Google Maps added a new feature today known as My Maps which allows users to tag and save locations and/or areas on a map and share them with anyone. This move probably kills at least 4 startups who were attempting to do the same type of things via mashup – but that obviously Google itself can do much easier on its own maps.

That is the real strength of this service, its ease of use. In minutes you can tag, change icons, add pictures, hand draw routes, select areas, and save it all in your My Maps tab. You can make multiple custom maps which you can choose to share or not with the public and you can even – with one click of a button – export your KML data from the map so that you can import it into Google Earth and via your map 3D style.

I see this as a great tool for creating things like a trip summary. You can use the new line tool to accurately draw the route you took on a trip and then mark the places of note, add a thumbnail picture to those areas, and even include hyperlinks to say a Flickr or Picasa web album with more detailed pictures. Sure, you could do this with out mashups before, but its so streamlined and easy now that as Google puts it, even a caveman could do it.

Here are some of the interesting maps already made:

The 2004 Presidential Election
Route 66
The Googleplex
Olympic Host Cities Throughout the Years