Show your appreciation for an activity by liking it
As part of an ongoing round of enhancements we have added a small but useful addition to the site today. Now if you like the look of someone's activity you can show your appreciation by liking it. Simple really.
Likes are an easy way to compliment or motivate other user’s activities here on Map My Tracks. Given their simplicity you won’t be surprised to find that they are easy to use. On any activity you can like it by clicking on the Like icon on the map. If you’re on someone’s profile or your own home page then you can like each activity in the list.
And that’s it. As I said, a small but useful addition to help motivate and show your appreciation. We hope you like using Likes.
Create a Hub your club, team or event and take it with you
Last week we launched Map My Tracks Hubs for events, clubs and teams to use as an easy way to group activities and track everyone live. To make Hubs even more useful we made it possible to embed them on your own event or club website.
Since Hubs are a fast and easy way to bring live tracking to an event, team or group’s activities we wanted to make sure that it was just as easy to take a Hub away with you and place it on your own website. Embeddable Hubs let you easily add live tracking to your website or simply to showcase all the activities from your participants in the run up to an event.
Hubs can work really well to bring together everyone’s activities before, during and after an event or race. If you’re part of a sport club then create a Hub for your club. If you’re running an event then create a Hub for everyone to add all the training they do before the event then use a Hub to showcase the event live on the web. Since hubs are so easy to set up you can have as many as you need for your participants.
Getting started with embeddable Hubs
First create a Hub for your event, club or team by simply deciding on a tag. Then tell everyone about it and have them sync or upload their activities on Map My Tracks with the tag.
For example, our local sailing club, Whitstable Yacht Club, uses a tag of ‘wyc’ so that all their members can add their racing to the club’s hub.
To embed a Hub on your website first browse to the Map My Tracks Hub then copy code to use on your website.Hubs appear on Map My Tracks under the address format of mapmytracks.com/explore/tag/yourtag. So to follow the example for Whitstable Yacht Club their Hub is online at www.mapmytracks.com/explore/tag/wyc.
Once on the Hub click on the embed option on the map and copy the code to your own website. It’s that simple.
Whitstable Yacht Club have embedded their hub on the club website which can be used to showcase live or recorded activities throughout the season.
Adding activities to a Hub
Once a Hub is up and running it’s easy to add activities to it. For live tracks simply use one of the Map My Tracks mobile apps and track live with the choosen tag. In the case of Whitstable Yacht Club the activities would be tagged ‘wyc’.
It’s possible to add recorded activities to any hub either from our mobile apps, as GPX or direct from any Garmin device. As long as apply your choosen tag to each activity they will appear in your Hub. At present, it is not possible to upload activities to a Hub using the email dropbox.
Why use Map My Tracks Hubs?
- They are fast and easy to use with no set up or registration
- You can easily create a Map My Tracks Hubs on the fly when you need them just by tagging activities
- They are the simplest way to broadcast live action from your event, race or club
We’ve tried to make Hubs as simple as possible to use so that you can start to add live tracking to your own website. We have lots more planned for Hubs so do let us know what you’d like to see added to make them even more useful.
We hope you enjoy using the Hubs.
Map My Tracks launches Hubs for sports events, teams and clubs
Hubs are a fast easy way to bring live tracking to an event, race, team or group and best of all Hubs are free to use. They are perfect for events and groups of all sizes and require no website set up and no registration - just tag your activities and your done.
Hubs make is super simple for event organisers, sports clubs, team or groups to track their participants or members live for online spectators to follow. To create a Hub for your event, club or team simply decide on a tag, tell everyone about it and have them sync or upload their activities on Map My Tracks with the tag.
Find out more about how to create your own Map My Tracks Hub.
Why use Map My Tracks Hubs?
- It’s fast and easy to use with no set up or registration
- Easily create a Map My Tracks Hubs on the fly when you need them
- Follow everyone live on one screen and use it at your event or race
- Build dynamic online communities around your event, team or club
- It’s the simplest way to broadcast live action from your event, race or club
We’re looking forward to seeing how Hubs get used. If you need a more comprehensive tracking solution for your event or race contact the events team and we’ll put together a dedicated solution for your event.
Map My Tracks nominated for “The Europas” - please vote
We're thrilled and honored that Map My Tracks has been included in the nominations for this year's 'Best Entertainment, Sport or Leisure Startup 2010' category at The Europas. The Europas, the TechCrunch Europe Awards 2010 for European tech companies, honors the best tech companies and startups from across Europe so we are delighted to be in such good company.
Voting is now open and we need your help to get shortlisted. Please take a moment to vote for Map My Tracks. Your vote will help to get Map My Tracks shortlisted in the ‘Best Entertainment, Sport or Leisure Startup 2010’ category.
Feel free to tweet about our nomination and encourage your friends to vote for Map My Tracks. Your vote is very much appreciated.
Introducing OutFront 1.5 and its little brother OutFront Free
As part of commitment to continuously improving our mobile apps we are pleased to announce that OutFront 1.5 for iPhone is now available to download from the App Store. Along side the standard version there is also now a new free version available to download.
