Google Flu Trends

I saw this story last week, and meant to put up a post about it, but alas it was lost in the shuffle.  Having sorted through said shuffle this morning, I thought I would go ahead and put up a brief “better late than never” post anyhow.

Google.org has now added the ability to track search patterns on the Flu.  This is extremely useful, as in the internet enabled age in which we live, many people who have flu-like symptoms turn to Google to see what is wrong.  If an area has a large increase in search for specific search terms that are associated with the flu, Google can assert that there might be an outbreak taking place.

According to the site, this method of tracking flu outbreaks can save weeks in determining that an epidemic is in process.  While this can’t eliminate the risk of catching the flu, it can inform citizens and medical professionals to be more cautious and better prepared.  Who would have dreamed that search could actually save lives?

We live in amazing times.

Google Flu Trends

Gmail Now Comes in a Can?

I am an unabashed lover of Gmail, the free email service offered by Google.  This week the Gmail team introduced a new feature that has some real value - Canned Response.  The feature allows you to “pre-write” standard email messages that you can then call up with one click and send as a response.

My first gut reaction to this was “email for the lazy.”  I thought to myself how impersonal to not take the time to write out each and every response in detail to the person on the other end of the message.  But then it hit me.  You could use this for numerous applications as a way to save time and improve the quality of your responses.

Here is one example.  Directions.  Suppose people are often asking you for directions to your workplace, directions to your home, or directions to your favorite coffee shop.  By typing the directions to these places up ahead of time, you can easily send people a detailed map with proofed instructions as to how to get to the desired location.  This might include where to park, landmarks, the name of the receptionist, a description of yourself, or any number of other relevant details that do not frequently change.  When someone needs directions they are not seeking out a personal response or opinion, they just need function information.  Thus, a canned response helps everyone.

Now, should you use this feature as a response to personal thank you emails, comments on your blog, or other specific responses?  I would caution against it.  Once someone gets a few of the same message from you, it can be annoying.  Like anything else, there is a right time and place for it.  Used correctly, this feature can be really helpful.

Official Gmail Blog: New in Labs: Canned Responses

Shiny Metal Objects - Google Chrome

Count on Google to invent yet another great product.  From the Search Engine to Gmail to Google Docs to Goog-411, the folks at Google continue to make my life better.  Enter Chrome - the new web browser from Google.  Now those who know me, know that I am a loyal Firefox user.  I love the extensions, and the ability to customize my browsing experience.  That said, Chrome is amazing.  It screams.  The browser was designed from the ground up with the idea that the way people use the web has radically changed in recent years.  Now, the web is more of a platform for what we do, and not just a collection of static pages.   

Thus, Google Chrome is designed to manage video, dynamic web pages, multiple processes, and browser memory much better than its counterparts.  The experience of using it is noticably better from the first instant. The only drawback that I have encountered to date is that it does not work on a Mac, and thus I had to dust off the PC to test drive the product.  Apparently they are working on versions for the Mac and for Linux.   I can’t wait until they do, because it is such a superior product.  If you have a PC, you owe it to yourself to download it and take Chrome for a test drive.  

As someone who spends an increasing amount of time utilizing the web as my primary workspace, I look forward to making Chrome my browser of choice.   It is faster, more secure, more stable, handles video better, manages online applications more effciently, has a great interface, and is FAST.  

Oh, and another thing that makes Chrome cool…. Google used a comic book to help promote its release.

 

Google Chrome

Is iGoogle the next SharePoint?

Could iGoogle be used as an effective alternative for the Microsoft collaboration tool SharePoint?  Let me qualify that by saying, I don’t mean today - but rather in the not so distant future.  SharePoint is a pretty powerful application.  Still, if you look at what Google is trying to accomplish with web based applications and cloud computing, ask yourself “could iGoogle be developed into a fairly robust collaboration tool.”  It already allows for customization of content, and there are numerous gadgets that deliver everything from email and calendar to ToDo lists and games.  You can also share individual tabs with others - allowing for a shared workspace for small teams.  I have been pondering this for some time, and thought I would put it out there for discussion.  While I think it is a long way from being something that could be rolled out in a large firm, small businesses could absolutely utilize this free tool to communicate with customers and employees alike.  Also, the fact that SharePoint is one of Microsoft’s hottest products, must make it a huge target for companies like Google and others.  You have to think that the people at Google have at least pondered this notion.  So, what do you think?  Could you use iGoogle as an effective collaboration tool?

