15 Things You Should Know About Google

15 Things You Should Know About Google
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By taking advantage of a pervasive internet presence gained through their popularity as a search engine, Google has created a large number of powerful apps and features that can change the way you do things online. Not all of these are well publicized however, so we’ve complied this list of Bright Hub articles, each of which explains the purpose and introduces the use of one of these tools. Some offer practical money-saving or efficiency improving benefits, others have fewer immediately tangible benefits but are included for interest and enjoyment.

You can make calls and use features with Google Voice

One of the most useful features that many people don’t know Google allows is phone calls. VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) calls allow you most of the features of any land-line through the internet. So, if you’re not a fan of Skype or simply want to try something else you can make phone calls with Google.

Google can help you stay healthy with Google Health

While being able to search the world for information is great, often the most important information is the most personal. Google Health is designed to let you keep a record of your personal health. This is a great way to keep track of all of your personal health information and better understand your own health. Of course, you may not want Google to know that much about you: see “Google may be reading your email” below.

Google makes not just a Chrome browser but an OS

While most people know Chrome as a browser Google has also created the Chrome OS which has the same look and feel as the browser. This cloud based Chrome makes a lightweight and inexpensive operating system that seeks to become the standard for inexpensive laptops. The question of whether it has succeeded is answered in the Chrome Operating System review.

Google can make you money with Adsense

Google is one of the richest companies in the world and it has made that money largely through internet ads. What is more important for most people is that anyone with a blog or website can earn money by learning the Adsense basics. So, if you want to take the first step to quitting your job and blogging for a living check out this article.

Google Page Creator makes it easy to build a website

Searching the internet is enough for many people, but there are those who want to add something to the web as well. For those people Google has created an easy way to create webpages. The major advantage of this is that you don’t need to learn HTML in order to create these websites. This means that anyone can create a home on the internet through Google.

Google can help you make your website better with Google Analytics

Once you have used Google to create a website and want to use Google Adsense it is important to be able to be able to understand how your website is working and how people use it. An excellent first step is to understand Google Analytics which can show you the traffic to your site and how you are getting that traffic.

There are things you can’t see on Google Maps

While you can find almost anything in Google maps there are points in the world that not everyone is allowed to see. Whether part of national security or simply a matter of personal privacy these locations have been hidden from the world.

Google Sometimes Fails

The rise and fall of Google Wave is a great example of a company trying something new. It is also a great example of ideas that seem good at the time but simply don’t work. So while you won’t find Google Wave anywhere on the internet it is still an interesting story.

Google Art Project allows you to explore museums

Most of us would love to be able to travel the world and see great works of art. Sadly, there are very few people who can afford the time and money that would cost. Google can help overcome those difficulties through the Google Art project which allows you to virtually explore 17 of the greatest museums in the world.

Google Scholar can let you search books

While putting tens of thousands of books onto the internet was more controversial than Google may have expected the ability to search those books is of huge value. So whether you’re doing a research project for school, or simply love books, Google Scholar is a useful tool.

Google can let you discover Mars for yourself with THEMIS

Everyone knows about Google maps and Google earth, but what most people don’t know is that Google has also put the maps of Mars onto the internet allowing you to discover Mars through THEMIS. A similar project has also been created for Earth’s Moon.

There are a lot of fun things to do with Google Translate

Most people have at least heard of Google Translate, but while it is a very useful tool there is a lot of fun to be had with it as well. This article covers several of the more unique features and Easter eggs in Google Translate.

Google has a Group Chat feature in Gmail

Gmail is a great way to communicate, but sometimes email isn’t the best choice for the situation. Google has created a group chat option in Gmail which expands the options considerably by allowing for people to talk in real time. This is great for online meetings or easy conversations with friends across the world.

Google Gives you free Cloud Storage with Gmail Drive

The many cloud features that Google has created mean that you can do almost everything online but there are times when you need to create local files. Google understands this and has made cloud storage for everyone so that they can create backups of local files on Google Drive.

Google may be reading your email

While Google does a lot of good there are few if any companies that have the potential to gain more information about people than Google. That information has a huge amount of potential value for them and the only thing that really protects people is the reputation and promises of Google. This danger is the dark side of Google and it is vital for everyone to be aware of the potential security risks of using Google services.

References

  • Image, Google Logo,http://www.google.com/intl/en_com/images/srpr/logo3w.png