Wiley Google Business Solutions All-in-One For Dummies
Contents
1. Se Take a tour of iGoagle s new features Make iGoogle your homepage Yes please Not now tevi Themes for causes Change theme from Classic Add stuff 5 Weather Date amp Time YouTube Irntiarapalis IN Search am CurrantCloudy Sun 26 F Wind NYY at 17 mph 10 2 JAN Today s Festurad Videos J eq Humidity 53 9 3 Sun won Tue Wed a 4 1 8 Pe e 7 5 25 13 25 18 31 20 Gmail i Create an G Mal Account Free email from Google Alreatty vith fest search snd less have Gmail spam Signin here Concerts Songs Music Feed Rolling Stone Features Mon BF internet Protected Mode On Amm After your page is created there are a few basic ways to customize it The most common choices are as follows Themes The default iGoogle homepage looks a lot like the pages Google creates for itself It s got a white background bright colors and clearly defined borders That s great if you want to keep it but Google has plenty of other options available for you if you wish Click the Themes for Causes link or the Change Theme from Classic link to see the avail able themes At the time of this writing iGoogle provides a standard set of themes along with specially designed artist themes and themes that help sup port a charitable cause No matter which section you choose you see a list of themes like the one shown in Figure 1 10 Jus2. all these options are dependent on the type and properties of the gadget Right click and play around with the options to see what is possible The Google Desktop sidebar also has a menu option accessible by clicking the downward facing arrow at the top of the screen shown in Figure 1 15 From there you can add more gadgets configure and set your gadget options or choose the position of your Google Desktop sidebar as follows Book VIII Sidebar This option places the sidebar as shown in Figure 1 15 Chapter 1 Deskbar This option places the sidebar as a toolbar at the bottom of the screen me 33 Floating Deskbar This option creates a toolbar that you can position at any point on your desktop DS oo Auto Hide This option hides the sidebar unless you click a gadgets icon g S at the bottom of your screen or press Shift twice Be 678 Uncovering the Secrets to Creating Viral Gadgets Always on Top This option stakes out some permanent real estate for the sidebar pushing everything else on the screen aside If you ve got a widescreen computer this might be a good option for you Dock Sidebar This option moves the sidebar either to the left of the screen or to the right Font Size This option lets you choose the default font size a larger option or a smaller option Play around with the options and see which works best for you You can find a setup that works for you Uncovering the Secrets
3. Xi ros by cod closure Search for Foreclosures by zip code Technology Search _terastorwnnetreete conv Create your own gadget Politics Add A now Want to sul a little pieca of yourself on your friends homepages Add feed or gadget Creating and shanng these gadgets is as Loan Calculator easy as filling out a simple form Simple interest loan calculator Try now Hite tore w nove edul Toi now Learn more about IGoogle iGoogle css mens Narrow by category Search results for steelers Back to gallary Search for gadgets All categories Editor s picks AEC North Go Stealers y cine steelers Seach News Locking for the latast foctball news on the 495 veer Pitts S r 18 Of 5 of T Tools tsburgh Steelers anc the other team o crite your the AFC North Baltimore Ravens Cincinnati Add it now Bengals and Clavel Browns Need up to data info for your Fantasy Football picks You have found it Post this conmensent jaget on your home page to keeg current Creating and sharing these gadgets is as with breaking footbal news News feeds easy as filling cut a simple form ptovidad by Yahoo Sports This gadget is d als eed reader you can edit Try now Want to put a little piece of yoursel on your fiends homepages Learn more about iGoogle For developers gt Eor fed owners Pittsburgh Steelers By Pus Pittsaurgh Steelers Gadget 5 hiip tistalic Pl
4. amas for causas angs Personalize your iGoagle homepage by Add it nove designing your own theme Search for themes Learn more Learn more about IGoogle avalopars gt Aud it now iGoogle Preferences Saya Cancel General Mobile Language English US Content Home Name Home Share Delste Apple Baha Gadgets Google Reader Comics Gmail NER BeTwttered Spons Inple j music news Tech SOHH com Dailies Add ata NYT gt Home Page Location United States Rep Open links in a naw tab or browser window Lifehacker Lifehacker Geak to Liva Share Paleta Book VIII Chapter 1 sjaipey 3 0059 0 uononponuj 672 Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage Figure 1 12 Sharing your iGoogle tabs Figure 1 13 Adding an iGoogle tab Clicking the Share This Tab link allows you to send the tab and its asso ciated gadgets to anybody else although they need an iGoogle account to take full advantage of these gadgets If she accepts the invitation that tab is included on her homepage as well If you re sharing a series of gadgets that could make your normal business activities a little easier this is a great way of sending them off to friends or coworkers Take a look at the screen in Figure 1 12 to see an example Send Home tab to a friend Message aek to Live com Music Send me a copy of the emai Cance
