The Benefits of Having A Digital Calendar

A digital calendar has many advantages over a paper calendar.

If you still use a paper calendar instead of a digital calendar you are missing out.  There are quite a few ways that having a digital calendar especially in today’s world where more and more people have smartphones is better than a paper calendar.

For me perhaps the biggest one is being able to share my calendar with my wife and vice-versa. She can see my schedule at a glance and I can see hers. If I need to schedule something I can look at my wife’s calendar to see if there is a conflict. I don’t have to tell someone that I need to check if my wife planned something since I can already see her schedule.  I also allow my son who lives with us to see whether or not I have an appointment without him seeing the details of it.

I also can refer to past events quickly wherever I am. Most people do not keep paper calendars for years unless they have to for business reasons and/or tax purposes. They may have to search to remember where they put their paper calendar. Further if a paper calendar is lost then what?  I may miss a scheduled appointment or have to call and reconfirm an appointment that I wasn’t sure of. With a digital calendar I can go to a computer, smartphone, etc. With a digital calendar you can go back years unless you erase an event after it occurs. I do not recommend that you do this and I do not erase events after they occur. A digital calendar hardly takes up space on a smartphone, iPad, etc. and you can access it offline as well. This is great for when travelling.  If I am in a foreign country, I do not have to worry about incurring roaming charges for accessing it. I also do not have to worry about being somewhere without internet access. While I do not have events that go back that far, my Google Calendar allows me to go back to 1980 to see dates on my digital calendar. A paper calendar does not give me anywhere near this flexibility.

If I have an event that occurs the same time on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis I only need to enter it once and provide the recurring information. It is automatically added for the recurring dates. If I need to reschedule or cancel a date, I can do it for just that date. The recurring pattern is maintained for the other dates. Talk about a timesaver.  Further if I need to change of cancel an appointment on a paper calendar a pencil can erase it but what if you only have a pen? Cross it out and if changed reenter it. It can get sloppy either way.  With a digital calendar you can delete or move it as needed. You also have a limited amount of space to write information on a paper calendar.  On my Google Calendar I have never gotten to the limit but I know there is a much higher limit.  I can add website links if need be. I also can attach a file that I need the same way I can attach a file to an email message.

With a digital calendar, I can change my view whenever I need to.  My default is daily but I can instantly change to a weekly, monthly or custom view. If I have a “week at a glance” or “month at a glance” calendar I am stuck with that view. 

Now this is not a generational thing.  My sons who are 19 & 21 both use a paper calendar. My wife and I use our digital calendar which is Google Calendar.

Yes there are advantages to using a paper calendar. Should there be a syncing problem between devices you could forget an appointment or if there is a power failure you could have issues accessing it but the advantages of a digital calendar greatly outweigh the disadvantages.

So do you use a paper calendar or a digital calendar?  If you currently use a paper calendar will you at least consider trying a digital calendar such as Google Calendar?

If you want to know more about how you can digitalize your calendar I am available for that and to help you better use your technology.  I can be contacted at (917) 572-3468 or email me at mike@computerconciergeny.com .

Feel free to join the conversation and post comments and questions on my Facebook page at Computer Concierge NY LLC  . There also are tips there to better use your computer, smartphone,  iPad and other technology you may have or are thinking of buying.

Computer Concierge NY LLC provides expert computer and technology services in the Queens, NY area. This includes Albertson, Bayside, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellerose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside NY vicinity.  Our web services are provided worldwide.

Do You Know Google Search Is More Than A Search Engine?

Most everyone knows the benefits of searching for things on the internet using Google as a search engine. What many do not realize is that Google's search engine is more than just that.

If you need an answer and cannot find a calculator Google does basic calculator functions.  This includes your basic (+, -, *, /) as well as percentages and raising a number to a power.  You can even do an equation such as the one in the example below.

