Thing 29 -- Google Tools

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Again, these are tools I am familiar with. I already use gmail and Google calendar, so I'll concentrate here on the search tools.

[An unnamed metro-area library] uses Google alert to find mentions of **L in the news, blogosphere, and other components of the comprehensive search. How do I know this? I mentioned them by name in my other blog, and I was severely reprimanded. I should have realized it was a no-no, but it was a positive post and I didn't think twice about it. I solved the problem, but it was a sobering experience.
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I created a Google alert for this library just to see what things might show up. I also created one for Paul Krugman, Nobel-prize winning (economics) New York Times columnist.

This will be less useful to me, because I already look him up at the NYT nearly every time I log on.

I had a similar lack of interest in Google's Search Wiki. It is very unusual for me to replicate a Google search. If there is a web site I'm interested in, I set up a feed on Google Reader, or if unavailable, bookmark the site on Del.icio.us. I just haven't run into a search I do over and over. The same thing applies for keeping track of my Web History. That would be great when working on research for a school report, or any new topic. I am not doing any intensive research, so it doesn't sing to me right now. IT would, however, be a great application to put on the homework page of the library web site, and to remember to mention to customers doing that sort of work.

BTW, the picture on Paul Krugman is courtesy of the Firefox ap "Zemanta." As you blog, it presents you with related material. You can click on any thumbnail and add it to your blog. Zemanta also provides a clickable list of tags, and presents a list of links from which to choose. Just this once, I chose "apply all." In this casse, overkill. Still, an ap I will use often on my other blog. Very cool.

I can't get it to plug in more than one picture, and I think it should be able to, but that's a project for another day.