How are custom maps hosted?

[MerrillPhish]

I know how to host a custom map...haha

But how are those maps always being hosted?
Bots?
Do you submit maps to battle.net?
And they will host them for you if they are popular?
How does that work?

 

[Monsterous]

Battlenet hosts the map, so there is no host advantage anymore.
You submit maps to Battlenet by publishing them inside the Editor.
All maps are on the database, but the problem is that it has to be played to be popular. Since it hasnt been played, it'll stay at the bottom, and thus stay there unless you manage to get alot of games going.
The best way to popularise it is to advertise the map on sites liek SC2mapster, or here, and if its a good one.

Also, the maps are only linked to the server they are provided. A map on the EU servers cant be played on the US servers unless the map is transferred to a US account, and is published onto a US server.

 

[MerrillPhish]

I found a couple good articles about it.


http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=139745
http://www.keenandgraev.com/?p=4130