Google Trends - Stay On Top Of The World

If you have never heard of Google Trends you don't know what you are missing! Google Trends is a tool that you can use to see what people in the world are searching for in real time. I can't tell you how many stories I have discovered through Google Trends way before they ever hit CNN, or any other source just by using their handy IGoogle gadget on my IGoogle homepage. It not just news stories either, it could be any quirky thing that people are searching for. You never know what you are going to run into that is for sure. You can add it to your IGoogle page just by clicking this link.

For those of you who publish blogs like me, this can be an invaluable tool to stay ahead of the public and give them what they want before they even know it. Since Google Trends link directly to sources that are related to that individual Google Trend, you can also generate traffic. Just make sure your page is relevant to the Google Trend and bam your site will show up and you will start to see traffic coming from yet another Google source. You can try out Google Trends right here, just don't forget who sent you there : )Now sure that sounds pretty cool right, but that is just the beginning of the many uses of Google Trends. My favorite use is to compare keywords to see which one gets more search volume. This is an amazingly useful tool when it comes to choosing keywords for Google Adwords or when you are choosing a URL or just a title for your blog post. For example you could compare Coke and Pepsi or Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. You can do more than two keywords at once to like Microsoft, Google, Yahoo. The results are displayed in graph form like the one above, over a period of several years. They even break it down by region, cities and languages. As you can imagine the possible uses for Google Trends is, like the Internet, endless.

What are your thoughts on Google Trends? Do you have any tips or tricks that you use to have your website show up in Google Trends? If so please leave them in the comments below...

Google Voice And Video Chat

This is a really cool application that Google just introduced. Basically its a downloadable application that allows your gmail to have voice and video chat right on your computer. After all who really needs phones these days. Have a look at the video below for more information and instructions to install Google Voice & Video Chat.

Google Introduces Google Voice

In case you missed it last week Google released Google Voice, formerly known as Grand Central. This handy service allows you to combine multiple phone number to ring on a single phone. For example if you have a cell phone, home phone and an office phone you can get one unique number that will ring on all three phones! No more confusion! They also give the ability to turn your voicemails into text so you can read them in e-mail form! Very cool...



Here is a bit more info about the Voicemail features...



What do you think about Google Voice? Has anyone tried it out yet?

Google Introduces Google Powermeter

Google.org announced that they will be making Google Powermeters available to hook up to your system so you can identify wasteful sources. What a great idea! In early testing it is showing a vast improvement in energy use. Take a look at the video below to learn more about Google Powermeter...

Explore Google Oceans

Google Earth does it again! They have now given you the opportunity to dive into the depths of our seas and check out the strange creatures that roam these waters. Observe the effects of climate change, find places to dive or surf, discover shipwrecks and even take guided tours! Check out the video below to learn more about this latest Google Earth project or just click here to visit Google Oceans...

Get More Sales With Google Store Connector

I never would have come across this useful tidbit, but I started selling stuff on Ebay and I stumbled into Google Store Connector while looking for ways to get more traffic to my Ebay store. Basically what Google Store Connector does is link up with your Ebay store and download all your products into Google Base. Now maybe you have never heard of Google Base, but it actually a great way to get your products noticed and of course like most things Google (including Google Store Connector) it is 100% free!

Think of it this way, if someone is searching for a product they are not necessarily going to go to Ebay, they will go right to Google. So lets say you are trying to sell Hummel Figurines, if someone types in "Hummel Figurines" and then hits "Shopping" on the top of Google's search page they are indexing things that are in Google Base. You need to be here!!

So basically what you do is download the program Google Store Connector, which is free and then enter in your login info for ebay so it knows where to pull your items from. After that you are just 2 clicks aways from having your entire store posted on Google Base and in turn Google Product Search/Shopping! Just hit Copy Items From My Store and then Publish To Google Base and you are done!

One important factor to note though is that you need to have a "Buy It Now" price and a set (not calculated) shipping price or Google Store Connector will not publish your item. Just make sure to post your items to Google Store Connector soon after you put them on Ebay and you will avoid any problems. Run Google Store Connector again after your items have sold and it will automatically delete the items that are out of your store and add in the new ones!

Now Google Store Connector doesn't just work with Ebay, it also works with Yahoo and osCommerce as well. This is truly one of the best ways to get more traffic and in turn more bids to your Ebay store so go ahead and try it out, just don't forget who told you about it when your sales start piling up : )

Google Mobile Apps - Voice Search

Just a few days ago Google released its much awaited voice search. Now the only way you can get it right now is if you have an Iphone, but don't worry I am sure they are working hard on getting a computer version out soon. I can see why they started with the phone though. It is so hard to try and type anything into a phone with those tiny keys! Check out this video from Google below for a bit more information on how exactly this Google Mobile App Voice Search works. O did I forget to mention that like most things Google, it is free!