Need to convert currency?  Enter the amount you wish to convert from to the currency you wish to convert to.  If needed, you do not even need to take into account US$.  Say you are going to Canada and need to convert to Canadian Dollars from US$.  Type "Convert" then the amount you wish to convert from to the currency you wish to convert to as shown.

And as long as we are discussing a financial application of Google search, if you wish to find the stock price of your favorite stocks you can do that as well. By typing “stocks: ?” where “?” represents the name of the listed company or its code on the exchange you can obtain an up to the minute stock price of the stock you are interested in.

If you wish to convert from quarts to gallons, going from English measurements to Metric such as miles to kilometers you can do that as well.  Also a great use when converting from Fahrenheit to Celsius when you are away and need to know the temperature in a measurement you are familiar with.

If you type in the following from the Google search bar; “Movie:11361” this will bring up Movie times and locations for the area of zip code 11361 for the current day.  On the left side you have the ability to change days for up to 3 days ahead. So if you are wondering what movie you and your friend or significant other wish to see Google is a great source for that as well.  Further type “Movie: The Amazing Spider-Man 11361” to see where The Amazing Spider-Man is playing in the vicinity of zip code 11361.

More and more of us are ordering merchandise online. Many vendors when they ship the goods to you will email you with a tracking number of your shipment. You can track the shipment using Google. In the search bar enter the package tracking number.  Google determines which carrier has the package and provides you with a link to the carrier status page for the shipment you are expecting where you can see where it is.  I have used this to track letters that I sent requesting a return receipt as well. 

As I mentioned earlier quite a few of us have Google set as our homepage. If you do, these queries can be done right from there. I am not suggesting that you set your homepage to Google.  That is a personal choice.

These are just a few ways that you can use Google search for more than the typical internet search.  If you have additional questions about storing information on the internet, I can be reached at (917) 572-3468 or email me at mike@computerconciergeny.com

My Facebook page provides information on the current goings on in the technology field. There are tips to better use your technology. For timely information, please visit and "Like" my page.

Computer training and many types of computer repairs can be done remotely. If you or someone you know needs either training to better use your computer or repairs I am now doing it on a remote basis in addition to in person locally.

http://computerconciergeny.com/3/post/2012/10/joinme-how-to-use-to-allow-someone-to-remotely-view-and-control-your-computer.html takes you to a narrative to use Join.me. It is a very user friendly site and it is easy to temporarily allow control of your computer. I also did an online video as well which is on the following link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyRSqpYNVQY

Computer Concierge NY LLC provides expert computer and technology services in the Queens, NY area. This includes Albertson, Bayside, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellerose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside, NY vicinity.  Our web services are provided worldwide.

Google Calendar To Better Manage Your Time

In today’s world, time management is something that we all need to do and do well.  This is just one of the reasons why Google Calendar is the preferred online calendar of many. It syncs with my smartphone as well and I also can add, delete or change appointments there as well.

Google Calendar allows you to set up multiple calendars using one ID. You make the choice of which calendars you wish to see at a given time. You are able to have a calendar for business, personal, travel, etc. with different sharing settings for each. You can share your calendar with anyone having a Google account. Other calendars allow those you share with to view only or also edit. With Google Calendar I can decide what they will view.  Do they just see whether I am busy or free, or do they see the event as well? I can decide. I further can allow others to decide who a calendar is shared with.  For example I have an appointment calendar.  My wife is able to see the details of this calendar but cannot make changes.  My son can only see if I am free or busy. He does not see the details. I also have a Travel Calendar for events my wife and I have planned for when we travel. Both of us can edit that calendar and make changes as needed. My wife can also decide to share that calendar with others. I also can make any of my calendars public if I so choose. If a calendar is made public, it will appear in a Google search where appropriate. My wife can view my appointment calendar and I can view hers.  Recently friends of ours purchased tickets for a show not realizing that one of them had made plans for that evening. When my wife and I are making plans, we check both our own and each other’s calendar to see whether or not the other has plans for the date and time in question.

