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Click2Map, though it costs a bit to get the more advanced features, may end my hunt for the perfect map-making service (here’s my test map).

Yes, personalized Google maps are free, but can they do all of
this:

1. RSS feed of updates to map. Oh, my. My. Drool. What we have here are the beginnings of a mlog (map log)…a blog-structured information tool where geographic coordinates are an initial, key part of every post and you can explore posts via time or space.
2. Tabbed information windows (you can add tabs as you like) that pop up when you click on a map point. Each tab can contain pretty much anything you want (sponsorship logos, anyone?).
3. Accepts HTML; I embedded a video (incorrectly sized for now, but that’s easily fixed) on one tab.
4. Easily add photos.
5. Easily add (linkable) text.
6. Add a variety of icons to identify the map points (I looked for a way to add nothing more than numbers [important to quickly connect list of locations on right to map location icons on the left], but could only find icons numbered 1 through 10).
7. Monetize it (if you pay for higher-level service).
8. Import/export marker points. You could write all of your mlog entries into a spreadsheet that you import into Click2Map.
9. Embeddable, but you’ll have to pay ($5 a month minimum).

What it’s missing:

1. The most important feature in any map: a way for people to figure out the relationship between a map’s point and their current location. Information has no measurable value (and societies run on measurements) until it is placed in relation to something else. Yes, somebody give me a “get directions to/from here” option for every map point. Google Maps does this.