After many moons of mash-ups, Google Maps has been steadily adding more socializing features. The latest offering allows comments and ratings to be added to user-created maps by other users. Author tours will never be the same! Publicists can use the new tool to both advertise tour stops, and get instant feedback from attendees. Add to that the fact that you can tie in YouTube and wikis and you’ve got yourself a community (and a grateful component of geographically-challenged fans).

Other news from Google: Analytics now allows you to compare data points including page views, unique page views, time spent on the page, bounce rate, % exit, and $ index. Scintillating reading for us marketing folk out there.

Finally, for all Internet Explorer users out there, Google has released version 5 of the IE toolbar. Take a look at the promo video below: