14 DAY TRIAL // Google is expanding its +Snippets program to Google Maps. If you share a map on Google+, your friends will be able to get much more detailed info on in, as well as open your saved directions, searches and places from Google Maps.
Google has been customizing the sharing (on Google+) options for some of its products, adding more relevant data to the snippets below your actual post.
The company has also made it easy for other websites to implement the +Snippets microformat, so that sharing on Google+ contains just the relevant info.
"Today we're bringing +snippets to Google Maps," Google's Bradley Horowitz, who oversees Google+ development, announced.
"Suppose you’re planning a weekend trip to Napa. Your packing list probably includes driving directions, hotel information and a list of nearby wineries. Many of you visit Google Maps for this kind of information already," he said.
"But with +snippets, Google+ users can easily share directions or places (for example) with fellow travelers. Just click 'Share...' in the Google+ bar at the top of the screen, and whatever you see on Maps is what you’ll see in the sharebox—ready to share with your circles," he explained.
Depending on what you're sharing, the data in the snippets box will be different. You get a link to the Google Maps page, regardless of what that is, but different info for driving directions, place pages or searches.
Previously, sharing a Google Maps link included the link and some general info. It's a small change, but it's one of many and it's a sign of Google's overall strategy with Google+, which is to integrate it with all of its other products.
Already, links to Google Books, Offers and Product Search pages shared on Google+ contain relevant and specific information for any of them, via +snippets.