Christmas Lights Display Tracking App/website

[denverstone]

A friend of mine has created a mobile app and website which allows people to track and "pin" locations to a map for Christmas displays.  I thought this would be a good thing for the members of this site to help get the word out for people to see their displays which we all spend soo much time and hard earned money creating. 

He just launched the website and App a few weeks ago and is looking for some help to start populating the map with displays.  I dont know which is the best category to post this kind of information.

The website is You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login and the app available on google play for android  (iphone still in work) is " Trail of Lights".  Below is additional information about the idea and website.  I would appreciated any help you could offer to spread the word.

Family and Friends,

This is the time of year that millions of people around the country decorate their homes with Christmas lights and holiday displays.  Many people (like me) enjoy taking their families out in the evening to enjoy these lights.  Currently there is no easy/good way to find these houses other than simply randomly driving around or by word of mouth.

I recently launched "Trail of Lights", a new MOBILE website designed to be used on your smartphone (iPhone/Android/Blackberry).  This website allows users to easily locate houses nearby that have been decorated for the holidays using the GPS built into their phones. By the way, apps for Android and iPhone will be released shortly.  Let me know if you are interested in a follow-up email about this.

I need your help!  Obviously I cannot drive around the country and find all the good homes and post them to the site.  I would really appreciate it if when you are out and about and you find nice looking homes that you would use my site and share them.  I am aiming for really nice homes, not homes that have just put up a few strands of lights.  We want to share those homes that have actually put in some effort and make it worth everyone's while that will be driving to see them.  I do not expect you to go out of your way to do this, but when you go out to view lights yourself, please share!

Also, some cities have large light displays that you often have to pay for to drive through.  Feel free to share those as well as not everyone will be familiar with them.

The site is located at You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

Lastly, please feel free to share this email with your friends and family.

[meman]

Wow, there are already seven bulbs in my area for me to explore.
I really like the idea, but I think your friend is going to need to tighten this up a bit by letting us put a high level description with the pinned location. Even if its just a couple of radio buttons; static/animated, music, parking/no parking. Also, there will need to be some simple a way to let users rate the sites. Nothing is stopping someone from putting the address of an outhouse on the map as a joke, so I'd like a little more validation that its a nice display before I round up the family and invest the gas on a viewing run. 

Mike E.

[Steve Gase]

Wow, there are already seven bulbs in my area for me to explore.
I really like the idea, but I think your friend is going to need to tighten this up a bit by letting us put a high level description with the pinned location. Even if its just a couple of radio buttons; static/animated, music, parking/no parking. Also, there will need to be some simple a way to let users rate the sites. Nothing is stopping someone from putting the address of an outhouse on the map as a joke, so I'd like a little more validation that its a nice display before I round up the family and invest the gas on a viewing run. 

Mike E.

I'd like to see the visitors have the ability to rate the displays.

I'd also like the ability to load a list of addresses (text file, spreadsheet, etc.)

Nice idea...!

[onesmoothhead]

I like the idea! I will add the link and description to my site soon.


Sent from my iPad using You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

[Steve Gase]

Someone in the Austin area submitted a bunch of addresses -- great!
But they also put down my old address.

I think a way to remove an address would save frustration for the visitors.

[duane.mosley]

submitted my address and located another 20 minutes from me that I was un aware of before. thanks for the link.

[tbone321]

Putting in a delete address capability for anyone but the moderator may turn out to be a bad idea.  If someone is in a childish mood, they could delete the addresses of valid displays for any number of reasons.  Perhaps what would be better would be a confirmation button and counter.  The rating system also suggested would also work here.  If the house has positive ratings, it must exist with a display and if the house hs no display, then all someone has to do is rate it as a zero - no display.  The nly downside is that it will need to be monitored to some level but that ges for any interactive site.

[towtruck]

Not that there are a lot of us up here, but any chance of support north of the border?

[Steve Gase]

I've tried to place a couple displays on the map that are outside maybe a 30mi range, from my location.  They don't show.

Then, when I zoomed outside my area to look at the US map, only the icons in the Austin area show up -- nothing else outside this area.

I wonder if there is a proximity filter on this tool. 

can someone look to see if Austin displays show up on your map?  and can someone confirm that their locations (not near Austin) do show up -- even if not for me?

thx

[Steve Gase]

I've tried to place a couple displays on the map that are outside maybe a 30mi range, from my location.  They don't show.

Then, when I zoomed outside my area to look at the US map, only the icons in the Austin area show up -- nothing else outside this area.

I wonder if there is a proximity filter on this tool. 

can someone look to see if Austin displays show up on your map?  and can someone confirm that their locations (not near Austin) do show up -- even if not for me?

thx

yes, there is proximity filter.

I went to a different browser and did not allow it to use my location.  it asked for a zip code instead -- and I used Dallas, and then some other spots.  I found a new list of displays -- and mine was hidden.

[PJNMCT]

I'd like to see annotated data like forums or sequencer used, etc. if that can even be known.

-Paul

[Steve Gase]

I'd like to see annotated data like forums or sequencer used, etc. if that can even be known.

-Paul

I'd be happy with a link to the show's web page.  the web page can convey everything from start times, to sequencer used. 

[jnealand]

You are assuming we all have web pages.  LOL

[denverstone]

Thanks for all the feedback! I also have expressed some of the same features as well, believe he is looking into them!
Spread the word so we can get more data on there!

[drlucas]

Not that there are a lot of us up here, but any chance of support north of the border?

I added my address in.... just east of Toronto. Hope the snow wasn't too bad yesterday. we got about 8" here on Saturday