I like the feature of when I enter an event I put the address of the event in the "Where" field. Clicking on that field will bring up the location in Google Maps. Since Google Calendar syncs to my smartphone, this could be a stress saver if I get lost as I can get directions on my smartphone wherever I am. 

It is a great calendar for scheduling a get together as well as inviting people to an event whether or not they use Google Calendar. You invite them directly from Google Calendar without emailing them through Gmail. The options to respond are the standard "Yes", "No", or "Maybe".  In addition, for the "Yes" response there is a field to indicate if you are bringing a guest as well as the name of the guest.

Need to quickly add an event?  Use the quick add feature. Type in the event, date and time and Google calendar automatically adds it.  Type in an email address and an invitation is sent to that email address. Do the same from your phone by texting 48368 and Google calendar automatically adds the event to your calendar. You also can add “interesting” calendars such as a schedule any or all of your favorite sports teams, national and/or religious holidays.

Another feature of Google Calendar that I like is appointment slots.  Appointment slots allows you to set aside period of time on your calendar at preselected intervals for others to schedule appointments.     For example a college professor can set aside Tuesday between the hours of 1-4 PM at ½ hour intervals for those also having Google Calendar to reserve time on your calendar.

One last thing here.  I do not erase events after they take place.  It is maintained on Google’s servers and takes up negligible space on your smartphone.  A lawyer friend of mine has a client of his who is being audited and erased events as they were completed.  Had they not been erased, the client would not have to go through hoops to recreate his Travel and Entertainment events. It would be right on his calendar and he would have a lot more time and money.

You need to have a Google account to access and use the calendar.  If you are not already using it give it a try. You may want to check out some of their features such as Year view, Jump to date and World clock. Its ease and convenience are why it the preferred calendar of many. You too may change calendars.

If you have additional questions about how Google Calendar can used to better manage your time, I can be reached at (917) 572-3468 or email me at mike@computerconciergeny.com   It is truly a good time management tool.

My Facebook page provides information on the current goings on in the technology field. There are tips to better use your technology. For timely information, please visit and "Like" my page.

Computer Concierge NY LLC provides expert computer and technology services in the Queens, NY area. This includes Albertson, Bayside, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellerose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside, NY vicinity.  Our web services are provided worldwide.

Google Search Tips to Search More Effectively

Google is the #1 search engine going. Almost 75% of internet volume of searches as noted in http://www.hitwise.com/us/datacenter/main/dashboard-10133.html for the 4 weeks ended May 29 are made through Google. That said, this blog are ways to make your internet searching easier using Google. The underline phases are the verbatim ways to enter the search terms in Google:

• Crossing delancey – the words crossing and delancey

• “Crossing delancey” – the exact phrase Crossing delancey

• Crossing –delancey - the word crossing but NOT the word delancey

• define:crossing/definition:crossing – definitions of the word crossing. Both define: and definition: are acceptable when searching in Google for definitions.

• phonebook: Joseph Torre NY – phone listings of all those named Joseph Torre in New York.

• stocks:pfe – find Pfizer’s current stock price.

• movie: the blind side 11360 – show show times in or near zip code 11360 for the blind side

• weather:11360 – weather and forecast for zip code 11360

• Site:cnn.com obama – search cnn.com for all information on obama. This can be done for all websites. “Site: “ only searches on the website or domain indicated in the search parameter.

• Crossing#or#delancey – the words crossing or delancey

• Crossing#and#delancey – the words crossing and delancey – this is another way to search for the words crossing and delancey. Using “#and#” in your search is great for searching where you are more than one phrase, term, etc. For example “Tom Seaver”#and#”world series”. Google will search for where the terms “Tom Seaver” and “world series” occur. It is not case sensitive.

Did you know you can do arithmetic calculations using the Google search bar?

Using + - / * keys, you can do basic adding, subtraction, division or multiplication functions. In the search bar put in “2*3+5” and your search will return the correct value of 11.

