My friends and I suck at picking places to eat when we go out. You could always browse Yelp, but that can be overwhelming—plus, you've probably already had tons of recommendations from friends. Google's collaborative maps are the answer: They essentially let you create your own little personalized Yelp that you can access from anywhere.
If you haven't created a custom map in Google Maps before, it's quite simple. Just click the "My Places" button, then click Create Map. Name it, give it a description, and start adding places. To add a new place, just find it on Google Maps (by searching), then click on it and choose "Save to Map". Choose your newly created map from the list, and you'll see it show up as a blue peg.
Click on it in the sidebar to give it a description. I usually like to add a link to the Yelp page and the menu, if it's available online, so we have easy access (you'll have to edit using Rich Text, not the default Plain Text, to do this). You can also add other notes about the place, including your favorite dishes or secret menu items your friends might not know about. You can also invite others to help you out by clicking the Collaborate link in the sidebar.
What's really cool about this is that you can use it on Android and iOS, too (though iOS users will need to use the Google Maps webapp, not the Maps app that came with your phone). Just open up Maps, go to My Places, and view your food map—you'll instantly get a list of everything that's nearby, so when you're out and about, you can just pick a closeby place for dinner, drinks, dessert, or whatever it is you're looking for. The more people you invite to collaborate, the bigger your map will become, and you can get personalized recommendations from your friends—that is, people you actually trust. Check out the video above to see a step-by-step of how its done, and please share your thoughts in the comments below. This is a really versatile system, and there are all sorts of cool things you could do with it.
