Location Editing
The CouchSurfing Wiki, an informal workspace which anyone can edit.
Welcome to the Guide notes for those who wish to change their location icon in the Google map.
Recently Casey added a beta feature that allows you to select your exact location on a Google Map. This is useful because others will be able to see the area of your city that you are in... rather than have 100's of people as points in the city center. He coded this functionality so that you can move your point around, but it must be within 20 miles of the city center.
About the your Location Icon in Google Map
When you register with CouchSurfing you are asked for the location of where you live in the Location questions. The lists of questions under this tab specifically asks you for Region, Country, State and City where you are given pull down boxes for the first three and are able to type in the fourth.
It is this fourth answer that determines where the icon will be placed to show where you live in Google Map. (if you haven't noticed already click on the Lat: ### Long: link at the top of your own profile and you will see where your own Location icon sits in Google Map.
Unfortunately in larger cities most folks would key the city name and leave it at that. In the case of Sydney it seems that of the 300 plus CS Members all live in Surrey Hills with the exception of 6 who live in the suburbs. In the case of Melbourne 300 plus members live in Southbank whilst 9 live in the suburbs.
Recently i travelled to Sydney, staying on the northern beaches. I sought to make contact with CSers but found that some i contacted lived nearly eighty kilometres away yet their address was simply Sydney.
From the point of view of making contacts it can be a real nightmare when doing a CouchSearch of a bigger city when you know specifically which area you want to be in yet have to wade through tons of people on the CouchSearch results unknowing as to if they are located anywhere near where you plan to stay and visit.
A fix is at hand
Often the easiest way to find a CS member is using the Google Map search facilty of Zooming into a city and pressing the "Populate Map with Surfers" button. As city members improve the general location of their Location icons this search method will also improve results. So what can you do?
Casey saw the problem and has developed a beta feature tool that will allow you to move your own Location Icon.
Try it out:
http://www.couchsurfing.com/editprofile.html?edit=location&show_specific_map=1
This will take you to the Edit My profile - Location tab, where you will see your icon in the map at the bottom of the screen.
follow the instructions on the screen:
Select Your Exact Location within the City on the Map: The initial coordinates are at the center of the map. Drag the red pin to a new spot to change your listed location. Wherever you last leave the pin will be the location that other members will find you on the map when searching near you.
PLEASE NOTE! If you select your exact location, members will know exactly where you live. It may be better to select a location near by where you live, but not your exact location. This functionality is meant to help show what area a given individual is in a city or town, but not to show the exact location. If you feel safe selecting your exact location, you may do so. If you do not feel safe, please select a different location, somewhere in the same general area of your city or town.
The location of the Map icon is meant to help people better understand where you are in general.
Once you have moved your icon to a more meaningful location (LH button click and hold down to drag the icon) press the button on the page titled "update location information".
