This would be an INCREDIBLE online business directory!

Been out of the loop for a while. Glad to see this place still smokin'!
Looking at homes and apartments for sale or rent, I came across this site:
www.hotpads.com
Go there, click on your area, and watch the map come to life (takes a few seconds for the interactive map to load). Available units pop up that can be clicked for further information. Just single-click on a building for options. If you double-click, half the screen is used for other data.
Wouldn't that be great for a map of your own town, but instead of showing available homes, it could show businesses, with clickable links that provide further details, coupons, videos, etc about the business?
The "about" page gives a clue as to how it's done, but that's still way over my head.
I tried looking for a pre-made software that might be available to mimic this, but might just have to get pricing from a programmer.
Any suggestions on where to start?

Is this a Free Service?...or...do they sell Ad Spots on the pages? Also, how do consumers find the site?

You could set this up for "Used Cars" and have the car dealers take photos of the vehicles they get in and charge per vehicle.

Same with rentals or RE property....charge $X per listing. It's a neat program.

Don Alm

Hotpads 101...

Quick info on the basic business model...
http://www.crunchbase.com/company/hotpads-com
http://www.keywordspy.com/organic/ke...aspx?q=hotpads

Simply Outsource the Overall Concept... Specialize & Customize according to your particular needs, requirements and interests...

Don't Forget to “Get Creative” with the Monetization side of the Revenue business model...

Remember... No Money, No Honey...

Quick picks on Excellent Map related resources... Expertise in Choosing and working with your Mapping project... Outsourcing selection etc. etc...

Don't disregard particular Joint Venture opportunities along the way if you Decide to Dig into the.. idea(s)... Creation of Mapping related business ideas...
http://mashable.com/2007/07/11/google-maps-mashups-2/
http://googlemapsmania.blogspot.com/
http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lif...ogle-maps.html

All the best...

Phil

Ok Phil, you just sent me into instant overwhelm -- and I LOVE IT!
Thank you so much for the links and suggestions... you are amazing!
This will definitely keep me busy for a while.
WOW!