Google Tools

If there is one thing we know about Google it’s the fact Google always provides their users with innovative products, features and technology. Apart from their search engine there are also a number of Google tools at our disposal, most of which are free. Gmail for instance is Google’s webmail that is not only easy to use but also offers a number of handy features like the Calendar, Docs and Reader. For those of us in the online industry Google is the backbone for most of our operations. At iLead Online our main focus lies upon marketing our clients’ websites so that they might feature in Google’s search engine result listings, Alerts, Blog Search, Directory and so forth. But for now let’s have a look at some of these tools Google has provided us with.

Google Talk

If you a Gmail account holder you are probably familiar with Google Talk, otherwise known as GTalk. This free Windows and web-based application comprises of instant messaging and voice over internet protocol (VOIP) and allows users to communicate with their fellow Gmail users. This is probably the most fun of the Google tools as it allows you to have real-time conversations with family and friends for free. With the status of friends online you will always know who is available to chat with and can easily go from text to voice chat.

In 2006 Google added voicemail and file sending capabilities to GTalk. If you need to leave your fellow GTalk chatter a voicemail message it can be as long as 10minutes which will be delivered to the contact’s mailbox as a MP3 file attachment. The recipient can then choose whether they want to listen to the MP3 by audio stream using the integrated MP3-playing applet or by downloading the file. 2006 also saw the offline messaging capabilities being implemented which allows the user to send messages to their contacts, even when that person is not signed in. When the person is online again they will receive the message, even if the user who sent it is offline.

Google Blogs

Another one of the available Google tools is Blogger. If you are one to share your ideas, thoughts, photos, information or anything else for that matter, you can now create your own blog thanks to Google. Best of all is that it is as easy as 1, 2, 3. All you have to do is go to the Blogger home page (www.blogger.com) and click on the “Create A Blog” link. It will take you merely minutes and with Blogger your blog can be whatever you want it to be as it is very flexible. With this you can personalize your blog by choosing themes, gadgets, and so forth so that it will have the exact look and feel you desire. What’s even more is the fact that you can load your text posts, photos and videos from either the web or by way of your mobile phone, allowing you to always keep your readers up to date. Readers can then leave comments to give you their input and ultimately have a type of conversation going between you and the readers.

Google Alerts

If you are one who always wants to be on top of things with regards to the latest and most relevant news, then you will love Google Alerts. Forming part of Google tools this service notifies users by email or as a feed about the latest news or web pages of their choice. There are currently six types of alert searches available, including: News, Web, Blogs, Comprehensive, Video and Groups. All you have to do is to visit the Google Alerts page and specify the search terms and type of alerts you want. Furthermore you can also choose how often you want to receive your alerts and to which email address it should be delivered to.

The list of Google tools is a long one but for now we are only going to stick to the three we discussed above. Should you want to learn more about Google and all the various services they offer then simply contact us and we will provide you with as much information as we possibly can.

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A Few Useful Google Tools

Google Talk

Google Blogs

Google Alerts