More Mapping Madness

This isn't my first complaint about online mapping services. Also, in this article I ask why Google doesn't have their own URL Shortening Service. It sure would make sending map URLs easier. For instance, if I want to send a map URL to someone, I can hit "Send" and it will bring up a window for me to send an email to someone.

However, it just sends an email with this really long URL in it:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&
geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=1+post+street,+
san+francisco,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=
35.136115,82.265625&ie=UTF8&ll=37.789811,
-122.402029&spn=0.008563,0.020084&z=16&
iwloc=addr&om=1

If I didn't want to send an email from within the Google UI, but instead wanted to include this link in a meeting invitation in Outlook, it would either be cumbersome or I would use a URL shortening service. Why doesn't Google create user-friendly, sharable URLs for their maps and other services? In fact, why don't any of the large mapping companies do this? I just checked Yahoo! and MapQuest and they both do the same thing. MapQuest's URL is just a monstrosity!

Yahoo! (not as bad as Google, but still bad)

http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=37.789098&
lon=-122.402044&mag=3&q1=1%20post%
20street,%20san%20francisco,%20ca

MapQuest (HORRIBLE! Is this for real?)

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?
address=1%20Post%20St&city=San
%20Francisco&state=CA&zipcode=
94104%2d5203&country=US&title=%3cb
%20class%3d%22fn%20org%22%3e1%20
Post%20St%3c%2fb%3e%3cbr%20%2f
%3e%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display
%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px
%3b%22%20class%3d%22locality%22
%3eSan%20Francisco%3c%2fspan%3e
%2c%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22
display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%
3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22region%
22%3eCA%3c%2fspan%3e%20%3cspan%
20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin
%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class
%3d%22postal%2dcode%22%3e94104
%2d5203%3c%2fspan%3e%2c%20%20%
3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%
3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20
class%3d%22country%2dname%22%3eUS
%3c%2fspan%3e%3c%2fspan%3e&cid=
lfmaplink2&name=&dtype=s

I can't understand why in 2008 this type of thing is still around. With the explosion of Twitter, micro-blogging, text messaging and IM, this just doesn't make any sense. And as I stated in the other post on URL shortening, the metrics Google et al. are missing out on is unbelievable.