Google started as a college project 12 years ago, then as a startup search engine just 10 years ago. Today, Google owns more than 60% of all web search traffic and employs close to 22,000 employees worldwide.
You probably interact with Google via their search engine primarily. However, you are missing out on some truly great services that Google also provides in addition to their fast and accurate search engine.
In this article, I will share 7 of the many other services Google provides.
Google News
When you arrive at google.com, click the link that says News at the top of the page or you can directly visit news.google.com. Google News is an auto-generated news page that refreshes automatically every 5-10 minutes and displays headlines from more than 4500 news sources around the world. To me, it is the ultimate newspaper?unbiased and unfiltered. And even more helpful, starting a search at Google News instead of the Google home page will return results only from those news sources.
iGoogle
Leapfrogging from Google News is iGoogle. iGoogle lets you create a customized web page with sports, news, weather, entertainment and any other category you choose. You select the content and sources for that content and it is automatically updated each time you return. If you are still using your Internet provider’s home page as your home page, try iGoogle instead. To get started, visit google.com and then click iGoogle in the upper right of the page. Also watch my video on how to do all this by clicking here. You can thank me later.
Google Maps
Mapquest.com still provides good maps and information, but Google Maps (maps.google.com) provides better maps, faster maps, and cleaner maps than any other site on the web. Add in the extra features like walking maps, public transit maps and street level views, to name a few, and you, too, will be saying, ?mapquest who??
Want to customize your own Google map for business or pleasure, read the tip here.
Google Mail (Gmail)
Google started their own email service less than five years ago as a closed beta project. Two years ago Gmail became available to all comers and more than 10 million came. Gmail, in my opinion, dominates any other email system currently available. It offers superior spam filtering (including phishing prevention), superior organization and searching via its unique and ground breaking Labels system, fast access on any computer or phone and too many more features to mention in this article. Trust me, it works and it works extremely well.
I like it so much, I’ve written about it many times and use it exclusively for my own email.
Google Alerts
My favorite Google service, besides search, is hands down Gmail. But a close second would be Google Alerts. Google Alerts works to bring you news alerts about any topic you choose from the web, news sources, blogs or anywhere on the web. For example, if you are a huge Tiger Woods fan and want to get all the latest news about Tiger, visit google.com/alerts and enter Tiger Woods in the search terms box, choose what part of the web you want Google to search, choose how often you want to be updated, and finally enter your email address and submit. Now anytime a story comes up with Tiger Woods in it, you will receive an email. You can create as many Google Alerts as you desire and cancel them at any time as well.
Here’s my complete tip on creating and managing Google Alerts.
Goog-411
Google decided that phone company information lines dropped the ball long ago and set out to provide phone based information themselves. Goog-411 is a service that lets you harness the power of Google away from your computer?with your phone (land line or cell). Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411), a friendly computer voice will answer asking you for the city and business name, and then give you the option to connect to the business automatically. Like all other Google services, it is fast, easy and accurate, but if you need a short primer, click here.
Google Options
The last service I will share with you is a list of all the Google Services. Perusing the list makes for an interesting journey by itself, but click some of the fabulous new and old services that Google provides to find your own favorites. Google lists all their services at: google.com/options When you find some that you like, leave a comment below to share with all of us.
Happy Googling and don’t forget to leave a comment below sharing your favorite Google services!
Hey thanks for the list. I guess I look at my igoogle page 1000/day and never noticed the “news” button. And sure didn’t know about goog-411. Thanks for the info. PS, how can they deploying such great services for free?
It’s all about advertising and their biz services for income, Len. I’m grateful for the free services as well!
Hey, how come your title says, “never tried”?
I have tried them all! HAHA
Seriously though, great list as always, Rick. And if anyone doesn’t use email they should sign up today. And while their at it, ditch any other email provider they are using. I am such a Google fanboy.
Perhaps an “8th” google service might be “Google Dashboard”, outlined in today’s NYTimes Technology section:
http://tinyurl.com/ykqepwu
Hi Rick, I have to say I used all these services. You can add one to the list,
its Google Dashboard. Google Dashboard gives you all the information Google has on you. Its cool.
Good add Chimnoy. The Dashboard is indeed a must visit for Google service junkies! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you do so more often.
I write a weekly column on the stock market (for 10 year). How do I get Google to pick it up.?
You can submit your site here: http://www.google.com/addurl/ , but you also want to do some research on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) because although you can get listed (and Google will find you no matter what). The key is to get listed as high as possible in the results…SEO. I don’t know much about it and am learning myself.
Well i’ve never tried Google-411, Google Options & Google Alerts.
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