The Wiggles and The Beastie Boys: Together at Last

Two of my daughter’s favorite bands are The Wiggles and The Beastie Boys. She is 4. We try to carefully monitor how much and what of both bands is appropriate. Of course, I try to steer her towards the Beastie’s, like any good father would. (Please don’t call Children’s Services. We don’t let her listen to all of their songs). Anyway, I always thought that my home would be the only place where I might find these two musical acts living side by side until today that is. Along comes Google with yet another fun surprise - Artist Themes for iGoogle.

Quick note: iGoogle allows you to customize the Google home page by adding content from around the web. Very cool tool, and something that I have integrated into my daily life. Totally worth checking out if this is a new to you. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

iGoogle launched customized themes several months back. These range from scenes of the beach, to an animated bus stop, to a zen garden and so on. This empowered the user to easily change the look and feel of Google. More fun than function, but interesting none the less.

Well, today I discovered something new in Artist Themes for iGoogle. These themes were designed by folks like Todd Oldham, Michael Graves, Coldplay, John Maeda, Jackie Chan, Lance Armstrong and yes… The Beastie Boys and The Wiggles. There are many to choose from, and each has special little surprises within them. Activating them is as easy as finding the one you want and clicking. Done.

Another really fun aspect of this is that iGoogle allows users to create tabs within the home page - each of which can be customized with a different theme. So, for example, I have a page that is my normal home page. When I type in google, it is where I land. It has my gmail, calendar, and other regularly accessed information all in one spot. I have now decorated it with The Beastie Boys. I then have a page titled News. It has headlines from a wide swath of sources giving me the latest and greatest from around the world. It is adorned with “The Wiggles” - reminding me of my daughter. All in all there are 6 pages, each displaying different information, and each with a distinct look and feel.

From search results delivered by Elmer Fudd to the Wiggles and Beastie Boys, Google continues to make it more fun for me to use their products.

iGoogle Artist Themes

LinkedIn - Sales, Market Research… and Networking tool

Many people think of LinkedIn.com as sort of an Online Rolodex. Others might describe it as MySpace for business people or Facebook all grown up. While these descriptions are accurate on some levels, they are not painting the complete picture of what LinkedIn can offer to business professionals. There are numerous uses for the site that go far beyond basic networking and contact management. Notably, the site is a great tool for Sales Professionals and Market Research. I got the opportunity to present this concept to the Dayton Service Marketing Professionals group today at a meeting which was hosted downtown at Brady Ware. It was an excellent discussion, and I think people found it to be informative. I wanted to share a little of what we discussed here in this post.

First, LinkedIn is just as much “Google” as it is “Outlook”. What does that mean? Well, it seems to me that most users of the site typically think of it as online contact management - which in and of itself has huge value. I use the brand names to illustrate that idea. However, I am here to tell you that if that is all you are using the site for, you are missing out on a wealth of information - free information. LinkedIn is a rich and dynamic database, which can be searched, mined, and yield insightful and useful information to you and your business. It is a goldmine of marketing information, all of which is just a search or two away from you.

With over 20 million users, the site has information about companies large and small. Who is growing, who is shrinking, who is looking for help? All important information for sales and marketing professionals. You can determine quite a bit about a company and its future plans by simply looking at who is adding people and examining the skills they possess. It is all right there for you to view.

How else can LinkedIn help you get the cash register ringing? As a sales rep, the worst thing in the world is having to talk about “The fish on the wall” at your initial meeting with a prospective Client. Still, good sales people know the importance of building rapport, and engaging the prospect in a dialog about something other than business. “Get them to like you,” is often how this is described, and it is 90% of selling. It is also damn hard, which is why people get stuck on “hey, where did you catch that fish?” Pretty lame. Enter LinkedIn. If someone has a profile on LinkedIn, you can find out where they have worked, where they went to school, clubs and social groups they are engaged in, who they know, and who you know that they know. All potential conversation starters. Better yet, if you have a common connection, you can make a call prior to the sales meeting to do some research in advance of your meeting. This could create a very memorable first impression. For example, say you discover that your prospect is from Urbana, Ohio. You could bring along a bag of Mumford’s Potato Chips as a small but thoughtful gift. Your friend might inform you that this person is on a heart smart diet, in which case you might want to opt for some strawberries from Michael’s Berry Farm - an equally thoughtful, and slightly healthier idea. These are the silly little things that might just make the difference in getting the business. They might also get your name mentioned to others - an added bonus. This was an especially appealing idea for using this tool in a room full of marketing professionals who work primarily in the heavily regulated industries of accounting, law, and wealth management. Great actions are often easier to pull off in these industries that are great brochures and web sites. In the end, thoughtful gestures are more effective anyway.

