Nothing attracts people more than other people’s stories. The more personal, the more authentic, and the more they resonate with your own experiences, the more they attract. I was thinking this very thing when I was shown a new way to use Google Earth. This time it is in association with the Museum of London and they are compiling a virtual Lovemap of the city. It is surprisingly simple. You register, locate a place on the map (like all Google-style maps it zooms in from a bird’s eye position to close-ups of houses and streets) and place a virtual pin on it. With your pin you get the opportunity to add a personal story connected with that place. The groupings of the stories could have been taken from the pages of the Lovemarks book: love and loss, friendship and loneliness, fate and coincidence. The experiences that matters most in life. The project is in its early stages but people are already transforming maps into an emotional story of the city. Where love affairs began, places with special meaning, stories about houses that have long family traditions, all sorts of stuff. If you have ever been to London, get involved. Add your story to this inspirational tapestry.