You can also use Google to convert units in measurements. For example typing “3 tbsp to cup” and hitting the enter key gives a result of 0.1875 cups.

Google is a very good search engine and by following some of the suggestions noted can speed up what you truly are searching for.



Computer Concierge NY LLC, provides expert computer services in the Bayside, NY area, Including Queens, Albertson, Bayside Hills, Bay Terrace, Bellrose, College Point, Douglaston, Floral Park,  Flushing, Forest Hills, Great Neck, Jamaica Estates, Kew Gardens, Kings Point, Lake Success, Manhasset, Mineola, Munsey Park,  New Hyde Park, North Hills, North Shore Towers, Oakland Gardens, Plandome, Rego Park, Roslyn, The Bay Club, Thomaston, University Gardens, Williston Park, Whitestone and Other Areas in the Bayside vicinity.  

Impressions of Google Plus Part II

Last week I posted some of my thoughts of Google+. After using it some more, I have a few others particularly what other social media sites may or may not fall to the new kid on the block in social media.

While Google+ has been by invite only to date, being able to get a Google+ account has been enabled and disabled on various occasions. While Google has said it had to do with not allowing too many people to sign up at once and Google is better able to develop Google+ by limiting sign ups this is a great way of marketing. By doing this, Google is creating a demand for this new way of sharing. Ever see a long line to get in a club or restaurant? When you do go in, you may note it is not as busy inside as it appears outside. I know how I felt having an invitation but not able to get a Google+ account. Google+ has gotten a lot of attention on blogs such as Mashable and on other social media sites like Twitter and even Facebook.

A lot of people are saying that Google+ will adversely affect Facebook. Facebook has shown their concern and made it more difficult to export Facebook friends. Facebook has also hired some key people from Google the past few months. These people are certainly aware of the workings of Google and have probably communicated this to their colleagues at Facebook. If Facebook were a country it would be the third largest in the world with over 500 million subscribers. I do not see an en mass defection from Facebook of your friends and family despite having a low customer satisfaction rate per a July 19 article in PC Magazine. There will be those who leave Facebook for Google+. This already is happening. There are also security concerns about Facebook that have been noted by many.

The 140 character limit of Twitter is both a blessing and a curse for Google+. A challenge of Google+ is to become less bloated in my opinion. On one side you have a 140 character limit that you can include links in order to share additional information. On the other hand, there are quite a few times when 140 characters are not enough. When using your smartphone which has a small screen, Twitter has an advantage. If using hashtags (#)  in Google+ were to catch on, this could change the playing field here somewhat. While you also can have lists in Twitter, Circles are easier to manage.  Further Twitter is considered to be an information network (news has been known to break out here) while Google+ is considered a social network. I do not see people using Google+ to report on a national crisis like they used Twitter in Egypt a few months ago.

LinkedIn is where I feel Google+ can do the most damage. For starters, LinkedIn is providing more subscription services. Google+ is a networking device where no definition as to whether it is used for personal as opposed to business use. Once businesses are in Google+, I believe the playing field will change. As a whole, LinkedIn users tend to be more tech savvy than Facebook users (how many 70 year old grandmothers are on LinkedIn?). Dell is thinking of allowing their tech support to use Google+.  They can have a video chat in Hangouts where you can see a face and make their job more of a personal interaction. Hangouts can change how customer service is handled.

There are those who also consider other sites like Skype and Flickr at risk. I definitely can see Skype being at risk due to the Huddles feature of Google+. Huddles allows you to have a video conference with as many as 10 people and at no charge. At present, you need a subscription plan to have a group video conference using Skype. Skype will need to change this.
Flickr is another matter. As someone having a Flickr account, it is largely a niche site for photographers.  Without purchasing a pro account for $25 annually, you can only show and access 200 of your pictures on your account. It also is easy in Flickr to tag multiple pictures at once and relatively easy to manage your pictures. Flickr has good discussion groups to discuss about photography related issues and those who participate are always willing to help with photography tips of their own. From what I am seeing, quite a few who have pro accounts are not renewing or debating whether or not to renew their account. Google+ will for one need to make it easier to issue the same tags to multiple pictures.

