So Google Street View has hit Toronto.  I would imagine you’ve all heard about this before and are probably either excited about it or scared about some privacy issues.  Personally I think it’s really cool; I can see what a place looks like from the outside so I don’t drive by it whilst I’ve never been there before, or I can… I can… ummm… What else can I do?

Well that just blew my top.

The good news for MyCityLives is that the hype, excitement and soon to be high usage of Street View proves that people really want to see what a place is like (visually) before they visit the location (or whatever else people use Street View for). Google has graciously mapped the outside of all businesses in the city and left the inside and the experience to the users of MyCityLives J.  Just imagine the excitement for an ongoing street view where people share what they do inside these locations. Not just a onetime snapshot of the outside.

Currently it is unclear to me at this point in time whether or not Street View will have any legs (strange considering it’s been out for over 2 years in some places).  I have been unable to find any usage numbers to confirm or deny Street View’s staying power in places where it has been for a while.  But it certainly has gotten a lot of press coverage over the past 24 hours (217 news stories in the past 24 hours to be exact)

We will certainly utilize Street View to give users an outside look at a location (where applicable) and think Street View is really cool, but as I said, we’re most excited because it is a proof of concept for us, even before we launch. We love you Google J

What does everyone think: Does Street View have legs? Are there other applications for Street View other than looking at your end destination?

Enjoy your searching and keep your eyes open for suspicious activities.