In terms of the Internet there is one giant gorilla, and that remains to be Google. You would be hard pressed to find someone that hasn’t used Gmail, Google Search, or Chrome. In the world of web development and services, Google Analytics, Google Keyword Tool, and Google’s Developer resources are everyday items not just wanted, but needed to stay at the top of your game.
For everyday Google users, Google is continually updating, so staying abreast of trends might not be commonplace, but is almost always eye opening. Here are 5 Google tools you probably didn’t know about.
1. Automatically Store Photos in the Google+ Cloud
While it seems that Google+ just won’t catch on, there is no doubt that using Google+ as a way to automatically store your photos is a great Free cloud backup. If you have a gmail account, you already have a Google+ account, so you may as well take advantage of the Free space. Don’t want to share them? Simple. Just set up your account as private, problem solved.
2. Free Online Meetings via Google Hangouts
As Fremium models continue to dissipate Google+ Hangouts is seeing a rise in use. With a large variety of specialized apps developed specifically for Hangouts, from Virtual White Board and Google Translate, Check out http://hangoutapps.com, Hangout allows up to 10 people to participate in meetings that other services charge or limit you in.
3. Open Access and Invite for Events
We know what you are thinking, “Isn’t that already available in Facebook?” The answer is sort of. The major difference is that Google doesn’t require you to have a Google account to see the invite. Enabling Party Mode allows everyone to share photos, live as they happen, and after it’s all said and done, to download all of the pictures with just one click. For Event Invitations and Documentation, this Free service is simple to use and offers a no-barrier entry to everyone.
4. Automate Everything Using Google Apps Scripts
For anybody that doesn’t speak geek you may want to skip to number 5. Everyone else, this is an amazing and underutilized tool. Open a new spreadsheet in your Google Drive and click Tools > Script Gallery. Here you can see how other people have used this tool, and it will definitely help you to get an idea of how to use it. The short of it is that you are essentially able to automate workflows and tasks between Google Apps. Scripts have been integrated with Chrome Web Store, so these are becoming more commonplace. Some of the more frequent applications include automatically sending attachments from emails directly to Google Drive, and merge tools taking spreadsheet data to create, save, attach to email and share templated documents. The limits continue to expand on this one.
5. Pixlr, The Free Photoshop
There are many different photo editing tools for Google Drive that work as plugins through your browser, but Pixlr Editor’s feature set puts it at the top of our list. If you already have Photoshop, chances are this won’t be a good substitute, but if you are a nuance and just want a way to perform light edits on your photos, This one is a great Fremium model we frequently suggest.
As Google continually expands, applications and usage is only certain to continue t expand as well. We would love to hear from you about tools you find and how you enjoy the tools we suggest here in this article.
