Google Maps will be embedable

Its hard to avoid Google. They are doing so much, most of it very well. The latest innovation to catch our eye:

Google will be releasing a new feature next week that will enable people to easily embed a Google Map into their Web site or blog, just like you can do with a YouTube video. No coding or programming required; just copying and pasting a snippet of HTML, a Google spokeswoman says. (from Elinor Mills on CNET)

How immensely useful, Google maps can now become an even more essential, an even more networked, reference resource. As Elinor says this sounds like YouTube for maps. Will such widgetised maps now come with little counters telling us how many people have viewed this particular embedded map? One can be sure that Google will know this statistic:- perhaps they are introducing the feature so that they can better understand how maps are used.