Googly-eyed Over Google

I am so impressed with Google Docs and Zoho. Since Wi-Fi users can't print at the library, we're always recommending that they save their documents as email so they can access them on public computers, but Google Docs and Zoho are even better. You can access your work from any computer without worrying about disks, drives, or compatibility. How cool is that? It also allows you to go back to a document any time you're at a computer - an enormous advantage when you need to refer back to something or make changes.

While Zoho offers a much wider array of tools, I'm sold on the accessibility of Google. I was in my Gmail account the other day when I suddenly realized that if I clicked on "My Services" I could get right into my blog and access my newly created search engine. Upon closer inspection, I see that if I click "Documents" I can start a Google document right in my account. I love that everything is in one place so you don't have to remember a bunch of usernames and passwords, and you can bounce easily between the different features. Typing a blog but wondering if you've got mail? You can check with just one click of the mouse.

For the next part of the assignment, I headed over to Google Labs. Most of the options were novelty items (most popular music, shots of Mars), but Google Transit and Google Ride Finder are both quite practical, and Google Suggest could be a real help when doing reference work at the library. It offers up alternative search terms, and sometimes you just need a little nudge to get going in the right direction. This usually comes from a nearby co-worker, but if everyone's tied up, Google's got your back.

As for choosing my own adventure, I started poking around the Web 2.0 Award Winners and found some fun sources. Truveo's http://www.searchvideo.com is an excellent source for videos, and is even better organized than YouTube. Next, I checked out
http://www.last.fm.com, a cool site for anyone looking for music on the web. It allows you to enter your favorite artists, then matches songs to your interests. I also found a weird site where you can vote on t-shirt designs. Apparently the most popular ones are printed and made available for purchase. Check out http://threadless.com if you're an aspiring fashion designer.

Hmm, I seem to have chosen an adventure that is totally not work related. Even so, I see that the Web 2.0 tools make it easy for people to do fancy things on the computer, and the more you do, the savvier you become. So often I have looked at a website and wondered how it was designed, thinking it's something I could never learn in a million years. As the web gets more and more user-friendly, more people can do things they never thought they could. If library staff can point patrons toward these options, the world is their oyster.