5. recom mendations so you have to make sure people want to talk about your gadget Pass along word of your gadget to your customers and encour age them to pass the word along as well Your goal is to have everybody passing around word about your gadget and business After people know of your existence you can talk to them about using your business Uncovering the Secrets to Creating Viral Gadgets 6 19 Make it useful Virtual pet rocks might be cute but they re not very useful and people will pass them up quickly to add something more useful to their desktops or sidebar People won t waste real estate on useless items so it s up to you to make it work for them If you make a gadget simple but useful more people are likely to use the gadget and pass it on to others Change your information often If nothing ever changes about your gadget why do people need to go back and look at it Make sure that your gadget remains useful by refreshing your content often and keep ing it interesting New and different items always capture attention and you ll have a larger audience because of it Now that you ve taken a look at the theory behind making gadgets you can move on to actually creating your gadgets That information is presented in Chapter 2 of this minibook entitled Creating Your First Google Gadgets Book VIII Chapter 1 sjaipey ajfiooy 0 uononponuj 680 Book vill Getting Noticed with Gadgets
6. seconds Select Interests Choose all that apply F Indianapolis F Mus News Games Humor Cooking Select a thames Google Choose Location CountryRegon United Slates sady have a page Sien in to see your stu Politics Enterainment E spons a at See your page 669 After you ve entered the information click the See Your Page button to see the screen shown in Figure 1 9 If you ve already signed up for a Google account this page is saved and accessible from any computer you use Just sign in and your homepage is there If you don t have a Google account yet this homepage shows up until you clear the cookies out of your browser It won t be accessible from any other computer Given that a Google account is free it s a good idea to sign up to keep your homepage intact wherever you are Google Apps accounts also hold their homepages wherever you sign in Book VIII Chapter 1 sjaipey ajfooy 0 uononponuj 670 Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage Figure 1 9 Your new iGoogle homepage Toogle Windows Intemet Explorer ee CO E hitputisrsrn googie com ighhl en 4 x Googie Py File Edit View Favorites Tools Help Links Custornize Links Ww bt p iGoogle Xb gt B Shy E Page v Gi Took Or amp EL Web Images Maps News Shopping Grail more w assit Home Signin 1 i oogle Adrangas Saarah Language Toole Google Search IL Im Feeling Lucky
7. to Creating Viral Gadgets So other than convenience and usefulness why bother with Google Desktop iGoogle and Google Gadgets They re useful tools but how can they help your business The answer is that anybody can create Google Gadgets including you and you can use them to help promote your business Given the amount of gadgets available for Google users you have to make your gadget stand out among the others That doesn t mean that you have to conquer the world though Keep a few things in mind when designing your gadget to make it as useful as possible You re not conquering the world The world is filled with all sorts of people with all sorts of different interests and it s impossible to please all of them at the same time Trying to design your gadget to be all things to all people means you re destined to be disappointed Don t try to be all inclusive pick your idea and stick with it Make it work for your business and your customers Know your audience If you re a small business you ve probably gotten to know your customers fairly well You can set aside items each one might want You know their preferences likes and dislikes Use that same kind of knowledge when you re writing your gadgets Target your most loyal customers when you create the gadget chances are more users like them are out there and your gadget will help them as well Get people talking Viral marketing depends on word of mouth
8. 4 Searching for Google Gadgets by keywords Exploring the Gadget Directory 667 Click one of the categories to see a list of what s generally available for that topic For instance Figure 1 3 shows what s new and available in the world of finance for Google Gadgets You can also search the directory by keyword as shown in Figure 1 4 can you guess what the search keywords were If you re interested in search ing for gadgets that only apply to certain topics click the category first and then enter your search terms Your search will be further restricted and you can find what you re looking for much more quickly g Hack to iGoogle home iGoc gle J Gadgets Themes Sort by Get new gadgets from The Wall Street Journal GoComice NYTimes and mora Search for gadgets Hottest F Dorel OBrien Most users Currency Converter a a Search i Peter ovaya donalckelen nets 35 Editor s pick See all Narrow by category rer The Wall Street Journal Sy Val St 4 Diale hietwork Editor s picks Me Neve Google Finance Porttolios ay Google Rose says Get tha latest Wall Straet Goc gle Track your stocks and markat indices using 1 228 715 users Journal headlines at a glance Finance O ses Google Finance fee ies Communication J noy Eun amp Games Add A now THE WAL STREET ANNAL Finance Spots Free Free Foreclosure Search y Add a now Lifestyle Foreclo
