Google In General

Can I just say that I love Google? That might come back to bite me when a new and un-thought of system as of yet develops and flips Google, but I think that is a bit in the future still. So I will enjoy Google for now.

Beyond the general search ability, email, and image searching, I have discovered a multitude of tools that I actually use consistently, for my daily life and other classes. Plus a couple that are just fun and kooky. Yes, kooky.

Google Documents: I started using Google Docs for my magazine class to save articles so I could edit and work on them on any computer, anywhere. Then, in my church ward, my bishopric uses Google Docs to put our Sunday program together, so the music can be put in by the music committee, the talks by the conducting person, and any announcements from various organizations and committees in the ward. Beyond just word-type documents, you can also do spreadsheets and to-do lists, powerpoints and budgets. Never. Ending. Possibilities.

Google Reader- At first this was just another way for me to keep track of classmates blogs, but then I discovered the other little secrets of Reader. Such as Notes, where you can place notes (similar to Evernote, but attached to everything else on Google!) and the Explore section. That section suggests items and sources you might like based on what else you have in your reader feed. It's almost like Google knows what I need. I'm trying not to get too emotionally attached.

Google Calendar- Though I lack the time to sit down and really put down everything in this tool, it's extremely useful to help coordinate schedules with family members, classmates, fellow employees, etc. Plus it will message you if you have a certain event or deadline coming up. Personal assistant? Yes, thank you.

I'm sure many of you are already on to more complex things, but for me it's the simple, but widely applicable tools that keep me coming back. I've explored and used several other Google tools including Sketchup in my book review project. Sites is another Google feature that I've found recently through class project formulation. I've been using GoogleTranslate for quite some time actually as I've worked on learning multiple languages. Also, Google Health is a feature that keeps your medical records online so you can readily access test results, medication, etc for yourself or someone you are caring for. Quite helpful.