Platial.com - The People’s Atlas

In its most basic function, Platial maps things- but the website is so much more than that. It is a diary, a food guide, a travel log; Platial allows users to assign tags to different locations throughout the world. The web site provides users with a basic map (world atlases are the most popular, but all maps are available) and asks them to mark a specific location with a title. A photo icon can be displayed as well. What has ensued is a collection of personal histories (“Hopeless romantic”- a map showcasing important locations in a woman’s history of love), guides (“dive bars”), and eclectic assemblies of facts (“movies about real places”).

“Platial maps, The People's Guide to Who and What's Nearby, a free resource where hundreds of thousands of people around the world share and discover all kinds of Places. Anyone can map just about anything including their towns, lives, travels, feeds, files, photos, video and stories in one simple interface.”

Platial is not just a web application, it is a unique way of viewing the world and personal relationships. It can be used for blogs, social networking pages, or just as an interesting way of presenting information. The site was also an official honoree at the 2007 webby awards.

I have very few critiques of the site; one interesting feature would be to be able to see clearly what specific town a tag is located in.