Platial est un site WEB 2.0 hors du commun. Imaginez un Atlas mondial constuit par les internautes et avec leurs regards !

On trouve de nombreux thèmes de cartes avec bien sûr certaines cartes sur le thèmes du tourisme.

Tout ceci est gratuit, chacun peut alimenter cet Atlas Mondial qui augmente de jour en jour.

C'est comme du social networking avec une plaferome de cartes géographiques

Di-Ann Eisnor, CEO et co-fondatrice de Platial nous explique tout çà !

>What's your background and what's the history behind Platial?

Jason (my husband) and I created psychogeography inspired games for art and consulted for large companies about social software for money. When Google opened their api, we immediately jumped at the chance to integrate our business and our interests. It helped that we were living in Amsterdam and as friends passed through, they marked up our physical maps with their recommendations of where to take the kids, where to see art., where to find roti and more. Over the years, these maps faded and were torn. Platial is a place where these recommendations and stories are persistent... a lively, timely archive.

>What are the main services Platial offers?

Primarily, Platial is a resource for user-created maps. People have made maps about their weddings, travels, neighborhoods and interests from birding to history. These maps can be published on blogs and websites.

People also come to Platial to browse more than 15,000 maps that span the world. We're working on making better collections of maps by city. Great examples of these maps are the winners of the 2006 Platial map awards
this_year_nearl.html. I'd also like to highlight the winner of Best Local Guide for Roscoff This map was crafted with local pride and 420 Places in the region, many in great detail with photos and comments.

>What sort of person uses Platial?

Typically our users on are online quite a bit and read books, travel and socialize with friends as their main activities. In most cases they want to share local information, treasures, discoveries.

Our first users were people who had an active interest in making maps and browsing maps; artists and geographers and cultural anthropologists and activists. Now bloggers of all kinds are creating maps with their readers. As Platial gets easier to use it becomes about sharing kid-friendly places with other parents and surf spots with other surfers, travel spots with like-minded travelers and less about being a "mapmaker".

>What are the biggest trends on Platial? Food, shopping, something else?

All kinds of local mapping; food, parks, shopping, history are all popular.

There are also a ton of people mapping their travels and their interests (like cycling great climbs from the Tour de France ). Autobiogeography or mapping your life is also very popular. And their are new use cases every day that surprise me.




>Do tourist boards, hotels, and restaurant owners use Platial?

I don't know that many tourist boards use Platial but it would be hard to tell I suppose. There are many hotels and restaurants on Platial and in most cases I cant tell if they were added by the owners of happy customers! We've been approached by many B&Bs and hotels recently about Platial, so I think the word is getting out.
Here are a couple of shopping, food and hotel maps I like...

http://platial.com/newenglandgrown/map/ 12975#New_England_Working_Farms_B&Bs/Inns

http://www.platial.com/queenkv/map/4345#Taste_of_Wherever

http://platial.com/burritoeater/map/9423? title=Taquerias_of_San_Francisco

http://www.platial.com/ddotcom12/map/3563#Dive_Bars

http://platial.com/dsudorion/map/7041#RecordStore_Globetrotter

http://platial.com/wendolyne/map/8560#Where'd_ya_get_that?




>Podcasting and videocasting are changing the internet. Can you put podcasts and videocasts on Platial?

Absolutely. All you have to do is copy and paste the embed link of your podcast right into the details of your place. I won't bore your readers with the details but here is the link that walks you
through... http://platial.com/faq#add_video

>Can you put Platial on a Blog?

This is something I'm very excited about www.platial.com/mapkit takes all the mapmaking of platial and puts it on your own blog or website. We even have one click install for Typepad users. Check out platial.com/mapkit/typepad.

I have one on my personal blog which is religious dress around the world.

> Do you have a message for French people who want to use Platial?

Bienvenue! We only have place information in a few French cities and we would love to have a more representative French geography.

Conseils pratiques-
- Les addresses français marchent bien sur Platial.
- La personne qui réponds aux emails "feedback" parle français donc
n'hésitez pas à nous écrire si vous avez des idées ou des questions!

> How do you see Platial in three years?

I hope that in 3 years we are very far along on our mission of creating the People's Atlas and that we offer a valuable global resource to see the world through the eyes of world citizens.

>Your last word.

Happy Mapping!

vf
Joyeuse Cartographie