As I mentioned in my previous post, it will be interesting to see how Google+ is integrated with Google's other programs such as their calendar and mail applications. No matter what happens I have learned this: What is the hot thing now will not be the hot thing tomorrow. Google is hot now but they will have the day when they are not the hot thing.

Impressions of Google Plus

Google launched its new social media site (though they refer to it as a sharing site) Google+ this past June 28 as an invite only. You also need to have a Google account as well. There are now over 10,000,000 users and growing quickly. It is considered to be a rival of Facebook.

A big way it differs from Facebook is you can add someone as a contact to any of your Circles without them adding you as a contact. Circles are a way of organizing your contacts. You can choose Circles like Friends, Family, Business, etc. When you post items, you can determine which Circles are able to see your posts. People that are in a Circle of yours can see they are in one of your Circles. They will not know which one or who is in that Circle. If you have someone in your Circle but they do not have you in one of theirs, you can see what they post subject to their sharing restrictions. For those using Facebook, think of Circles as the Lists you may have for Facebook friends. Your Facebook friends do not know what list if any you have them on. You also may share or not share posts with Lists. Circles are considered a strong selling point of Google+. They are easier and more user friendly to use then than Facebook Lists. Further, there are those who use Facebook and do not realize that Facebook has a similar feature as well.

Another feature of Google+ is Hangouts. Hangouts are where up to 10 people can have a group video chat. For this you will need to download and install the free Google Voice and Video Chat plugin for your computer.

Sparks is another feature. Your Sparks are only visible to you. This is where you identify subjects of interest to you. You get to see streams based upon your interests. Without you putting your interests in your profile, there is not a way for others to see what your interests may be. Facebook allows you to share pages, groups that you belong to. There currently is not an option like this in Google+. This link may be of help in getting a further understanding of Sparks.

Perhaps the biggest selling point is privacy. Not only is Google+ more private, it is a lot easier to manage privacy on Google+ than Facebook. It is easy to determine who you wish to see your posts and personal information.

Will items in Google+ get rated better in a Google search?  That is for Google to decide.  I would hope that the protocols used in a Google search ranking continue to be used here so as to be consistent.

Keep in mind that Google+ is a work in process. Improvements and enhancements are being made on an ongoing basis and as I mentioned it is easier to share interests using Facebook. It is expected that Google+ will be opened to all by the end of July. You are able to share photos and video just like Facebook. The quality of pictures shared in Google+ is better. It will be interesting to see how Google will integrate Google+ with its other products as well. Right now Google is by and large discouraging business use of its new program. When it is ready for business use what will it be like? The jury is out and Facebook may have some heavy competition to contend with. Then again with LinkedIn moving more toward subscription services maybe the niche of Google+ will be a professional networking site. My personal opinion is LinkedIn should worry more than Facebook.  Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter for that matter have not gotten where they are by standing still. I would expect them to make changes to their product as well.  Time will tell how it all plays out.

Maps Online Part II - Google Maps

In a previous blog, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps and Mapquest were discussed.  Google Maps is probably the most used online mapping service and understandably so because of the features and speed.

One of the great feature of Google Maps is when you type the name of a location, Google predicts the results of your search as you are typing in a manner similar to doing a Google search.  Type your search in the search bar and you will see what Google thinks you are searching for.  This can speed up your search since if your result shows you can just click on it and the map will show the location you are seeking. The ease of zooming in and out using your mouse's scroll wheel is just another reason this a good map.