9. Chapter 1 Introduction to Google Gadgets In This Chapter Taking a look at the available Google Gadgets v Assembling the gadgets into your own personal creation Making gadgets work for you Putting Google on your desktop Ges capability to supply and configure information is what makes it the dominant force on the Internet that it is In addition to the search functions and applications Google provides it offers the ability to custom ize and tweak that information and these services into exactly what the user wants This information isn t just available on Google s standard home page though Google offers information and functionality through a series of small programs called gadgets which users can discover modify and embed in their own home pages and elsewhere Better still these users can create their own gadgets and spread them to the home pages of other users Exploring the Gadget Directory Whether you re using an individual account or a Google Apps domain start page you have an impressive selection of Google Gadgets available to you These gadgets can be installed anywhere on your page just by dragging and dropping and you can arrange them into different tabs as you want First though let s take a look at what s available in the main directory The Gadget directory may look a little different depending on whether you access it through iGoogle or Google Apps Still the same gadgets are avail able to either vie
10. The Wall Street Journal All cat x By Vik Street Editor s packs na REP ToDo 18 520 user Rose says Gat the latast Wall Streat sala Easily manage and track your daily to do list SPAR Joumal headlines al a glance ToDo gadget lets you add your tasks Communication hig ligh them in different colors change their Eun amp Games order on the list and strikethrough or delate E tasks that are done everything you need to s get things donel Spens ven lebpioes cemi beAdd i nae Lifestyle i Create your own gadget echnalogy Google Calendar By Google as us Politics a The Oficial Google Calender Gadget 10 user Want fo put a litile piace of yourself on your 1 nina Morera googie come friends harnepages J Add feed or gadget See Creating and sharing these gadgets is as Add d now easy as filling out simple form Try now Amazing Photos of Places to See By Ganss 0 012 users Learn more about IGoogle The categories of gadgets hint at the possibilities of what s available in the directory and you can search for additional gadgets on whatever topic you want would you expect any different from Google by entering a few key words in the Search for Gadgets field and clicking Search Both Google and third party developers are constantly adding gadgets to Google s directory so it s best to check back on a regular basis and see what s available Figure 1 3 Financial Google Gadgets Figure 1
11. and stay useful no matter what happens Google Desktop also includes a small search window at the bottom of the sidebar Google Desktop indexes the content of your computer and makes it available when you search for anything on your system Depending on how you set up Google Desktop you can also have it search additional locations or other computers Let s take a look at Google Desktop s search and then continue on to the other Google Gadgets Searching from Google Desktop From the moment you install Google Desktop the program is taking an inventory of everything on your computer from programs to files to Web searches After it s done you can type search terms into the bottom gadget on your sidebar and get a list of matching results It s a lifesaver when you re looking for missing invoices contact lists or business letters Figure 1 16 Desktop Search options Keeping Informed with Google Desktop 675 To set which items are indexed in this search click the Google Desktop icon and select Options which brings up the screen shown in Figure 1 16 Under the Desktop Search tab select the files you want indexed install any search plug ins you want to integrate with other programs like Mozilla s Firefox Web browser add additional locations to the search and decide where you want your feeds stored and whether they re encrypted od Google Preferences Preferancas Hi Desktop Save your
12. bset of documents limit your search types in the Google Desktop Options menu If you limit your searches to only your business folders you get quicker and more defined results Using Gadgets in the sidebar The gadgets used in the Google Desktop sidebar are similar to the ones used in the desktops for iGoogle and any Google Apps accounts The selection isn t as great but it can still give you some useful information More impor tant you can use sidebar gadgets to monitor your Google account informa tion including Gmail and Google Talk The sidebar comes with a few preset gadgets including news weather and some other items depending on what you ve signed up for with your Google account If you want to add more gadgets to your sidebar click the plus sign at the top of the sidebar shown in Figure 1 15 You see a screen like the one shown in Figure 1 18 Figure 1 18 Adding new gadgets to the Google Desktop sidebar EMBER amp Keeping Informed with Google Desktop 677 Add gadgets EATA English US bd After you find the gadget you re looking for move your cursor over it and click Add The gadget appears at the top of your sidebar and from there you can drag and drop it anywhere in the sidebar Depending on the properties of the gadget you can also right click on it and consider more options For example you can use the location of the weather gadget or edit the feeds shown in the Web clips Again
