How long does it take you to find your house on Google Earth?

[Mini Stiggy]

No entering addresses, no visible street names or anything else like that. Just zoom in around the area your house is in, and start looking.

It took me about 20 minutes. I thought it would take much longer though

 

[W3H5]

I've done it before, takes less than a minute depending on the speed of my connection and the device. Not just one home either, several. On two different continents.

I'd say if you can't find your own home in less than a few minutes you've either got a serious map reading problem or don't know where you live. Either of those isn't a great feature to have.

 

[TB]

I'm with @W3HS - a few minutes tops.

Nosing around on Google Maps, it took me about 10 minutes to find my house in Georgia. I moved from there when I was 7, though, and I've never been back to it since.

 

[Chrunch Houston]

I can get to mine very fast. But I live near the intersection of two Interstates, in a major US city, that has a huge bay that is visible, even when I am looking at the whole North American continent.

 

[Slash]

15 seconds. If that. Rather easy.

 

[W3H5]

I'm with @W3HS - a few minutes tops.

I think even without a map showing place names the average person shouldn't need more than a few minutes to find it using just local geological formations; rivers, lakes, hills...

Nosing around on Google Maps, it took me about 10 minutes to find my house in Georgia. I moved from there when I was 7, though, and I've never been back to it since.

That's lucky, because NoDak is non-existent according to this pic (with sweary words).

 

[TB]

WHY DO YOU INSIST ON BRINGING UP MY NON-EXISTENCE AT EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY?!?

 

[Azure Flare]

I once posted a screenshot in the Ramblings thread, so yeah.

 

[Spacegoat]

I live in a fairly small town of around 3,500 people. So about a minute, if that.

 

[Solid Lifters]

It's easy for me. Never timed it, but probably a minute.

 

[Famine]

In old Google Maps, about 20 seconds. In new Google Maps, somewhere between fifteen hours and the eventual heat death of the universe.

 

[mattythedog]

About 20 seconds. It's fairly easy due to where I live.

 

[zedextreme8177]

It took me 5 minutes the first time, considering where I live

Now it takes on average 10 seconds

 

[Dean]

About a minute for me.

 

[Flex0r]

A minute or two.

 

[Azuremen]

In old Google Maps, about 20 seconds. In new Google Maps, somewhere between fifteen hours and the eventual heat death of the universe.

This. Seriously, what is up with the new Maps setup? I have enough trouble figuring out how to setup directions on it, or toggle the various modes... worst UX choices ever.

 

[PeterJB]

I use Google Earth daily so I can find my house in a matter of seconds.

 

[Robin]

You can't find my house, it's in one of those pixelated out areas

 

[Mini Stiggy]

Well, I guess I'm a fail at life.

 

[AOS-]

About a minute at most. I can use the Great Lakes as a reference point so that already makes it stupid easy.

edit: less than 5 seconds. It already had my location.

 

[wfooshee]

How can you not know enough about where you live to have to look around for it to find it??!?!?

 

[Lizard]

20 seconds. It isn't hard.

 

[BobK]

I can't find the house I grew up in.

Only takes a minute or so to find out where it used to be, though.

 

[Grayfox]

<30seconds.

If you know where you live, it should be easy.

You can't find my house, it's in one of those pixelated out areas

Yes you can.

Your house is one of them pixels.

Done.

 

[LMSCorvetteGT2]

Still looking...I guess I better give up my dream of being an FBI agent

 

[Wiegert]

In old Google Maps, about 20 seconds. In new Google Maps, somewhere between fifteen hours and the eventual heat death of the universe.

Half a second in new Maps here. Nice to know they're make use of the location shown on my main G+ profile which I haven't used in 2 years.

Not sure it'll help much when I use old Maps (I like my Street View to work more than half the time and My Places to stay saved), which takes an added 10 seconds to find where I live the old fashioned way.

 

[Famine]

Half a second in new Maps here. Nice to know they're make use of the location shown on my main G+ profile which I haven't used in 2 years.

Telling Google where you live is cheating.

 

[Exorcet]

This. Seriously, what is up with the new Maps setup? I have enough trouble figuring out how to setup directions on it, or toggle the various modes... worst UX choices ever.

It is a new UI. The proper way to design a new UI is to ignore all the functionality of the old UI and ignore all the functionality desires of users and to instead make it look "cool" by making it look terrible and depriving any remaining functionality.

It doesn't take me long, but I've done it quite a few times, so I don't know how long a real dry run would take. I don't really use Google maps anymore anyway and I won't until they make it useable again.

 

[Wiegert]

Telling Google where you live is cheating.

Still more respectful than using Bing Maps*.

*At least it doesn't take three human generations to load 1 sq mi.

 

[MoLiEG]

I've done this exersice many, maaany times.

Takes me less than a minute.