WebRev Blog

My family had a garage sale this weekend.  We had advertised in our local paper - which is where I always look when I'm trying to find garage sales on the weekend.  Our local paper has an online edition, so I was not surprised that people found us online, but I was very surprised when our customers started telling us they found our garage sale on other sites - which mapped all of our neighborhood sales into one easy route.

I was in the middle of sorting, cleaning, bargaining, and negotiating with relatives while I was being told this, so I didn't make a note of the exact website, and I figured it would be easy to "Google" later. I was shocked to find out that there are actually a lot of websites that have figured out how to mash up with Google maps and CraigsList.com (which is apparently now THE place to list your garage sale, because it's free).  The most popular of these seem to be YardSaleTreasureMap.com and GSalr.com, which use Craigs List, and GarageSaleFinder.com, which also pulls from newspapers in major areas.  Most of the sites also allow folks to post sales on their sites directly.  But we hadn't listed on Craig's List, and we don't live anywhere near a "major" area, so I did some further checking.  

So far, my favorite of the garage sale sites is WeekendTreasure.com. It pulls from a variety of sources, including local newspapers, and provides the Google Maps routing feature (which you can use with or without GPS).  Very cool. 

So, from a seller's perspective, a good strategy would be to advertise in your local paper AND on Craig's List.  From a shopper's perspective, there are a lot of good options.  Have you found one you like? Please let us know in the comments below.

If you're looking for tips on finding good deals on garage sales, I highly recommend checking out HGTV's Kim Myles and Cari Cucksey at the Endless Yard Sale - the online version is HERE.

Happy high-tech treasure hunting!

Oh, and if your'e looking for NEW stuff, instead of USED, be sure to check out Geocaching: Treasure Hunting goes High-Tech

That's a picture of my commute to work. Fun, fun, fun - every morning and evening.  Woo-hoo!

OK, but enough about me.  I posted that to demonstrate one of the many features of Google Maps.  Here's another example.

That's Philbrook Museum, a local landmark.  I can get all sorts of photos of it and many other landmarks using the "photos" link.  The next thing you're going to want to is find yourself on the map, and drag the little man on the viewfinder to your address at "street view" level. Of course, everyone who is interested in your wherabouts can do the same thing, but don't worry, the photos aren't live.

So go ahead, and explore the world from the comfort of your living room.  Check out the sites discussed on the news in Japan (before the earthquake, obviously), or what the town you grew up in looks like now.  The world is your oyster. Check it out, at maps.google.com.

Also see Mashable: Google's Street View Website Gets a Big Overhaul

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking.