@Carl - this is a similar argument that Media and News are facing - bloggers, video bloggers, photographers given the same power as professionals. There are definitely potential pitfalls or negative consequences, but the benefits of tremendous. The responsibility lies with the tool developer and advocates to properly impart the wisdom necessary for the tools. However, this won’t guarantee proper usage - but relying on obscurity and difficulty to be barriers to use isn’t a satisfactory solution.

A bit of context regarding my Neogeography response. From a NeoGeo perspective, there is the potential for harm due to the fact that geo content and applications can be deployed and used with minimal consideration or knowledge of the underlying and fundamental principals of geodesy, cartography, and/or geography. When combined with the lack of statements concerning quality, accuracy, whether the data are fit for purpose and so forth there is the real potential for misuse of a neogeo applications. Sure, if one is deploying an application showing favorite bike routes there is really no issue. However, if such applicatons percolate into mission critical applications, such as emergency services, where there are real human (legal) consequences . . . This is the area of my concern. If NeoGeo applications are not properly positioned and used, such misuse could hurt the reputation of the geospatial industry. I am not opposed to NeoGeo. As a matter of fact, NeoGeo is providing a great service in engaging a much broader community of geo developers and users. But I also think we need to insure that such applications are properly positioned, advertized, and used.

So far it looks like it is available only in print, but they eventually post the articles on their website: http://www.geoplace.com

“geographical techniques and tools used for personal activities or for utilization by a non-expert group of users; not formal or analytical”

is in fact being done by folks who spend their days and nights coding and cracking technical issues, as opposed to the complete neophyte - the Joe Public who’s touched nary a shapefile nor a line of code before in his life.

Is there somewhere that “neoGeo” as empowerment of the non-geographers, non-coders and folks who don’t have access to “real” GIS ala ArcGIS, et cetera ends;

…in turn blending into where “Geography 2.0″ begins, forming the realm of OS, mixed-discipline professionals, coders and other similar efforts;

…which in turn also ends and blends into “paleoGeo” of the tradition desktop ArcGIS and similar users?

Doesn’t it all at some point become a continuous spectrum?

you might be a neogeographer if you took “map library” and “library 2.0″ and smashed them together and got something interesting.

you might be a neogeographer if you have some way of visualizing “like flickr, but for maps!” or “like twitter, but for maps!” or “like linkedin, but with maps!” (that last one I could really use).