Questions & Comments

Q: How does this work?

A: We use the Zipwise Geotargeting Database to locate everyone whose browser requests our little button. Just put our button on your MySpace profile, and we can determine the location of nearly everyone who visits it.

Q: Will this work on a non-MySpace web site?

A: Use this version to map any other non-MySpace web site.

Q: I put it on my profile, but it doesn't show all my visitors.

A: We can only map people who visit your profile AFTER you put it on your page - once you do, it will add everyone who visits your profile.

MySpace's "Profile Views" counter counts multiple visits from the same people, including yourself, so that number will always be artificially way high. The number of points you see on your ProfileMap is much more accurate. Only about 1 new unique visitor per day is common for most profiles.

There will always be a few (<5%) visitors who don't show up on the map - either their browser blocks the referring page, their IP address cannot be geolocated, or something else funky is going on. It's as accurate as we can make it.

Q: The map doesn't show up at all.

A: Google Maps require that you have JavaScript turned ON in your browser. Check your browser's preferences. Then go to maps.google.com and follow their troubleshooting steps if you still don't see a map there.

Also see this next question:

Q: Internet Explorer gives me an error when I try to view this or any other Google Map.

A: Try this (Windows Internet Explorer only): Close all browsers. Go to Start > Control Panel > Internet Options > Advanced. Scroll down and check "Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections". Click Apply. Click the General tab. Click Delete Cookies. Click Delete Files, and check the box to delete all offline content. Click OK, then test it by going to maps.google.com.

Q: It doesn't show me in exactly the right place.

A: In many cases, we can only derive the exact latitude and longitude for your ISP from your IP address. This is often in a nearby major city.

Q: Can I click on a point on the map and see that person's profile?

A: To protect people's privacy, we don't include ANY identifying information with the map pins, not even the time that they visited.

Q: It's showing 100 visitors instead of the correct number.

A: First, check whether the map says at the top "Most recent 100 visitors to (your name)" or does it say something like "Most recent 100 visitors to all tracked profiles"? If it's the latter, that means that your browser did not pass us the address of the referring web page (the page you were on when you clicked to come here - normally that would be your MySpace profile displaying the map button).

Try updating the code on your MySpace profile to the newest version. If you can find your FriendID and edit it into the code, that will make it as reliable as possible.

Some browser "security" software will prevent your browser from passing us the address of the page that you visited from (the "referer code") - if you block this information from us, we can't know what profile you came from. Click here if you have Norton Internet Security or Norton Personal Firewall. You can also try completely disabling the Privacy Control setting. Also, if you use MSIE, add myspace.com and profilemaps.info to your Trusted Sites (Tools > Internet Options > Security). If you still can't get it to work with your security software - Sorry, but that's the price you pay for blocking services that web sites need to function correctly.

Other things that can cause this are visiting our site directly via a bookmark or by typing in our address, or opening the map in a new browser window - when you do this, we can't tell which profile you came from. Try clicking on your profile's map button normally to open the map in the same browser window.

Q: I want mine to show more than 100.

A: No problem. For a one-time PayPal payment of $20, we'll change it. Click here to change it to 200, 300, 400, 500, 1000, 1500, or 2000. You will have to wait for new visitors until your count reaches the new maximum.

Q: I want to clear my ProfileMap.

A: Clearing your map is free and easy. Just go here.

Q: The picture for this profile needs to be updated.

A: No problem, click here to update it.

Q: I don't want to show up on people's maps!

A: Go here and you can block yourself from ProfileMaps.

Q: Can you help me catch a stalker, or solve some crime?

A: No. Even if that was our business, we do not log any identifying information about any site visitors, not even IP addresses ... only latitudes and longitudes as shown on the maps. You already know as much as we do.

Q: Will it work with private profiles?

A: Sort of. It can only track people who can see the button on your page, so this means it can only track your friends. It won't track most people who view your private profile, since they are not able to see your full profile or anything you put on it, like our button.

Q: The map itself is not accurate.

A: We use the Google Maps API to generate these maps. Accuracy of the map is maintained entirely by Google, we have no control over it.

Q: Any other questions?

A: Email volleybrian [at] gmail.com. But please make sure your question isn't already answered above; 99% of the questions I receive are already answered on this page, and those will just be deleted.

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