What’s new in OutFront 1.5?
- New dashboard with overall activity stats for distance, pace, calories and duration.
- Full iOS4 multi-tasking support - OutFront continues to track your progress when running in the background.
- Now available in five languages - English, French, Japanese, Polish and Portuguese.
- New activities types added include rowing, enduro, motorcycling and mountain biking
What’s the difference between the OutFront and OutFront Free?
OutFront Free includes all the same great features as its bigger brother but it is limited to saving only one activity and it carries adverts. Other than that it’s just the same - no limit on the duration of the activities, no limit on the distance you can track and no limit on the amount of live tracking you can do. All in all not a bad deal so if you want to get started with the OutFront Free download it now from the App Store.
Get the most out of your training
No matter which version you use OutFront lets you measure how fast, how far, how many calories burned, where you went and analyse your performance mile by mile, second by second, stat by stat.
Explore and discover new routes
Just like previous versions it’s super simple to discover new nearby routes and activities by others on Map My Tracks.
Share your passion
OutFront 1.5 lets you share activities the way you want to. Share it live with friends on Map My Tracks, post tweets when you start or stop an activity or simply update your status on Twitter and Facebook when you’re done with your activity. Not into sharing? That’s not a problem simply keep your activities private and you’ll be the only one to see them.
Interested in trying it out?
Discover more ways that OutFront can help keep you motivated or download OutFront or Outfront Free from the App Store.
New feature: Analyse heart rate, cadence and power from Garmin uploads
Owners of devices like the Garmin Edge or the Garmin Forerunner can now review and analyse their heart rate, cadence or power output here on Map My Tracks along with all the stats you've become familiar with.
Over the past few months we have been busy adding several new features on the website along with new improvements to our range of mobile apps. New to the mix of features is support for heart rate, cadence and power. This is an exciting move for us and, we think, it helps to make Map My Tracks even more useful.
At the moment it is only possible to add heart rate, cadence and power data by uploading Garmin data to Map My Tracks, either by file or by using the Garmin Communicator plugin. Either way, the data is read in and ends up along with all the other activity data like speed, pace, calorie burn or elevation and forms part of the replay analysis that has also had a major face lift.
You can replay dhaffner’s activity to see it in action. The heart rate and cadence data appears at the bottom of the data column. Click on the bar to reveal the full chart to zoom in and analyze further.
We have much more planned but in the meantime we hope you like the new features. If you have an idea for a feature that would help you out please get in touch and let us know. Email ideas to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Hope you enjoy using the new tools.
New feature: Street View and Google Earth fly-through bring your activities to life
On Map My Tracks it's long been possible to watch or replay activities on a map with a bird's eye view of the action and today we are pleased to announce that Google Earth and Street View has been added to the set.
With the addition of Street View and Google Earth to Map My Tracks it is now easier to appreciate the surrounding terrain for an activity and get a first-person view of the road ahead. One of the really exciting features of using Street View is that, now for the first time, it’s possible to see the road ahead as users carry out their activities live. It’s as if your riding or running with them as they do their activity. Street View works great for all road-based activities and Google Earth can be used to get a 3D fly through of the action.
To switch on Street View or Google Earth first load up an activity then click on the map options.
Select either Street View or Google Earth or both if you want the full experience.
Street View
Google Earth 3D fly-through
If you have not already installed the Google Earth plugin you’ll need to do this once before the Google Earth view appears.
We’re really excited about being able to add both Street View and Google Earth to Map My Tracks and we’re looking forward to getting a new insight into everyone’s activities. We hope you like the new additions and, as ever, do let us know what you think.
Android apps that play nicely with Map My Tracks
We are often asked if there is an official Map My Tracks Android app and right now the answer is not from us. However, all is not lost as there are number of developers who have put together some nifty apps that play nicely with the Map My Tracks website.
We have every intention of rolling out an official Map My Tracks Android app but for those of you that can’t wait we’ve put together a handy list of apps so that you can get you started on Map My Tracks.
To keep things simple we have broken down the list into two categories - those that can provide live tracking and then those that work by recording data to be uploaded afterwards.
Live tracking Android apps
Map My Tracks OutFront - Map My Tracks OutFront for Android comes is available free with a pro version available featuring more tools and options. The app lets you track live for other to follow your progress on mapmytracks.com and features:
- Live tracking
- Route following
- Export by email as GPX
- Analysis of activities
- Personal profile
- Following of friends
Orux Maps - OruxMaps is a free application for Android phones and provides live tracking embedded here on Map My Tracks. It uses the Map My Tracks API to provide live tracking so that your friends can follow your progress.
This app lets you connect and upload to Map My Tracks by:
- Live sync
- GPX export direct to your Map My Tracks email dropbox
- GPX export and manual upload to your profile
Offline tracking/upload Android apps
My Tracks - My Tracks is free application for Android phones that enables you to record GPS tracks and view live statistics.
