Usage Hints for site locator maps (MapQuest)

These usage hints apply to locator maps reached by clicking a MapQuest link on a site data page on this Website.

Our customization:  In addition to setting the latitude and longitude of the place being located (as best we can), we have pre-set the zoom level of the map to give you a large area view of the surroundings.  You can change that to meet your needs - see below.

Need help?  Want advice?  Pick a question . . .

• What's "MapQuest" ?
• Why are these usage hints important?
• How can I get a different view of the site surroundings?
• What other map controls are available?
• The locator marker (icon) on the map is in the wrong place; how can I help fix it for future visitors?
• I tinkered with the map controls too much, and now I'm lost.  How do I get back to the original version?
• Why isn't the map embedded directly in the site data page?

Just curious?  Read all the answers in order . . .

What's "MapQuest" ?

MapQuest is an online dynamic mapping service which is provided at no cost to the Guild by MapQuest, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of America Online, Inc.  It offers several different services for location-based information for several parts of the world; currently we use it only for North America.

Why are these usage hints important?

The online help which is provided by the MapQuest service is aimed at the general user and explains all aspects of that service.  This page which you are now reading explains how we use that service.  It also emphasizes what controls are especially useful in this context, and warns about what you should not do while viewing a locator map which we have customized.  In a few instances, it expands on the MapQuest help.

How can I get a different view of the site surroundings?

MapQuest has only a few options to customize the map to meet your particular needs.

• The most important MapQuest control is the set of zoom buttons, which enables you to zoom in and out (see a nearer or further view).  It's the vertical column located just to the left of the map.  Each button in the column represents a map scale; the highlighted button indicates where the current map falls in the range of possible scales.  Click on the Zoom In button or on the next button above the highlighted one to get a map which covers a larger area in less detail; click on the Zoom Out button or on the next button below the highlighted one for a smaller area in more detail.  Regardless of which zoom level you choose, the resulting map will be exactly the same size on your screen.
• Click any one of the pan controls (the blue margins of the map) to see more of the local area in the desired direction.  The red star which marks the site location will still be visible on the resulting map unless you click twice in the same direction.
  NOTE: There are actually 8 pan controls, not four, because clicking at the corner of the blue frame will cause the map to be shifted diagonally in that direction (NE, NW, SE, SW).

What other map controls are available?

Just below the large red MapQuest log in the upper left corner of the window is a "Settings" link.  Click it to go to a Settings window where you can customize MapQuest's behavior in several ways.  The one that is important to us is at the bottom of the "Maps & Directions" tab; it's labelled "Map Size", and it offers two alternatives: "Expandable" and "Standard Size".  We recommend "Expandable" if you have a reasonably fast connection to the Internet, because this option will automatically re-size the map for the best fit to the window size you have chosen.  With this option activated, you can re-size the map simply by re-sizing the window in which it appears.

The location marker (icon) on the map is in the wrong place; how can I help fix it for future visitors?

If you really do know more than we do about where the marker should be, please help:

• Use the map controls to adjust the location of the marker to your satisfaction; then send the result to us by clicking on "E-Mail" above the top of the map.  Use the email address "csz_stl@swbell.net", please.

I tinkered with the map controls too much, and now I'm lost. How do I get back to the original version?

Use the "Back" feature of your Web browser to back up one screen at a time.  (This may be a menu selection or a toolbar button.)  Or use its "History" feature to jump directly to the site data page or the initial map.  The second alternative is quicker, but then you might be unable to use "Back" to work your way further up your history tree, depending on how your browser handles its history function.

Why isn't the map embedded directly in the site data page?

Unlike the former MapBlast service, MapQuest does not offer such an option.

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This page was created 2005/08/03 and last revised 2006/09/30.

Please send comments or questions to csz_stl@swbell.net