Yes, LinkedIn is a powerful networking tool. You probably already know that. Still think about it a little differently, and possibilities begin to emerge for its potential. I will post more on this later this week. Are you using LinkedIn? How?

Google Docs Shifts Gears

This post is about Google Gears and Google Docs. I will get to that, but first a question. Do you have a Google Account? If not, get one. It takes about 2 minutes to set up, and allows you to take advantage of so many wonderful, free tools - one of which is Google Docs. What is Google Docs? It is basically all the good stuff from Microsoft Office (Word / Excel / PowerPoint) with a few big differences. Instead of buying the sofware, you just log on to the internet and use it. There is no installation - although you should install Firefox as a web browser if you use Internet Explorer. It is also free. Beyond the price, why would you want this? First, you can access your documents from anywhere that you can access the internet. No problems with storage, with lost documents, computer crashes, viruses, updates, or any of the other hassles you are used to paying for with Office. Further, you can share your documents with others in real time. That means that you and someone else can look at the same document at the same time - truly collaborating to make work easier. If someone makes updates, you can view the most updated version when you access the document as well as every change that was made since the last time you viewed it. It is truly amazing… and now it just got better thanks to Google Gears.
Google Gears allows things that work on the web to work on your desktop. It now works with Google Docs. This eliminates the key weakness that existed with Google Docs, which was “what if I can’t get on the internet?” So now you can use Google Docs just like you would use Office. Once you access the internet, everything updates automatically. It is just that easy.
Even if you still need to use Office for work, Google Docs is a great solution because you can upload Microsoft documents into it and export Google Docs back out into Microsoft Office formats. It is really an amazingly powerful tool and a great example of Software as a Service in action. How much longer will we pay for things like Word and Excel, when you can get equivalent programs for free? How much longer will you pay for servers, storage, and maintenance when you can get it free? The future of technology is web based. Create a Google Account and begin to find out why. Attached is a link to a page from one of Google’s many blogs. It outlines applications that currently work with Google Gears. This list will be expanding quickly, but already has several amazing (and free) tools. Give it a look. Get a Google Account. Download Firefox. Learn about RSS. Enjoy. Enough of my rambling… for now.

List of Web Applications That Use Google Gears

Google - Elmer Fudd Style

Wooking for a weelly funny way to wead google? Click on the Search Preferences link just to the right of the logo. Once you are on the preferences screen, click on the drop down box (for most readers of this site, that will be set on English already) and then scroll down until just before English - where you will find Elmer Fudd as an option. This then displays Google’s homepage as it would be pronounced by that cwazy wabbit hunter. Thanks to my sistew win waw, Cawa, for tewwin me about it. They also have an option for Pig Latin. I think it is great that Google finds little ways to get people to have fun using their product, and then to tell others about it.

Google

Email the Past - Happy April 1 from Google

Google always delivers something fun on April 1st. This year is no exception
Check out Gmail Custom Time. Imagine being able to have a tool where you could email into the past… Now wouldn’t that be fun

Here is a brief excerpt:

“I just got two tickets to Radiohead by being the ‘first’ to respond to a co-worker’s ‘first-come, first-serve’ email. Someone else had already won them, but I told everyone to check their inboxes again. Everyone sort of knows I used Custom Time on this one, but I’m denying it.”

Robby S., Paralegal

They are even good at humor.

Gmail: Google’s approach to email

Oh yeah, on another note - a non-fictitious one. Google Docs is going to work with Google Gears now. Huh? That means that you can pull your documents from the online editor in Google down onto your desktop, without the need for additional programs such as MS Office. Pretty sweet. It is being rolled out slowly, and I have not seen it yet. I will update once I get to try it out.

What’s Up Docs? Google Uploader

Yet another step closer to the long awaited “GDrive” Google released a tool to ease the process of uploading documents from your computer desktop to Google Docs. The new tool allows one to drag and drop word processing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations right into your Google Docs account. The types of files you can upload is limited, but the big 3 are there. Hopefully this service will continue to expand to include all file formats - creating a searchable, sharable, and portable online repository for important documents. While Google Docs is not as robust as its desktop competitors, it has all the basics…for free. Definitely worth a look, and this uploading application only makes using the tool better.

Google Docs Uploader

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