By Sarah Hood
It’s in the dictionary now. I use it as a verb at least once a day.
It is considered (at least in MY house) the ultimate authority. (MANY a “discussion” has been resolved by someone declaring, “let’s Google it!“)
Yep. Google.
It’s more than a search tool. You probably know about G-mail and Blogger, and maybe even Google Earth. But here are a few things you may not know about our good friend Google:
1. Google Checkout: This has quickly become one of my favorites. I’m not a huge shopper, meaning I’m not a big fan of the browsing – the searching. I want it to be easy and I want to get done and get out pretty quickly. I’m not in it for the thrill of the chase. So Google Checkout is AWESOME.
Say it’s mid-October and your little guy has his heart set on being a dinosaur for Halloween. You COULD spend hours searching the mall or flipping through catalogs or navigating those seasonal costume stores that always seem to be picked-over and crowded. Not you. You have Google Checkout!
- http://www.google.com/checkout
- Type “toddler dinosaur halloween costume” into the search bar at the bottom of the page
- Look! Dinosaur costumes! At your fingertips!
- Narrow your results by price, if you like.
- Pick a cute one – and done!
Google Checkout lets you use your Google account (the same one you use for Gmail or Blogger or any other Google service) to avoid multiple accounts and passwords for different online retailers. With Google Checkout you can track orders and shipping from all your favorite stores – on one screen. Google securely maintains your credit card info and shipping addresses to make things a snap. I may have to remind you of this one again before Christmas shopping begins!
2. Google Blog Search: Interested in movie reviews? News? Gardening? Fashion? Digital media experts estimate that there are over 200 million blogs out there and thousands more are being created each day. How in the world do you sort through and find a few you might like to read? Google to the rescue!
- http://blogsearch.google.com/
- Go for it. What’s on your mind? Kid-friendly summer activities? New makeup colors for spring? Advice on potty training?
- The cool part of searching Google Blogs is that you won’t get just ANY information. You’ll get bloggers – people like you, with an opinion. Why not read about Organic Milk or cool Valentine’s crafts from another Mom just like you? Another Mom who has a family and a household and a crazy, hectic schedule to juggle — chances are good that as you read, you’ll hear a voice that sounds familiar.
3. Google Reader: How many blogs do you follow on a regular basis? That many?! And how much time does it take you to make your way through your Favorites list? And do you ever forget one?
You may or may not have noticed the little orange icon on some of your favorite sites. You know, this thing:
Well, anything that has the little orange RSS icon can be placed in your Reader.
Let me back up.
Google Reader is a free service offered by Google that checks all your blogs for you, every day, and puts all the updated entries and content in one convenient place. http://www.google.com/reader
RSS (Really Simple Syndication): You don’t have to remember that. No biggie. Just a little fun trivia.
Most blogs and sites offer their feed, so no need to worry if you don’t see the little orange guy. Just enter the address for your favorite blogs or news, fashion, or recipe sites into Google Reader – and voila! – their feed will be added to your Reader
Now – you can visit your Google Reader and get all your updates in one place! See? Not so scary!
Hope you learned something new about Google that might help out in your everyday Mama craziness!
Technology blogger Sarah Hood would love to hear from you with questions or feedback regarding gadgets, technology, or blogging. You can also stop by Sarah’s personal blog, Musings of Mother Hood to say hello. To read previous installments of Techno Mama, click here!