13. e how to view your Google Desktop Your choices are as follows The Quick Search box is called when you press the Ctrl key twice on your keyboard Type your search information and press Return to start the search Quick Search displays results in your search bar as you type Book VIII Chapter 1 sjaipey ajfiooy 0 uononponuj 676 Keeping Informed with Google Desktop Figure 1 17 Search results in Google Desktop ar Choose to display Google Desktop as a sidebar a desktop bar either floating or locked or not at all Choose whether your gadgets are shown as icons and text icon only or not at all The Other tab determines whether you share anonymous data about how you use Google Desktop and whether your search results are checked against a list of unsafe or malicious sites As described before click the Save Preferences button to make your choices final When you re finished just type the search terms into the search window to get your results You see a list like the one shown in Figure 1 17 Google See all 121 desktop resuts in a browser ci Dum Chapter P3 Template Documents Book 7Chapter2 apter 2Se Emal s j a floater_test ml C Pro zy Dum Chapter P3 Template floater_testxml CAP floater_test ml C s fioater_testxmi C Program Files Search Desktop test Click on the entry you want and off you go If you want faster results from a smaller su
14. l You can also add and delete tabs Click the Add a Tab link to name the tab and if you choose have Google add a series of gadgets to your tab based on the name you give it Type the name make your selection in the check box for adding gadgets and click OK as shown in Figure 1 13 To delete a tab just click the Delete Tab link and click OK to confirm your decision Add atab x Tab name g News 7 I m feeling lucky Automatically add stuff based on the tab name OK Cancel Keeping Informed with Google Desktop 6 13 Keeping Informed with Google Desktop Figure 1 14 Installing Google Desktop If you re interacting with a Web browser iGoogle gives you everything you need from whatever computer you re using However most people have a main computer or at least one that they use more than others Google makes a package of software for that computer that allows you to access Google Gadgets and just about everything else on your computer without opening up a browser window Google Desktop puts a sidebar on your com puter that uses Google Gadgets to keep you informed and it also lets you search and access just about everything on your computer Installing Google Desktop Navigate to http desktop google com and click the appropriate link for your operating system as shown in Figure 1 14 Follow the directions to install Google Desktop on your system Go ogle Info when you want it right on you
15. mon way people view and interact with the Google Gadgets they find and install from the Gadget Directory The applications work the same on Google Apps homepages but far more people use individual Google accounts than Google Apps accounts Therefore you have to understand how the iGoogle page functions so you can work with gadgets yourself and make your own gadgets work for others Before you sign up for iGoogle all you see is the normal Google homepage when you go to http google com as shown in Figure 1 6 However note the two links in the upper right corner Clicking the sign in link gives you the screen shown in Figure 1 6 and clicking the iGoogle link leads to the iGoogle page shown in Figure 1 7 Either way there s a link to sign in or create an account for iGoogle First time users get an invitation to create their home pages as shown in Figure 1 8 Figure 1 6 Signing in to Google Figure 1 7 The generic iGoogle homepage Figure 1 8 Creating the home page ar Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage Sign in with your Google Account Email Password 7 Remember me on this computer Sign in Leannet access my account Don t have a Google Account Create an account now iGoogle 1 Google Search Im Feeling Lucky You have been signed out Sign in to see your stuff Don t hava an iGoogle paga Get stared Create your own homepage in under 30
16. prefe when nished Changes apply to Google Desktop Desktop Search Google Account Features Display Other Sava Preferences Enable Enhanced Content 7 Enables additional featur sing Google Dasktop s index Indexing w Backup and wiew presi ans of your documents Search your wab h mail and more View thumbnail pre af your images videos and web history Search Types Index the following ilerns so that you can search for thern F Ernail F Wore F Calendar ats Excel Tasks Ey T PowerPoint 7 Notes x Mi S PDF Journal F Text and other files V Contacts 7 Archives ZIP Password protected Office documents Word Excel Secure pages HTTPS in web history Indexing Plugins To install plugins to inden otter items visit he Slug ins De Search Locations Ind x additions drives and networked folders All fixed drives are indexed by default When you re satisfied with the index settings click the Save Preferences button at the top of the page to put your choices into effect Under the Google Account Features tab you can select whether your Gmail account and other computers are indexed as well To search across comput ers you have to name your computer and select whether indexes of docu ments Web searches both or neither are transmitted to Google s servers for use across multiple systems Again after you ve made your choices click the Save Preferences button to make your decision final Click the Display tab to choos
