Thing 4: Google

I'm a Google fan, too.

 

Yes, I know the search engine is not a one-stop search tool ... or at least it ought not be, but in reality it very often is.
I also know that the search engine is apparently deliberately deteriorated when useful advanced features are removed.

But when I had a look at the applications available I realised that I use quite a few of them in my everyday work.
Google Translate -- I'm a heavy user when searching for information from all over the world. I look up search terms - how else would I find out what wastewater plants are called in Spanish or furniture in Lithuanian? And I have whole websites translated so I can locate the information I need without too much guessing.


Google Images -- An image search is helpful when I'm not quite sure about the translation. A picture says more than a thousand words, and it tells me that a slurry storage tank is not the same as a slurry tanker - yes, sometimes I need to find out things like that!
I also search for images when I do novelty searches in relation to patent applications. Searching within images can be a great help to establish if the invention I'm investigating is new or already known in some form or other.

Google Alerts -- When I do news monitoring on behalf of customers, Googles Alerts are part of the package.

Google Maps -- Custom maps of e.g.research centres or competitors' productions plants around the world.

Google Scholar/Google Books -- That's a must when you're a librarian :-)

Oh yes, and of course Google Blogger!

I have created a profile on Google Plus, but at the moment I can't see any personal use of it when I'm on Linkedin and Facebook. But the Hangouts app I'll definately keep in mind.


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Jeg bruger mange af Googles apps i mit daglige arbejde - oversættelse, billedsøgning, nyhedsovervågning og meget mere. Uundværlige værktøjer. Men Google Plus som endnu et socialt medie har jeg pt ingen brug for. Ej heller Hangouts - men måske kommer det en dag.