Search “Google Tools” in the Google search and the first result that appears is a link that takes you to an overwhelming amount of Google products. There are products to advance your search on the web, explore and examine sites and services, communicate, show and share aspects of your life with the world, and of course, go mobile. Looking at this list, I wonder what tools would actually benefit me and make my life easier. Well, in order to decipher what’s useful to the everyday person from what’s useful to the business world, I had to do some research, and I would like to take a moment to share that research with you before you make that seemingly endless journey into the research of Google Tools.

Let’s start with Google’s search tools. This is a list of about 24 tools comprising of everything from searching within books and scholarly papers to searching products and patents to searching the globe. Now, of course, all of these search options narrow your search to help find the information needed more quickly but unless you are a scholar or inventor, not all of these search option are useful to us. I have compiled a list of search tools I would recommend using.

• Directory – The Google Directory organizes the web by specific topics and then places them into categories for a more refined search. You can type your search in the main search bar to search the whole directory or click on one of the categories below and type your search in that category’s search bar.

• Earth – Download for free Google Earth and you’ll be able to travel the world instantly. With this application, you will be able to see 3D buildings, imagery, and terrain in countries, states, and cities all over the world. You can walk up and down streets, explore new and exciting cities, or dive into the depths of the ocean. This is just a neat app to have whether you’re planning a vacation or need to find a local business.

• Finance – Google Finance allows you to quickly browse the stock market. You are able to view your stocks and portfolios as well as financial news and trends. You can keep track of companies and funds you’re interested in and even see their balance sheets, news, and management information.

• Google Health – Google Health helps you take charge of all your health information. You have the ability to manage your health history, set personal health and wellness goals, and of course, monitor your progress. For those of us who have trouble setting health goals and keeping them when we don’t see much progress, sign up for this Google feature to see how even the small changes in our daily habits affect our overall health.

• Web Search Features – Google Web Search features can be a little overwhelming at first glance but really, it is a simple way to obtain certain information like the local weather, scores of today’s game, and even the time of other cities, the sunset, and the sunrise. In addition, you can quickly reference the calculator, unit converter, book search, and the public data as well as search for local restaurants and movie times. This feature puts a lot of information and references right at your finger tips.
Next on Google’s list of tools are Code and Lab features, which are more for the web techie. For everyone else, we’ll skip over to Google’s communication tools. This is where we’ll find the tools to blog, organize our schedule, edit pictures, and upload videos. They’re free, fast, and are some the best features in their class on the web.

• Blogger – New to blogging? This is the place to start. It’s free and provides detailed tutorials and tours for help. With the Google Blogger, you are able to customize your templates and layouts and blog as much as you’d like.

• Calendar – Google’s calendar not only helps you organize your life but it allows you to share your schedule and events with other people. You can also get your calendar on your phone and have reminders sent to you on the go as well.

• Picasa – Google’s Picasa is one of the top rated photo sharing sites on the web. You can upload, edit, share, and print your photos with Picasa. You can also organize all the photos on your PC in seconds and tag your photos to maps so you remember where they’re from.

• YouTube – YouTube is the largest video sharing community on the web. You can search, watch, and upload videos to the site and share them with whomever you please. You can also embed videos from YouTube into your website or personal web space.

Finally, you have the option of taking Google mobile. You can get Google products, maps, and search on your cell phone. These tools allow you to use certain Google features on your phone, view maps, locations, and directions on your phone, and search the World Wide Web on your phone.

After researching and reviewing many of the tools and features Google has to offer, I find that there are just as many tools for the average “Joe” as there are for businesses. However, learning to use some of these tools and inserting them into our everyday lives may save time when we’re on the Internet. Google is giving us access and the ability to organize anything and everything we would ever need to online. To take a look at Google Tools for yourself, visit http://www.google.com/options/.