Blog - Google

If you aren't already using Google Docs, you might want to give it a try.  I often find myself accessing the web from computers other than my own.  I never know what version of Microsoft Office I'm going to be working with, and if a document or spreadsheet is created in a newer version of the software than the one I'm using, it may not display properly.  That problem compounds when I'm exchanging files with one of my clients who travels a lot, and also uses computers all over the U.S.  We've solved this problem with Google Docs, which can open any Word Document, Excel Spreadsheet or Power Point presentation - from anywhere, because it's web-based.

One of my favorite uses for this program in the past has been the ability to maintain and update shared contacts lists. 

There are also a variety of other tools and templates that can be used to develop a budget, write a resume, collaborate on a "to do" list, share a calendar or scheduler, take a survey, or keep track of sports brackets (I have no idea what that means).  Each "document," (or spreadsheet, or presentation, or form, or picture, or chart, or whatever), can be set to private or public or anywhere in-between with only specific individuals being able to access them.  The people you share with don't even have to have a Google account - although it's beyond me why they wouldn't want to.

To try it, go to docs.google.com, and you'll start from a page that looks something like the above photo.  The instructions are pretty straightforward from there.  "Documents" works like Microsoft Word, "Presentation" works like Power Point, "Spreadsheets" works like Excel...you get the idea.  Any of these documents can be downloaded and used in all versions of their respective Microsoft counterparts.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

Brace yourselves, people, and get ready for another round of shock and outrage as a new generation of internet users discovers that free, web-based web service has to be paid for somehow - and that "how" is usually through paid advertising. 

Actually, Google has been using keywords in our Gmail users' e-mails to run ads for a long time.  For example, when I was discussing a friend's European vacation a while back, I started getting ads in German and French, depending on what we were discussing in the e-mails.  Did this freak me out?  Well, not really, because I understand that the ads are automatically generated, and that I have a hard enough time getting the people I'm writing to in my e-mails to read my e-mails.  No one else could endure it.

So Google has been working on that ever-mysterious algorithm of theirs, and is now working on a system to make the ads more relevant to the users, by using software to learn what types of ads the users might actually want to read, click on, and ultimately make a purchase.  Is there a potential for abuse or invasion of privacy in this?  Yes.  There is no fail-proof way to make sure tha electronic communications will NEVER be hacked.  Is it likely that my privacy will actually be breached in a way that will hurt me by this new ad program? No.  Still, if you'd like to turn off the feature once it is rolled out to your account by visiting your settings page.

For more information, see Coming Soon: Better Ads in Gmail.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

For those who haven't been keeping up, Google Chrome is an alternate browser, that is meant to compete with Internet Explorer and Firefox.  Google, a company that is known for having fun with its logos, has taken an interesting approach to re-branding its browser logo.

When I first saw the Chrome logo, I immediately thought of the Simon game (one of my favorites, as a kid in the '80s). Now, Google has announced that it has a new logo:

Since Chrome is all about making your web experience as easy and clutter-free as possible, we refreshed the Chrome icon to better represent these sentiments. A simpler icon embodies the Chrome spirit — to make the web quicker, lighter, and easier for all.

Even before this effort, the new version of the Chrome logo was already being conjured up by Googlers and Chrome fans. Numerous creative reinterpretations have organically moved the icon towards simplicity and abstraction, so it felt right to make the icon structure cleaner and easier to recreate.

Interestingly, rather than UPDATING the logo, the Google team has chosen the vector graphics effect, retro to the '60s and '70s.  Will this move win over the hippie generation, and make the browser seem more "friendly" to more users?  Time will tell.

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

That's a picture of my commute to work. Fun, fun, fun - every morning and evening.  Woo-hoo!

OK, but enough about me.  I posted that to demonstrate one of the many features of Google Maps.  Here's another example.

That's Philbrook Museum, a local landmark.  I can get all sorts of photos of it and many other landmarks using the "photos" link.  The next thing you're going to want to is find yourself on the map, and drag the little man on the viewfinder to your address at "street view" level. Of course, everyone who is interested in your wherabouts can do the same thing, but don't worry, the photos aren't live.

So go ahead, and explore the world from the comfort of your living room.  Check out the sites discussed on the news in Japan (before the earthquake, obviously), or what the town you grew up in looks like now.  The world is your oyster. Check it out, at maps.google.com.

Also see Mashable: Google's Street View Website Gets a Big Overhaul

Jennifer Pointer (e-mail) is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

I know all of you have been very concerned, so let me first announce that my e-mail is OK. Whew!

What's that?  You don't know me, didn't know I had a problem,  don't care, and are really only reading this to find out how to protect your own e-mail?  Fine.  I'll get to that in a minute.

As I was saying earlier this week (see Dude, where's my Gmail?), I have one of what turned out to be "only" approximately 40,000 Google accounts (the original estimate was 150,000 accounts) that was accidentally disabled, and my e-mails deleted by a software update.  The data had to be restored from tape, which Google did, and got my account back up and running on Wednesday morning.  As far as I can see, the e-mails appear to have been fully restored.

Since this was a very unusual circumstance for Google, and I'm not really expecting it to happen again, I'm planning to keep my account with them for now.  But the good thing that came out of all of this is that (thanks to Mashable), I learned that it is possible to back up my Gmail account so that if it should happen again, or (more likely) I should accidentally delete my e-mails, I can restore them.  The back-up can be saved to your hard-drive, disc, or protable storage device.

To do this HERE, and follow the instructions for your operating system.  It's easy and fun! (Well, it'seasy, but it might take awhile, so bring a book).  You might want to delete any e-mail you don't really need to save, first, because several years worth of e-mails can make a pretty large file to store.  Remember that if the file is much more than 600MB, it won't fit on a disc. 

Jennifer Pointer is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking. 
 

UPDATED: No, seriously.  Where are my e-mails...hundreds of them, on my Gmail account?  Sunday night I noticed that my Google reader on my phone was giving me a strange error about needing to log-in.  When I tried to log in, I got a message saying that my Gmail account had been disabled.  Everything was just gone: my reader, my docs, my e-mail, my pics...everything.

I sent an e-mail to Google, and waited.  I read the terms of service, and nearly drove myself nuts trying to figure out of something about my settings on my laptop or mobile phone had somehow caused this to happen (according to the terms of service, having multiple sign-ins open at once can theoretically trigger a security alert with Google).  This morning, I got up, and read that this had happened to about 150,000+ other people, too.  I also read that there actually is a way to back-up your Gmail account (before it is disabled, of course), which I will do if I ever get my stuff back (see Google Glitch Disables 150,000 Gmail Accounts on Mashable).

On Monday afternnon Google restored my account access, so I can use my reader, docs and pics, but as of Tuesday afternoon, I still don't have access to my e-mail.  I'm getting the notice shown above when I try to sign in.  Hopefully, all of us will have everything back in a day or two. 

Jennifer Pointer is in Tulsa, OK. She promotes a simple, a low-tech approach to effective online profile management, search engine optimization and social networking.