Google Releases Chrome

Google Chrome is an Internet browser that has just been released in 100 different countries just the other day. There are a few different tweaks in Google Chrome that are lacking in Firefox and Internet Explorer. First of all, and I think I like this one the best, when you open up Google Chrome is automatically gives you a screenshot of the 9 most visited webpages that you frequent. On the side there is also a easy way to find recent searches, bookmarks and even recently closed tabs. Of course like a lot of other things Google, Chrome is open source, which makes it much easier for people to develop applications on it. Don't forget the speed either! Google Chrome has built a JavaScript Virtual Machine called V8, this makes it the fastest browser on the market. Google Chrome has also incoropate the popular tabs feature only the tabs are at the top instead of below the address bar like in Firefox. Google Chrome's address bar is actually called an omnibox and is complete with auto complete and search suggestions to help you find exactly what you are looking for. If you need privacy Google Chrome has you covered there too with Incognito mode. This mode makes it so nothing that occurs in that window is ever logged on your computer. No more cookies to delete in this mode. So well, what is the price, well like most things Google it is 100% free. So what are you waiting for try it out. You can download it here or learn even more first by watching the video below...

Google Calculator

Another one of the little known uses of Google is the Calculator. The Google Calculator is a very useful tool that is actually built right into Google Search. All you need to do is type something like "1m in cm" or how about "1mile in feet" or "5739f in c" (for temperature). This will work with many mathematical measurements and is very handy when doing time consuming unit conversions.

You can also type in math equations into Google, for example "55*90+(sqrt 10)^3=" surprisingly this works quite well even on more difficult equations. So don't go out and waste your money on a fancy Calculator just type it into Google...

Share Your Expertise With Google Knol

After 7 months of testing behind closed doors Google has finally opening up Google Knol to the public. This site is similar to Wixipedia, but with more of an emphasis on the author of the post. You the expert can write your own Knol on the area of your choice. You then have the option to allow other people to edit your Knol or just suggest edits that you would need to approve. You can even make it so no one can ever edit your Knol. Google is basically building an encyclopedia for all of the worlds information from the ground up and is making it possible for its users to profit from it as well. That's right Google has made it so you can display Google Adsense on your Knol! So you to can make you money for your knowledge. The possibilities are endless...

Google Gives Us Virtual Reality For Free!

Unlike the popular Second Life which cost $9.95 a month, like most things Google Lively will be completely free and only requires a plugin to get started. Lively's users will be able to sculpt an avatar that can be male, female or even a different species. An avatar can assume a new identity, change clothes or convey emotions with a few clicks of the mouse. You will also be able to create virtual rooms that you design yourself and visit your friends rooms, coffeehouses and even exotic islands! Google even gives you the ability to setup TV where you can watch Youtube videos in your room. A Google spokeswoman said that there isn't any currency in Lively, but that users will be able to add objects from Lively's catalog to their rooms free of charge. And users can't yet create their own items but should be able to down the road. This application already works on Facebook and Google is working to get it operational on MySpace. I can only imagine where it will go from here! Check out the video below for some screen shots...







To check it out just click here!

Use Google To Answer Any Question In The World!

A lot of die hard Googlers might not even know this one. You can use Google to fill in the blank for pretty much anything you can think of. Just use the * key as the blank. That's right try out a couple and see what comes up.

Try something like...

The inventor of something is *

Portugal is West Of *

Best time to fish for walley is *

What other good ones could you come up with?

Google Signs A 40 Year Lease With NASA

In a show of just how tight the Google and NASA releationship has become, Google announced today the lease of 44.2 acres for a office complex that will be built on a NASA's federal government research center. The 1.2 million-square-foot campus announced Wednesday fulfills a vision that Google first laid out with the NASA Ames Research Center in 2005.

With the release of Google Earth, Google Moon and Google Mars who knows what could be on the horizon for these two giant innovators. If you think about it NASA has a ton of data and they need efficient ways to organize it. Google's mission to organize the world's information fits it perfectly with this bold project. Here is what NASA and Google had to say...

"With this new campus, we will establish a new era of expanded collaboration with Google that will further enhance our Silicon Valley connections," said Ames Director S. Pete Worden. "This major expansion of NASA Research Park supports NASA's mission to lead the nation in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research."

"This long-term lease agreement is a key component of Google's strategy for continued growth in Silicon Valley," said David Radcliffe, Google's vice president of real estate and workplace services. "We believe this collaboration between Google, NASA and the city of Mountain View is emblematic of the mutually beneficial partnerships that can be created between the public and private sectors."

Advertise On Television With Google Adwords

Google yesterday unveiled that they would be opening up Google TV Ads to most Adwords customers. This potential breakthrough in advertising should level the playing field against some of the more entrenched advertising players. In the end though, it will only benefit the consumer. More competition = lower prices for the purchaser, and isn't that what everyone wants?

