Google-speak

One of the hardest things about teaching people how to use Google Apps is that they have to learn a whole new vocabulary.  Honestly, why did Google have to rename everything?  I seriously doubt it was a case of copyright infringement.  Was it to make their product just a little cooler?  It would be like marketing a new car by renaming all the parts.  “Open this Compartment Enclosure Device, and seat yourself on this wonderful leather Position Enhancer. Put your hands on the Direction-Enabler….” well, you get my drift.  Whatever. Enough ranting.  Google doesn’t care.  You must learn because you must use Google.  So, without further ado, here’s my handy translation guide: Gmail Terms Labels –  You give your email “labels” to organize it.  Think folders.  Not sure how to label an email?  No problem.  Give it several different labels.  Now you can look for it in “Upcoming Meetings”, “Current Projects” and “Things to Think About Later.”  Surely one of those things will trigger your memory.  This is actually a really cool feature. Labs – I know what you’re thinking.  You’re wrong.  These are special little tweaks you can give to your email to make your life easier.  Or more interesting   Or, just because you’re bored and avoiding that report you have to write until the very last possible minute.  But I digress.  You can add stars,  add a calendar to the web page you view your email on….what?  You’re using an email client to view your Gmail?  Why? Google Drive Terms Google Drive – Looking for your stuff?  This is where it is… if you uploaded it there.   The good news is that if your hard drive dies, it isn’t going to take all of your hard work with it.  See my post, Google Drive for iPhone to find out how you too can be connected to work 24/7. My Drive –  where the stuff YOU created is.  Not to be confused with Shared with Me* ** – where stuff other people created and “shared” with you is located.  Don’t get these two confused or you will never find that PowerPoint that you worked on until 3:00 in the morning. Shared – you give permission to others to access and/or edit your stuff, or in other words – now they have a Shared with Me*…from you.  Don’t overthink this. Of course, given how often Google changes things, this all may be outdated in a couple of months.  Good luck, traveler; good luck.

*Updated 10/7/2014: This used to be called “Collections Shared with Me” – now it’s just “Shared with Me.”  Still the same thing.

**Updated 01/29/2015:  Now “Shared with Me” is called “Incoming.”  Seriously.  I feel the urge to duck and cover every time I read that.

My Recent Favorite Apps for iPhone

I’m not ashamed to admit it – I love my iPhone.  It does so much more than just manage phone calls and email. It’s my lifeline – without it, I’m lost.  I’m always on the lookout for new apps, too, and here are some of my recent finds:

Tempo – Beautiful and practical at the same time.  Organizes your calendar data and connects it with your contacts.  It’s free, but you have to get on a waiting list to get it.  It’s just that popular.  Sign up via the App Store.

DuoLingo – Want to learn a new language?  This free app gives you the choice of Spanish, English, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian.  It’s interactive, and you learn by listening, talking, and reading – just like in real life.  Their website is http://duolingo.com/, and it’s also available in the App Store.

HootSuite – Need to be able to manage multiple social media accounts while you’re on the go?  HootSuite makes it easy.  Available in the App Store.

My Radar – Let’s face it.  It’s spring here in Central Texas, and it’s important to keep an eye on the weather.  The radar is free.  A paid upgrade removes advertising, and adds push notifications for weather alerts and a hurricane tracker.  Also available in the App Store.

My Chores – When my children were little, I organized their chores on index cards that were kept in envelopes pinned to the kitchen bulletin board.  Wish we’d had My Chores, which is much cuter, more organized, and of course, a lot cooler.  You sync it across devices, so your kids can check off their chores on their iPads.  It’s a brave new world out there.  Visit the App Store.

Buycott – The company says “Buycott helps you to organize your everyday consumer spending so that it reflects your principles.”  You set up “campaigns” – things you want to be conscious of when buying.  Categories include Animal Welfare, Civil Rights, Criminal Justice,Economic Justice, Environment, Food, Gay Rights, Social Responsibility, Women’s Rights and more. “Join” the campaigns that reflect your concerns.  Then scan the bar code of something you want to buy.  The app tells you if this purchase would be in conflict with any of your concerns.   I’m still not sure how efficient this is, but it was an eye-opener.  Available in the App Store .

I’ve mentioned Google Drive in another post, but it’s worth mentioning again.  When my work switched to all Google for everything, I was skeptical.  Now with Google Drive on my phone, I can manage my documents from my phone.  Since I have Gmail as my work mail, I can access that as well.   Google Calendars easily feed into the built in Calendar app.  So, for good or bad, I can be connected to work 24/7.  I’m looking for the Get a Life app.