Google has so many interesting features and functions that it needs its own page!
Have a Google Account? Did you know you can...
Use Google Docs to create and share your work online
- Create, edit and upload quickly
Import your existing documents, spreadsheets and presentations, or create new ones from scratch.- Access and edit from anywhere
All you need is a Web browser. Your documents are stored securely online.- Share changes in real time
Invite people to your documents and make changes together, at the same time.- It's free -- you don't pay a nickel
Use Google Calendar to organize your schedule and share events with friends
Wouldn't it be great to be able to keep track of all the events in your life, coordinate schedules with friends and family, and find new things to do -- all with one online calendar?
- Seeing the big picture
With Google Calendar, you can see your friends' and family's schedules right next to your own; quickly add events mentioned in Gmail conversations or saved in other calendar applications; and add other interesting events that you find online.- Sharing events and calendars
You decide who can see your calendar and which details they can view. Planning an event? You can create invitations, send reminders and keep track of RSVPs right inside Google Calendar. Organizations can promote events, too.- Staying on schedule
You can set up automatic event reminders, including mobile phone notifications, and instantly bring up anything on your calendar with the built-in search tool.Go to www.Google.com and click on More¸ for these features and many more.
Exploiting
the Advanced Search
Some of Google's best features are buried in the advanced
screen. Search for information on eagles and you can easily begin to feel that a
certain player should be called for interference. In the Advanced Search screen,
you have precision tools that allow you to combine words and phrases and
eliminate pesky words likely to cause a problem. You can search specifically in
titles, text, links, or URL. You can isolate your search to a particular domain
such as .edu or .gov.
Google
sees more file types than most of the other search engines and allows you to search by
format. If you are looking for models of a policy or a report, it is a good bet
these longer documents, as well as items like tax forms, are posted, but not
written as HTML files. A logical strategy is to search for the documents in PDF
format first.
Want
to see how others have presented a concept at a conference or in front of a
class? Search for your terms and specify PowerPoint format. You can select
"file format" in the Advanced screen or type: filetype:pdf or
filetype:ppt, etc., in the regular search box.
A link
search, done in Advanced screen or by typing link:URL, not only allows you to
see who is linking to your site, it also allows you to see who links to any
site. Impressive links are clues to the reliability of a site.
If you
are just getting your feet wet, have a one-concept search, or are unsure of the
keywords related to your search, start under the Directory tab or directly visit
http://directory.google.com where you can browse through categories and narrow your
topic choices. The directory combines Google's Page Rank technology with the
Open Directory's organized collection of sites. It is likely to eliminate much
of the noise and get you to the good stuff faster.
Use
the ~ (tilde) for synonyms
This year, Google
introduced the tilde for searching synonyms and related terms. Place the tilde
sign (~) right in front of the keyword you suspect needs expanding.
Google
sees dead pages
Ever plan a lesson or a presentation around a site that is temporarily down the
morning you need to use it? If you can find it in Google, you can visit the
cache - the way it looked when Google last indexed it - even if you cannot visit
it live. One word of caution: Many students have discovered the cache as a way
to get around school filters.
Download
the free Google "Toolbar" and install a search box on your Web browser
to speed your searching
Not only does the toolbar allow you to search from any site, it
also offers a pop-up-ad blocker, fills out
forms, and highlights your search terms on a page. The new Google Deskbar at http://toolbar.google.com/deskbar/
allows you to search outside of your browser.
Google
now calculates
Enter a problem into
the search box and Google returns the answer, noting the proper order of
operations. When you type: 13*9+8, it returns: (13 * 9) + 8 = 125. The calculator
can also convert units of measures. If you're traveling, for example, you can ask: 65
kilos = ? pounds and the answer will appear. Type "153 in hex" and it will convert the decimal number 153 to
its hexadecimal (base 16) equivalent. (It sticks "0x" in front of the
answer which is the symbol for hex.) Type in "0xff in decimal" and it
will convert the hexadecimal number ff to the decimal equivalent. (You have to
put 0x in front of the number so it knows it's base 16.) Type "the speed of
light in miles per second" and it will also tell you that.
The Google calculator is good for any kind of
measurement conversions as well. Example:
“1 quart in ounces” Answer: 1
Google
defines
Type the word define: in the search box followed by a space and the word
you want defined and the search engine will return a list of definitions
gathered from a variety of Web sources.
Google
does numbers: UPS & FedEx tracking; Phone numbers; and more
Type in any address, or any area code, and Google brings you to information from
Yahoo Maps and MapQuest. Type in a UPS or a FedEx tracking number and you will
be linked to the progress of your package. Enter a VIN (Vehicle Identification
Number) and Google links you to CarFax record checks describing the vehicle.
Type in a phone number and most of the time, Google will return related names
and addresses. Type in a UPC code and you'll be taken to the result in a UPC
database.
Other
Google tricks
Fun
for all dedicated online shoppers, Froogle allows you to search for that blue
suede jacket, and find it and its image on stores Web-wide.
And if
you want to find, say, an Afghan restaurant in Center
Want
to see what future enhancement the developers at Google have up their sleeves?
Visit http://labs.google.com/.
"Google" your own computer
Google has come out with a new search tool that lets you search your own C drive and your emails and your web history. It's amazing - I can find documents, spreadsheets, Powerpoint presentations, etc., that are on my hard drive or my network, plus Outlook emails, just as fast as using Google on the Internet, and much faster than using the search in Word or in Outlook.
For example, I just typed in the phrase "margin of error" in the regular Google search engine. It immediately came up with "7 results stored on your computer" plus the regular sites it finds on the Internet. When I click on the "7 results stored on your computer" it came up with 2 Word documents, 1 Excel spreadsheet, and 4 emails. When I click on one, the document or the email or the spreadsheet opens immediately.
It continually indexes your hard drive, emails, and web pages - or you can choose not to have it index any of those. For example, if you don't want it to index your web pages, you can set that as an option.
For more information click here to visit Google's Desktop Search website.
A Google approach to email
Gmail is a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that you should never have to delete mail and you should always be able to find the message you want. The key features are:
For information, go to http://mail.google.com At this time, you need a cell phone to sign up for Google email.
Google does Maps and Satellite Photos
http://maps.google.com/ You can toggle between the map and a satellite photo view.
Google does almost anything...
Here's a list of all of the Services available from Google's website.
http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/index.html