Google Earth could become the next great social network

• Google Earth could become your next go-to platform to share a story in the not-so-distant future — but your posts won't be restricted to a timeline like other, less terrestrially-focused social networks.  
• That's the idea that was teased by Google Earth Director Rebecca Moore at a recent event in Brazil showcasing a new project created with the Voyager tool, according to Reuters. 
• Instead, your statuses, photos, and videos will be tracked on Google Earth's map of the planet, tied to the location where your adventures took place. Your posts could conceivably become a part of the destination's collective history, tying you to the map and adding to the story as you build your own.   
• Moore said the new functionality could be available to the public within the next two or three years, so this probably isn't just a throwaway statement at an event. It could in fact be the ultimate plan for Voyager, which aims to bring a storytelling aspect to Google's popular mapping service.  
• The Voyager tool was launched back in April as part of the massive Google Earth redesign. Google has already set the bar high with the content it has created using Voyager. 
• "The story of your family history, the story of your favorite hiking trip – it could be anything," Moore told Reuters. "It doesn't have to be profound."
• Moore shared details about it at the public debut of the I Am Amazon project, which included a Voyager feature comprised of 11 interactive stories highlighting the region. The company said it was the culmination of a 10-year project it spearheaded with the help of local activists.  
• Once the tool is open to the public, however, anything and everything could be uploaded to the map. The posts could potentially be shared within private networks for intimate purposes or publicly, allowing users all around the world to experience a place through infinite perspectives.
• The Voyager tool was also used to stream a live broadcast from Alaska earlier this month, giving viewers a closer look at the state's untamed wilderness through a partnership with Explore.org.    

Points on the the map, unedited

• A Voyager-sourced social map could be one of the most expansive repositories of the human experience ever compiled, but there could be massive challenges to bring that vision to life. 
• As Google makes its own content with the tool, it has tapped the best of the best — the I Am Amazon project was produced in part by renowned Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, and other projects have roped in Jane Goodall. Google appears to be really invested in controlling the quality of the first few posts. 
• Moore told Reuters, however, that publicly created content could be posted in an unedited form, which should automatically raise questions, even if the project is still years from being available. This Voyager network would be on the internet, after all, which means that some people and groups will inevitably use the platform to promote their own agendas, no matter how innovative or noble the original purpose for the tool.      
• So when will we learn more about the new tool? Mashable reached out to Google for more details, and will update as soon as we hear back.  
• Just look at Facebook. While the social network aims to become the gathering place for all of humanity, it has faced an uphill battle in moderating abusive and violent content. A public Google Earth Voyager platform would also likely need moderators, editors, and everything else that comes along with our social lives on the internet in the 21st century.