17. r desktop Selecta languaga Help Desktop Free and takes seconds to install Install Google Desktop Requires 32 bit Windows vistaXXP wx varsion ac versioi You can choose from these faalures during installation Pesktap search Search your computer as easily as you search lhe web wilt Google Find and launch applications and files with just a faw keystrokes amp Sidebar with gadgets Add Google Gadgets to customize your desktop and iGoogla H Gat naws weather and more anywhere on your desktop Features Gadgets Developers Enterriss Blog After you ve installed the Desktop software you see a sidebar on the right side of your screen and on Windows systems a small icon in the bottom right corner of your screen In the screen shown in Figure 1 15 the Google Desktop icon shows up at the left side of the notification area below the Google Desktop sidebar Google throws in a default series of gadgets and you can change them to whatever you want There is significantly less space than on the iGoogle desktop so you re going to have to be a little judicious in choosing which gadgets make the cut Book VIII Chapter 1 sjaipey ajfooy 0 uononponuj 6 14 Keeping Informed with Google Desktop Figure 1 15 Google Desktop s sidebar and icon ar Personalize news mae scratch Pad News e mail and chat gadgets are always a good place to start These ser vices change quickly
18. t click the Add It Now button to add the theme to your homepage You can always change it to a different theme later whether you see a new theme that you like or if you re just ready for a change Tabs and pages By default iGoogle sets up your homepage with one tab and all of the gadgets placed under that tab on the page If you start building up a wealth of useful gadgets though you may find yourself scrolling up and down your homepage just to get the informa tion Trust me that gets very annoying very quickly However Google Figure 1 10 Available iGoogle themes Figure 1 11 Editing tabs in iGoogle Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage 671 enables you to manage several different tabs within your homepage just a click and you ve got an entire different set of gadgets ready for your use Look for the arrow next to the home tab and click it In the resulting menu you have the option of adding sharing or editing the tab After you ve added more tabs you also have the option of deleting tabs Clicking the Edit This Tab link brings up the screen shown in Figure 1 11 You can change the name of the tab here or you can share or delete any of the gadgets currently in your tabs line up Back to IGoogle home iGoogle sre mans Bort by 5 Get thomas by world class artists for your paga Hottest Most usar Classic f Search Newest iGoogle Arist themes ne Create your own theme
19. usmo com Orsergs Add it now Pittsburgh Steelers photos Football Pitsbureh Steelers Steelers i Book VIII Chapter 1 D o3 Os ag oe Oo oa 20 es gs 668 Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage Figure 1 5 Adding a Google Gadget to your homepage Whenever you do find the gadget you re looking for click the Add It Now button under the gadget shown in Figure 1 5 to put it on your main home page After it appears there you can move it around as you see fit Google Calendar By Googk 978 837 user The Official Google Calendar Gadget http www google com Addit now Interacting with the iGoogle Homepage Google wants iGoogle to be your homepage whenever you open a browser It gives you a customized portal filled with all the information you could want It s like a totally customizable car dashboard or a newspaper with just the information you want and no glossy circulars As your homepage it s the first thing you ll see whenever you open a browser and that means you d like your gadget to be on that desktop whenever anybody looks at it If you can get that placement you can make your information seen over and over again Any updates or changes are automatically pushed out to all your users In short you want to use it because it s a cheap easy and consistent way to get to the people you want to reach The iGoogle homepage is probably the most com
20. w Click the Add Stuff link on the homepage of either ser vice to see the screens shown in Figures 1 1 and 1 2 You can also point your browser to http google com ig directory to see what s available 666 Exploring the Gadget Directory Figure 1 1 Google Gadgets in Google Apps Figure 1 2 Google Gadgets in iGoogle avr Before You Die Search Homepage Content Add by URL eg calendar i hington P Add stuff to your homepage mare gt Gongle Aaps Weather Date amp Time Baby Wild Animal Pictures Magic Eye 3D Picture of the Day Popular oS Wea Ks News ns de Bc A Tools Add it now Add it now Add it now communication Eun as Finance Uselass Knowledge How many days you hava liad ap mosas at the bow offica Sports y is the n 7 festyle Today is the n th aaa day of your life a dt it nowe New stuff Daily jokes ToDo Daily Horoscopes Hot Body Gh oe X s i r Add it now Add it now Add it now Add it now g Back to iGoogle home l G oO Ig le Gadgets Themes Sort by Get new gadgets from The Wall Street Journal GaComics NYTimes and more Search tor gadgets Hottest i By Google aarc Most users G 8 oogle Find radi Google Maps without lawing 1 1 x 2 Editor s pick See all Narrow Add i now
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