Using the Yahoo Maps API
Check this out: http://api.maps.yahoo.com/Maps/V1/annotatedMaps?appid=asdfjkl1&xmlsrc=https://idratherbewriting.com/map.xml. Four addresses of my friends appear there. I can include up to 100 or more, I believe.
The address points are stored on an XML file stored on my server. Using a few quick instructions from Yahoo's API kit, I can have those points displayed on the Yahoo Maps. This is what's known as the Yahoo Maps API kit.
Instructions for using the Yahoo Maps API are here: http://tolstoy.com/blog/2005/07/how-to-use-the-yahoo-maps-api-000011.html
Wouldn't it be cool if you could see an entire membership directory where all the members live? Maybe people might object to this -- I'm not sure. But it might increase collaboration and interactivity among members.
About Tom Johnson
I'm a technical writer based in the San Francisco Bay area. In this blog, I write about topics related to technical writing and communication — such as software documentation, API documentation, visual communication, information architecture, writing techniques, plain language, tech comm careers, and more. Check out simplifying complexity and API documentation for some deep dives into these topics. If you're a technical writer and want to keep on top of the latest trends in the field, be sure to subscribe to email updates. You can also learn more about me or contact me.