Google Maps allows you to get directions by car, mass transit, walking or bicycling. Of the 4 maps that have been discussed it is the only one where you can get directions by all of the choices mentioned.  Bing Maps allows directions for all but bicycling.  Whether getting directions for a trip or navigating to an address, you can get both live traffic and the expected traffic based upon date and time of your expected travel.  The expected traffic is based upon past traffic patterns.  You will sometimes get more than 1 route when searching for directions.  On a long trip, the difference can be a matter of a few minutes but the longer route could be more scenic.  The choice is yours.

Google Street view is much improved but the picture quality still trails Bing Maps. That said, it is quite a bit easier to go to/from Google Street than going to/from Bing Maps Streetside view. What I personally like is the ease of navigation.  I was showing a friend of mine great vantage points NW of San Francisco to get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Using the street view enabled me to give him a preview of what he would see in person on his trip.

As you zoom in an area, you can see the location of points of interest.  Further to the right of the search bar is an option, "What's Around Here"? You will see letter codes that correspond to the listing on the left side of the map.

The others have their features (the quality of pictures when using Bing Streetside, the turn by turn directions using Mapquest).  The features of Google Maps such as its speed and ease of use  are why it is the preferred mapping site to use.

Google Docs - 1 thing I Forgot to Mention

In my previous post of Google Docs I forgot to mention another key feature. You have the ability to revert back to a previous saved version of a file. This can be useful if a major error is noticed or for whatever reason you desire to revert to a previous saved version. Under the top menu select "File" and under "File" select "See Revision History". The revision history will appear in the right hand side. Select the date and time of the saved version you wish to revert to. Then select "Restore this Version"

Another good feature of Google Docs.

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Google Docs

There are some very good uses of Google Docs. It is a word processor, spreadsheet, or presentation program and can be an alternative to Microsoft Office. Some use it is a way to backup selected files online. It also is a way to share selected files among users where these users have the ability to make changes to the files or view only. You can backup files (up to 1GB free) here and share any files. Google Docs is a cloud application. All files are stored on Google's servers. You access them on the internet therefore in the cloud. You can set up folders on your Google Docs site and treat it as another drive but this one is in the clouds.  For $59 you can purchase an app that makes Google Docs your "G:" drive on your computer. On Google's page regarding this I see nothing about being able to sync files on your hard drive with Google Docs and vice versa.

Let's start with the backup feature. You do have the ability to backup selected files on your Google Docs account. You can drag the files you select to the indicated box or clicking on the "Select Files to Upload" link.  Note that at this time you have to upload individual files. You cannot upload by folder. You need to select all the individual files in that folder. Personally I find this to be a disadvantage and why I would not use this to backup files per se. Further if you are password protecting a file, Google Docs will not allow you to upload it to its site. Currently Google allows up to 1GB to be stored free of charge. However files saved in a Google Docs format are not subject to the 1GB limitation. There is no automatic backup. You need to upload the updated file(s) manually. Note that you can purchase additional storage. 20GB is $5 per year and 80GB is $20 per year. You also can purchase additional amounts.

Like Libreoffice, Microsoft Office, Google Docs also is an office software suite. Google's suite includes a word processor, spreadsheet editor and presentation program. Like most office software suites, it supports the basic Microsoft (MS) Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). A big advantage of the Google Docs software suite is it can be shared, edited and opened by multiple users at the same time. This is a good feature when you are working on a team project for work, school or otherwise that involves a file(s) that all need to access and edit. When my wife and I are preparing for a trip, we will put a "To See" list on Google Docs for that trip that both of us can add to and edit . This sharing capability is a factor in why usage of Google Docs has increased. There are templates available for your use as well.

I personally like the sharing option the best. I talked a little about this in the previous paragraph. There are 3 sharing options. One is only where you and only people with permission can sign in to access the file. The second is where anyone with a link to the file can access it without signing in. The third sharing option is where the file is public on the web. Anyone on the internet can find and access it. You also have the ability to decide whether or not those with access to the file can also make changes. This is for any of the 3 sharing options. With a smartphone, files can be edited on your phone by you and others you allow to edit. For those who do presentations, this is a great way to email attendees notes from your presentation. You give those views view access and email the link.

