For new computer users who just want to do what normal people do with computers, like start a billion dollar Dot.Com; in E-Bay; find and chat with the love of your life; show your pictures to everyone on the planet; let everyone know what you think about everything; write the Great American Novel; or print out gigantic posters that use up your printer ink (which cost more than taking the file to a printer and letting them do a professional job. But don't feel bad, everyone does it when they get their first computer.)...then Goggle is for you! Even corporate users are finding use for Google applications that just aren't available anywhere else.
Lets start with the basics. When you get your new computer the first extra you discover you have to buy is software to do the stuff computers do. Traditionally, new users got all the programs to do that stuff bundled with their computer. And it wasn't long before they realize they should have ordered Vaseline with it, because most of it is trial versions that don't do what you really need it to do unless you give the software company more money...and it STILL doesn't do it! So you broke down and paid several hundred dollars for the Microsoft Office Suite and then spent the next 5 years trying to figure out what all those buttons do....buttons corporations pay entire computer departments to figure out and use.
I know, because I did this too. Everybody does this. But if you don't plan to manage huge web sites, or huge corporations, you don't need all those buttons! You only need to do what everybody else needs to do...just make your computer do what you want it to do, without huge expense and major hassles.
Enter Google, the Average Joe's Hero! They have put together a package of on-line software and services that are nothing short of astounding! And the amazing part is, most of it is free. These will do anything 99% of computer owners want their computers to do and, in many cases, do them better and easier than software that costs hundreds of dollars. And some things they do, you can't even get anywhere else and it is STILL free! What an astounding corporate concept!
As a new computer owner, I suggest you start by cranking up your browser and going to www.Google.com and start clicking on all the little words you see on their page; words like Mail, Preferences and especially "more..." Here is what you will find.
Start with their Email. They offer a free email service that allows you to access your email from any computer, anywhere in the world. You don't have to be at your desk, behind your computer. You can even get it sent to your cell phone, in Baghdad. You can create as many email addresses as you like for yourself, to suit various needs you have. For instance;
you will need one ultra private email address that you never use to buy anything with, or to find information with. Use it only for family and dear friends and pray they don't hate your guts and turn you over to a spammer.
You will also need an email address to contact companies and people you don't know. You can make up a name and use the numbers 1, 2, 3, etc. to change it when you need. And you will need, because after awhile your in-box will start filling up with SPAM...unsolicited emails from every scumbag business on the planet. Why? Because these very respectable companies SELL your email address to spam lists. Most of it is illegal, but they do it anyway.
You may need email addresses for other members of your family who use the same computer....or for the girlfriend to send to....unless, of course, you happen to be a restroom toe tapper.
The Google Mail feature is your registration key to many of the other Google features, so you might also want to create an email name that just apples to your Google products usage and use that name as your "primary Google Email Address"...which only matters to them, not you. Still, it helps keep your Google accounts organized without turning over your ultra-private email address. As you develop your Google software and services, you will probably want to add more email addresses, specific to those services...especially services that involve other people you may want to contact you.
Google Docs should be your next stop. Google has provided on line software package that will save you a lot of money in store-bought software. Docs includes a spreadsheet, a word processor that can double as a web-page builder, a data base maker (to list your items, tasks, or contacts) and presentation tool that works very similar to Microsoft's PowerPoint.
You can download any of the files you create into your computer, to be added to other programs you have, or just leave them on the Internet to use and view when you need them. They are private and no one else will see them unless you give them the access passwords you use to see and use them. They are all compatible with Microsoft and many other software products of similar design and you can print your documents on your own printer.
You can also allow other people to have access to specific documents you are working on, making it easy to collaborate on projects. For instance, Larry Hammer, our Humanitarian Director, could create a Humanitarian project word document that could easily be turned in to a web page. Then Skip could go in and dress it up with some of his "superduper don't tell anyone where I got it stuff" and make a nice presentation for LZ Russell's web site, easier than ever before.
Docs has easy to understand help files and tutorials, as do all the Google services, that will make you an expert in no time. Don't pass up Docs. It will save you a bundle in software purchases.
Calendar lets you see the big picture. You can see your friends' and family's schedules right next to your own; quickly add events mentioned in Gmail conversations or saved in other calendar applications; and add other interesting events that you find online.
You decide who can see your calendar and which details they can view. Planning an event? You can create invitations, send reminders and keep track of RSVPs right inside Google Calendar. Organizations can promote events, too.
You can set up automatic event reminders, including mobile phone notifications, and instantly bring up anything on your calendar with the built-in search tool.
Now you can find fun content to add to your schedule. Browse through a gallery of publicly available calendars like sports schedules, concert listings, and much more.
Microsoft has a similar program that doesn't do half of what this does and costs a bundle! This is completely free! Dang!
