too.
Public events are public (so don’t go adding your invite-only party – not yet, anyway). You can give the event a name, location, start/end time, category, description and website, and add some photos.
For users with the option available, it’s under the Contribute and Events tabs in their Contributions menu option in the app. I’ve checked my own account (Local Guide level 5) and found it’s already active.
I can see some great uses of this feature for the Explore section of Maps, and letting businesses and venues update their own events via an API (maybe even just a Calendar integration) would be a great low-friction way to get them on board.
Such a good idea. I would love them to let you create calendar entries from the map. Use case: Son has Tennis at a club I’ve never been too. I find the club on the map at home and then would love to create a calendar entry right there and then.
Just my 2 cents