Google Docs is a good application of Google especially when sharing files between users.  Try it for your next team project.

Your Future Employer – How They Get to Know You Before They Meet You

Over the past few years, the term online identity has grown in importance. Reputations have been ruined due to a poor online profile. Potential employers have always gone to references that you did not include on your job application when possible. We all know of Six Degrees of Separation and the expression “It’s A Small World.” The small world has gotten smaller.

According to a recent Pew Research Center study, about 57% of adult internet users in the US admitted to putting their name into an online search engine such as Google or Bing. In 2006, the figure was 47%.

As the internet has evolved, so have ways to find out more about you. As mentioned,57% of internet users in the US say they have done an internet search on themselves. Per a recent Microsoft commissioned study,78% of potential employers have used an internet search engine to find out about potential employees. Social networking sites (Facebook, linkedin) and photo and video sharing sites (utube, flickr, etc) account for 63% and 57% respectively of how potential employers try to find out about you. I will note here that there are other ways as well but those just listed are the top 3. Personal websites, blogs, and online forums are some of the others.

What does this all mean? In today’s world, many employers record your at work computer activity. People have been fired from their jobs for going to porn, game, shopping, etc. sites deemed inappropriate. The keystrokes you do while on a computer at work can be tracked by your employer with the right keylogging software. Postings on Facebook where you complain about your job can get you fired. When you go for that new job, your online profile can and will be used against you if there is anything negative.

Just like you need to check your credit report before applying for a mortgage, you need to check your online reputation especially when searching for a job. If there is anything negative when you check, you need to clear it up. Although there are privacy settings in Facebook, you should treat anything that you post there as public information. This is due to the fact that Facebook has changed their online privacy policies where something once private is now public. What are your political beliefs? Your potential employer may have other political beliefs and may hold yours against you. There are various services that for a fee will improve your online reputation. The bad things may not be able to be cleared but they can be pushed further down on the search engine. As they say, do not post anything that you would not want your parents, spouse, children, etc. to find out about you. As an aside here, divorce attorneys are now using the internet (especially Facebook) to get information to assist their clients.

Google Mail

One of the biggest products from Google is Google Mail (Gmail).  As of December 2009, Gmail had 176 million users on a monthly basis and with good reason. Once you are used to the interface which is a conversation type of view, Gmail has some very good features beginning with 7.5 GB and increasing storage. You also can attach up to 25GB of files. Where does one start?  Let's start with the contacts list.  You can sort by first or last name as you can do with most contacts.  What I noticed is for business contacts, not all webmail sorts correctly by business name.  Gmail's contact list sorts businesses properly regardless of the sort.

Have you ever sent an email and right away realized that you forgot to include an attachment?  Enable "Undo Send" for Gmail labs and you have the ability to undo a sent email for up to 30 seconds after hitting "Send".  Recently, Google implemented Google Voice which enables free calling to the US and Canada using Gmails Google Chat interface.

When composing an email, has there ever been an issue where your browser crashes?  The autosave feature of Gmail automatically saves a copy of the email you are working on.  It starts saving once  minute and then varies according to the size of the message.  No more having your browser crash and losing an email that you have been working on for the past 15 minutes.

Gmail also works with your Google Calendar.  You can accept an invite received on a Gmail and post it directly to your calendar in Google.

If you receive email from someone you do not wish to receive it from, you can easily set up a filter so that it does not go to your inbox (usually Trash).

Searching within Gmail is very easy.  There is a search bar in the upper left of the Gmail page and put your search term in.  Searching for a person or an email address is done the same way and again very easy.

In all once you learn to use the interface, you will appreciate how powerful and good an email tool Gmail is.

A note that future blogs will look at the webmail for AOL, Windows Live Hotmail, and Yahoo.