Okay, so maybe Flickr has had this feature for a while…but whenever Google seems to integrate something into their user interface it all of a sudden becomes popular; remember MapQuest before Google Maps? I just think Google makes things better all around.

So I did a search for an address in Tempe and found that there were random pictures popping up nearby:

I guess Flickr has had the same feature for a while…but even as a Flickr user I wasn’t very well aware of it, therefore it’s not important

Right now I”m probably going to waste about a half hour just exploring different areas and seeing what pictures are up, because I LOVE playing with Google Maps and making up for having never taken a geography class (it was never included in my curriculum much to my dismay).

Here’s Google’s quick little YouTube video that explains what it is…but not how they find the pictures. I’d be interested to know how they select them, possibly Picasa?

I hadn’t seen this before but it looks like Google’s local push is moving into the PPC realm.

Look at the + sign next to the AquaTots PPC ad:

Here’s what happens when you click the + and expand the ad:

Looks to be in beta right now for some advertisers but hopefully will roll out soon. I know a lot of people that would like to use this feature.

Reported on Blumenthal, SEORoundTable, Screenwork and Vertical Leap.