There are two parts to this question.
Whats the best way to depict directions?
Whats the best way to communicate the directions to the visitor?
A quick web search on the first question will give a hundred answers as to how to write directions with emphasis on the language used and the use of landmarks and maps to depict directions.
Its the second question that needs better answers and better delivery methods. There are numberous map providers like Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Bing Maps and Mapquest. They allow map and geography savvy individuals to depict maps but dont make delivery to the visitor very easy.
http://www.sharedirections.com/ however does something simple but very intuitive. It puts the onus on defining directions on the invitee, and provides a simple way to pass the information to the visitor. The visitor is just told
'Go to ShareDirections.com and type in the Directions ID (e.g. Kallos) and you will get the address, directions and map links - its all thatyou need to get here'
or
'Click on this link e.g. http://www.ShareDirections.com/Kallos
The ShareDirections ID now becomes one word to be remembered or saved to retrieve directions anytime. The visitor can get directions with one click, and then print or email it.
easy Huh?
As the invitee you have the responsibility of defining good directions - so go to www.ShareDirections.com, register and take a nice id to describe your address.
The next time you invite someone over to your home or office use ShareDirections.com
Saturday, January 8, 2011
What made me start ShareDirections.com?
The short answer of course is a no brainer - to provide the easiest way to find directions to a place. The long answer is a story.
On the day before I was going to the Nasscom Product Conclave at Bangalore I needed to get directions of the two places I was going to - my wife's cousin Dinesh's place where I would be staying and hotel where the conclave itself would be. A number of questions came up
How far was Dinesh's place from the railway station?
Could I get there from the station on my own and what were the directions?
How far is it from Dinesh's place to the hotel?
An how far is the hotel from the airport?
As a software person the obvious answer was of course - maps. I spent the next 45 minutes searching maps to get what I wanted as well as to print it out. Then decided to call Dinesh. He spent 10 minutes giving directions. I was still not comfortable and so he volunteered to come and pick me up. The next day I lost another 40 minutes on directions related issues - telling the cab company the way to the place, telling two cab drivers the way to the place and finally getting lost and calling Dinesh to bail me out.
Despite all the technology out there it was too cumbersome. An then it struck me - who saved me? It was Dinesh. If there was a place where Dinesh could put up directions to his place from the Airport, the station and maps links further to help it would be authentic and accurate. If there was one site and one ID which Dinesh could indicate, I could easily look it up take all the print outs, or access it from my mobile laptop whenever I wanted.
And thats what ShareDirections.com does. The next time anyone comes to our office, no one gives directions. We just tell them to go to the site and enter Kallos in www.ShareDirections.com. The rest would follow. Better still the link www.ShareDirections.com\Kallos is up there on our email signatures and so no one even asks us - they just come.
A lot of people around the world are using the site now. Each time someone uses it, we are are happy to have contributed to the time saved in a small way. Thats what makes the world go round.
On the day before I was going to the Nasscom Product Conclave at Bangalore I needed to get directions of the two places I was going to - my wife's cousin Dinesh's place where I would be staying and hotel where the conclave itself would be. A number of questions came up
How far was Dinesh's place from the railway station?
Could I get there from the station on my own and what were the directions?
How far is it from Dinesh's place to the hotel?
An how far is the hotel from the airport?
As a software person the obvious answer was of course - maps. I spent the next 45 minutes searching maps to get what I wanted as well as to print it out. Then decided to call Dinesh. He spent 10 minutes giving directions. I was still not comfortable and so he volunteered to come and pick me up. The next day I lost another 40 minutes on directions related issues - telling the cab company the way to the place, telling two cab drivers the way to the place and finally getting lost and calling Dinesh to bail me out.
Despite all the technology out there it was too cumbersome. An then it struck me - who saved me? It was Dinesh. If there was a place where Dinesh could put up directions to his place from the Airport, the station and maps links further to help it would be authentic and accurate. If there was one site and one ID which Dinesh could indicate, I could easily look it up take all the print outs, or access it from my mobile laptop whenever I wanted.
And thats what ShareDirections.com does. The next time anyone comes to our office, no one gives directions. We just tell them to go to the site and enter Kallos in www.ShareDirections.com. The rest would follow. Better still the link www.ShareDirections.com\Kallos is up there on our email signatures and so no one even asks us - they just come.
A lot of people around the world are using the site now. Each time someone uses it, we are are happy to have contributed to the time saved in a small way. Thats what makes the world go round.
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