Something else worth addressing here: if you are using a foreign mirror of Google maps (google.ca, google.co.uk, etc.), your link will result in a redirect to the Google homepage for American viewers. This is easily addressed on our end if the long URL link is used: you just have to modify the link slightly to go to the google.com domain and follow the US format.
However, if as a foreign user you choose the short URL option, you create considerable problems for us because your short link will redirect to the foreign long link, which will in turn will then quickly redirect to google.com home. When confronted with this the only way for me to get the link to work is to quickly highlight and copy the long link in the second it shows up in my URL bar between redirects, and then paste it back and modify it appropriately. This usually takes me several attempts to pull off successfully and I consider myself quick. People who didn't grow up playing video games will probably have even more trouble with it.
So, please: if you are located in a country other than the US, do not use the short link option!
(I don't know if the same problem is true of US links in other countries - anyone located elsewhere care to confirm?)