Snapchat's Snap Maps is now available online
Snapchats from all over the world can be easily viewed online. On Monday, Snapchat released map.snapchat.com for Snap Maps that highlights Our Stories and other public snaps overlaid on a global map.
Just like on Snapchat's mobile version of Snap Maps, users can zoom in and tap section on the map to see Stories. Our Stories, like New York Fashion Week, are curated by Snapchat's team of news producers. Map Stories are algorithmically generated from a certain location. Users can share the map by including an embed code on their website.
The update is the latest sign that Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is really tearing down his walled garden.
The update is the latest sign that Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is really tearing down his walled garden in an effort to grow Snapchat's audience. Snapchat used to be exclusively mobile, but last month, Snapchat launched a web player that allowed public snaps from Official Stories and Our Stories to be viewed online.
Snap Maps on Snapchat is one way users can search for different types of Stories and also see where their friends are, if they opt-in to share location. The current web version of Snap Maps leaves out the friends, and instead emphasizes the breaking news and entertainment content.
Media organizations are encouraged to embed versions of Snap Maps to highlight activity around a certain event, but it's important to realize that the embed will update to whatever is live rather than remain at what was shown at the story's publication.
Beyond the Maps, Snapchat is currently gripping with negative user reactive post-redesign. A fake tweet saying we just needed 50,000 retweets to get the old design back in now the sixth most retweeted tweet of all time. YouTube star MKBHD and Chrissy Teigen spoke out against the redesign last week.
Topics Snapchat Social Media
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