I can only imagine we are just a step away from more real local ads on cable and satellite, instead of the barrage of car and drug company commercials that really don't do much good. After all, I already have a car and feel in tip top shape. Google has created the ability to target ads locally so well, that any small business should be able to advertise only in a small target location, therefore costing less, and not waisting ad dollars.

Google has already given their Adwords users the ability to advertise on the radio, but television is a giant leap. Plus, we are now more than every seeing the transition to computers and television working together for example TIVO and Youtube new partnership. The convergence is well overdue...

Check out this video that shows you how to setup your account and let us know what you think about Google's new push into advertising on television?

Get To Know Your Universe With Google Sky

You can now explore galaxies, planets, view the constellations and a few other features. Looks like a great upgrade to the already view cool Google Earth...



Sally Ride, the first American female astronaut. Here is a look at the new Sky Feature in Google Earth...

Become More Worldly With Google's New Langauge Tools

Google today announced that it has extended it's ever growing language tools by leaps and bounds! One of the new features is the ability to search in 14 different Indian and South Asian languages. Not only that but it doesn't require any kind of a special keyboard to search in
অসমীয়া (Assamese), বাংলা (Bengali), ગુજરાતી (Gujarati), हिंदी (Hindi), ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada), മലയാളം (Malayalam), मराठी (Marathi), नेपाली (Nepali), ଓଡ଼ିଆ (Oriya), ਪੰਜਾਬੀ (Punjabi), संस्कृतम् (Sanskrit), සිංහල (Sinhala), தமிழ் (Tamil), or తెలుగు (Telugu)!

Another new feature is the ability to actually write in Hindi through their popular blogger service. This will allow companies or individuals to better communicate with a growing part of the population. Maybe the most amazing part it that no special keyboard is require, pretty impressive.

Like most things Google, it is free so check it out and discover a whole new audience for your website or blog.

You can read the official Google post here!

The Power Of Blogger

You may not know it, but Google owns Blogger. They have for quite some time now in fact. Google even allows you to use your Google user name and password now to login to your Blogger account.

Anyways, in case you have been living under a rock for the past year or two blogs are beginning to take over the Internet. From personal diaries to photo sites to video sites to corporate sites it seems that everyone today has a blog or two. Well how about you? If not I would suggest signing-up. It is a free service and can actually become a source of income, whether it be through Google Adsense or simply by selling items directly through your blog using Google Checkout "Buy Now" buttons.


Even if you are just looking to promote yourself or your business a blog is a great way to highlight your product or the services that you provide and get feedback from your customers.

As you can see I have a bit of a head start, but with a little hard work you can start shooting for early retirement like me : ) So what are you waiting for? Go sign up today!

Google Talk (Unlimited, Everywhere, Free)

It took me a while to try out Google Talk, but as soon as I did I was instantly hooked. All you need is a microphone and you can talk to anyone you like for free and anywhere in the entire world. This technology has already been developed by companies like Skype and Vonage, but Google puts in a few different features. You can send files directly through Google Talk to the person that you are chatting with. Google Talk also allows you to setup a profile with a pic and you can even leave voice messages to someones e-mail! This service is also integrated with G-mail so you can be notified when a new message is sent to your G-mail account. If you don't feel like talking you can also instant message just as easily.

Yes, like most things Google it is completely free so you have nothing to lose. You can find out more about Google Talk here.

Zeitgeist Gives Us The Top Searches Of 2006

Google's Zeitgeist has complied a list of the top search terms for 2006 and are available now. Zetgeist shows the top searches on Google.com of 2006 and the top news searches of 2006. I was very surprised to find out that the top search is bebo a video service.

That's not all though they have categories like "what's hot", "Current Events", "Milestones", "Entertainment" and "Sports". This can be a good way to judge what people are searching for on the net. On the Zeitgeist Home Page you can also even find out what people are searching for in certain countries. This can be very useful to judge trends and hot spots on the net. So check it out and let us know what you think.

Using Google Base For Just About Anything

Google Base was released over a year ago now, but it just now beginning to gain traction. It was designed as a place were Google users can post anything including images, products, services, real estate, recipes, vehicles and pretty much anything else you can think of. Google Base gives you the option to upload one item at a time or you can even do a bulk upload if you have your information in the right format. The beauty of Google Base is that it is free to list your items unlike other places including the mighty Ebay.

Google has recently updated Base to include the ability to upload pictures of your item as well which are displayed in a slideshow format when a user clicks on your item. Google has also integrated Google Checkout and Froogle into Base so a buyer can purchase an item directly from Google Base simply by clicking the Buy button. As a merchant you can check your orders and view all of your items without having to go to the Google Checkout site. They also track how many impressions, clicks and page views your items receive. You can check out an example of an item here or you can go directly to the home page here and start posting your items.

Just imagine the possibilities....