This app lets you upload to Map My Tracks by:
- GPX export direct to your Map My Tracks email dropbox
- GPX export and manual upload to your profile
OsmAnd - OsmAnd is free application for Android phones that provides navigation & routing based on Open Street Maps
This app lets you upload to Map My Tracks by:
- GPX export direct to your Map My Tracks email dropbox
- GPX export and manual upload to your profile
If you know of any other Android apps that provide GPS tracking we’d love to hear about them. Get in touch and we’ll add them to this list.
Team Sky iPhone app powered by Map My Tracks now live
Since announcing our partnership with Sky Pro Cycling earlier this year we have been busy behind the scenes developing a range of products for Team Sky. One of these products is the new Team Sky iPhone app that features team news, race details, rider profiles and a dedicated training app for cyclists to use on their rides.
As well as all the fan-based information the Team Sky iPhone app seamlessly integrates with the Map My Tracks website and allows cyclists to share their rides in real-time with others around the world. The app is available to download from the App Store.
The app has been designed and developed by Tinderhouse, the parent company of Map My Tracks.
The official press release is as follows:
Team Sky launch iPhone app for cycling fans
An official Team Sky App for iPhone and iPod Touch, which keeps cycling fans up-to-date with all of the action surrounding pro cycling’s newest team and includes, for the first time, pro rider tracking, launches today.
The Team Sky App, created in partnership with Map My Tracks, features all the latest race and rider news as well as up-to-date photo galleries that give an insight into the team’s daily activities. Race reports, including the Vuelta a España, give fans immediate access to reviews, news and photos from the day’s activities. Also included are details of all the forthcoming SkyRide events held around the country on closed roads.
The Team Sky App is the first app to use an embedded version of OutFront within the app. The OutFront all-sport GPS computer, from Map My Tracks, is a comprehensive training and tracking app that lets cycling fans, as well as Team Sky pro riders, track and share their rides live for others to follow on the web. For the first time, fans can follow their favourite riders live or replay a training ride, all from within the app.
Team Sky is at the forefront when it comes to talking to their fans and using social media to keep fans informed. The Team Sky app takes things one step further with Twitter and Facebook integration that lets the pro team riders notify their followers as soon as they start riding so they don’t miss out on the action. Once live, followers can watch their progress on the app or online at mapmytracks.com.
When not out riding, users of the Map My Tracks powered tools can access their activities on the mapmytracks.com website that provides a range of helpful tools to keep track your performance. With an active community of sports enthusiasts that includes cyclists from around the world, Map My Tracks lets you share rides and compare the performance against thousands of other rides and routes. The F1-style performance telemetry lets users measure speed, pace, calories burned, elevation gain or loss and much more while out on their rides.
The launch of the Team Sky App,will mean that participants of the forthcoming Sky Rides can benefit from the same technology as the Team Sky pro riders and track their rides for others to follow in real time.
The Team Sky iPhone App is a free app and will be available to download next week from the Apple App store. Access to the training tools powered by Map My Tracks is available to iPhone 3, iPhone 3G and iPhone 4 users as a one-off purchase for £2.99. iPod users get all the latest news and features from the team but due to the lack of GPS in the iPod the training tools are not available.
The Team Sky iPhone app includes:
- Latest team news and all the latest cycling news from Sky Sports
- Team and rider profiles with up-to-date news, rides and photos and training rides
- Race news, photos, standing and guides
- Training tools powered by Map My Tracks with real-time tracking
- Latest features, blogs and photos from Team Sky
- Sky Ride event information details
Download the Team Sky iPhone App.
New feature: Follow and be followed by your friends on Map My Tracks
Today sees the introduction of user following on Map My Tracks that makes it even easier to keep track of your friends activities. Being followed by others or following others is a great way to see what's going on around you or simply to get inspiration for your next run or ride or outing.
Our aim has always been to make it as simple as possible to discover and interact with other people on Map My Tracks. Ever since we launched it’s been possible to follow people live online while they carry out their activities and with the addition of user following it makes it truly possible to follow your friends so you never miss out on their activities.
Following others is easy
To start following other Map My Tracks users first view their profile. Everyone has a profile page on Map My Tracks under the format of mapmytracks.com/screen-name. Mine’s here and others from the team at Map My Tracks can be found here, here and here.
Once your looking at a profile simply click on the Follow link and your done. Their activities will be streamed to your home page for your to see.
Keeping track of others
Following others on Map My Tracks is a great way to keep up to date with your friend’s activities. Once you start following people your ‘Home’ page will list the latest activities done by them. It’s a handy way to see who’s live out and about or simply to review what they have done and give them encouragement or comment on their performance.
When viewing your own profile or someone elses you can see who they follow and who’s following them by browsing to their Following and Followers pages. This is a great way to discover other people to follow on Map My Tracks.
This is the first phase of a program of changes that are being rolled out over the summer. We’ve released this early as we really think this helps to discover like minded users and be discovered by others. We hope you enjoy using the new tools.
