I came to PamPam with the promise of discovering a kind of new Waze with artificial intelligence. What I found seemed more like Google Maps, charming enough to revive the curious person I was who loved adding any detail to Google Maps when I was an avid local guide.
PamPam, as its co-founder Helena Jaramillo explains, is “a new way to create guides and maps for your community.” Yes, we’ve seen this before in apps like Google’s famous maps, but PamPam has its own charm. For example, each location is decorated with an image that reminds me of memojis, the animated icons on the iPhone. You can also add links to social networks.
PamPam’s interface is simple, much less complicated than the process of registering a place on Google Maps, and more with an emphasis on social networking. Visually, it’s like an app for kids. Everything invites you to click to see what a tool does. The marker, for example, is useful for highlighting an area. The camera image is used to add photos. When I think about what I might use PamPam for, I think I would definitely use it to send a sketch to friends or foreign visitors. In fact, I think it would be especially attractive to foreigners, because what could be better than finding a colorful map with obvious signs that there is a restaurant in such and such a place, a bar in such and such a place, or that you can walk the dog here. And all with descriptions made by a guide and with relevant links for each visit.
Would you like to see? Take a look at the map I made in about five minutes.importing some of my favorite places in my area via Google Maps. It’s actually a pretty simple job, but I got it done on my first try. The other maps are much more interesting.
Free, but if you pay it could be ideal for guides.
PamPam clearly aims to be a useful travel tool, much like Yelp or Foursquare once were, except that the guides are tailored to the person using them.
Will you take digital nomads on a tour of the Condesa neighborhood, one of Mexico City’s most touristy areas? Then create a map of the neighborhood with restaurants, bars, and cafes. Are you renting an Airbnb to a retired couple who will be staying near the Historic Center? Create a PamPam with the most emblematic archaeological sites and restaurants of the Mexican capital.
You can use PamPam for free, but if your maps start to be a hit with your guides, there are plans starting at $5 per month that let you map up to 100 locations (the free plan is limited to 35) and get up to a thousand visits per month. The $29 monthly plan seems to be aimed at tourist centers, with up to 300 points per map and 10,000 visits per month.
Source: Digital Trends