Picasa is Google's fantastic Picture editor/filer/previewer/displayer for your computer, for your emails, for your mail out CD's and even for the Internet. I have seen commercial software that does less than this that cost a couple of hundred dollars...and it is FREE.
You start by downloading the program into your computer and installing it. Picasa guides you through all 1 steps. (Download and installation tip: Click where it says "click here". End of steps).
Once Picasa hits your computer it looks for everything on it that looks like a picture and organizes it in folders by date. You will probably be amazed how many pictures you have on your computer even if it is new. You can go through the ones you like and discard the resist. When you discard, it doesn't actually discard the actual picture unless you tell it to. Otherwise, it just discards it out of Picasa and the picture is still in your computer files, where they were before Picasa was installed. Picasa doesn't actually load pictures into it, but creates links to every picture you have, allowing you to view and work with all of your pictures in one tool.
After organizing all your pictures and using the Picasa tools to make them look great, where Picasa shines is creating "Web Albums". A Web Album lets you display your pictures on the Internet. You decide who gets to see them and who doesn't...be it the entire world, or one person. You decide which pictures you want in a web album and you can organize them in to separate albums and name them whatever you want...and add and delete pictures any time you like. You can add captions to each picture and even create a discussion for each picture, that other people can add their thoughts about it...all with a simple click. You can create a full screen slide show, a page of thumbnail pictures that expand to full size when you click on them, or any of a number of great display methods. And you can change the methods anytime you like by a simple "click".
This is a fantastic way to get your LZ Pictures into the LZ. Just get them in to your computer, add them to the Picasa folder, or let Picasa find them for you and tell Picasa to post them on the Internet by clicking one button. Then send Skip a message telling him where they are and he can copy them into the LZ's files and web pages. What could be easier than that? And the beauty is, anything you can do on the Internet with your pictures you can create for your computer, emails, and even CDs to mail to folks.
Picasa does a whole lot more than this, but I'm not trying to write a book here. Go get it. You won't regret it!
Blogger builds an on-line blog for you. You might not be in to blogs yet, but they are turning out to be one of the most powerful public forces on the Internet. They even guide the direction of political parties. They are like a diary, or a personal journal. You can even be a news journalist, or commentator! Some who have done this have become nationally famous and influential virtually over night. Word gets around, ya know? Governments who want to be the only word you hear, just hate this sort of thing. China is one of them. The rest I will let you deduce for yourself.
But they can also be a corporate, church, sports or political journal...or whatever you want. The Blog is a specific style of reporting whatever it is you wish to report, usually laid out by date...sort of like a message board. You can add pictures, videos, copy articles and paste them in, and pretty much design the thing to reflect what you are trying to say. Some have all joke blogs. Others have medical journal discussions. Its up to you. You can even record your own voice comments, edit in music background, and make a virtual radio show out of your blog.
You can also link your blog to other bloggers who have blogs related to things you are interested in...and they can linke back to your blog. Can you imagine the insanity and humor that would result if LZ Members all started a personal blog and linked back to each other? Naturally, we would post a link to your blog on the LZ's web site, if you wished.
You can also allow other people to put stuff in your blog. Or maybe you would just like them to read what you put in there and make comments. It is all up to you how it is displayed, who can see it, who can respond to it and who can participate in creating it. It is a great place to express whatever is on your mind down on virtual paper that only you see, or you want the whole world to see. And its all FREE.
Earth Just get it and be amazed! Go see LZ Russell, LZ Neville, Dong Ha, Vandergrift, DaNang from a low level Satellite. Click on the little "push pins" and read all about it. Afterwards, you might want to fly over to Egypt, and explore the Pyramids, or over to Spain, to see how the locals live and get a link to live Flamenco..or go get a layout of Baghdad and see what the Green Zone looks like from the air....and that highway that leads to the airport! Free!
Desktop - Search your computer as easily as you search the web with Google. Find and launch applications and files with just a few keystrokes. The "Sidebar" lets you customize your desktop with links to live news, live cameras, blog updates, stock reports, live Weather and more....all right there on your computer desktop! Free!
Groups Create mailing lists and discussion groups.
Maps, directions and what's there when you get there.
Orkut Meet new people and stay in touch with friends
Google Toolbar - Added to your Web browser will STOP annoying pop ups when you visit web pages.
Code - Download APIs and open source code. (Don't try this until you know what they are)
Labs - Try amazing new stuff Google is Beta Testing (You might want to know how to reboot your computer if you do this).
There are also about a hundred free add-ons that Google links to that you might want to explore. For computer new users, Google can save you hundreds of dollars in essential software and open the world of the Internet to you like no one else can. Old hands already know about Google stuff, but it doesn't hurt to go back in, once in awhile, and see what's new.
ENJOY!!
Skip