Roz designz: E-tip #24|Fabulous Free Stuff

Fabulous Free Stuff
Google Tools

There are several subjects to write about when it comes to freebies available on the Internet. In my Cyber-space travels I recently came across Google tools, and yes, I made the "BIG switch" from Yahoo! to Google. It's well worth it! There is a wide range of communication tools that can be integrated into a website from Google such as; Calendar, Picasa, YouTube, Gmail, Blogger and much more.

In this e-tip we'll take an in depth look at the many advantages of the Google Calendar. Technology is about making life easier right? This calendar is very easy to use, set-up and is loaded with many features. Your online calendar is user-friendly when it comes to communicating or promoting events, meetings, etc. with large groups of people. Creating invites and emailing them to others is a quick way to remind them of important scheduled events, meetings or outreaches. Now how easy is that?

ADVANTAGES

Website Integration: a small snippet of HTML code is provided for you with all your personalization settings. Be sure to press the update button if you make any changes before uploading it to your website. Take a look at the example of my church's calendar to get a better idea of how the calendar integrates easily in a site.
Import Events: You can import events from other calendar programs like Yahoo! Calendar or Microsoft Outlook. This is great if you also are making the "BIG switch".
Event Details: this has an option to include a map for the exact location of an event. Think about it, you'll never have to draw map directions again! The image to the right shows an event pop-up window for adding your event quickly. This is instantly updated for all the people sharing your calendar.
Weather: this option places tiny icons that are click-able and access up-to-date forecasting for a four day span.
Time Zones: this setting needs to be in sync with the location of the calendar events otherwise the times of events will be off an hour or so.

There are so many Google options available that can be added to your calendar. Using the free Gmail is convenient when sending out invites to others or scheduling your reminders. Google maps come in very handy when you need a pinpointed location for an important event or meeting.

Some events on your calendar require favorable weather conditions, why not select the option to display the Google Forecast on your calendar.

Take some time and explore the pros and cons of Yahoo! Vs Google, decide for yourself. You have the upper hand, a few new tips on some fabulous free stuff on the Net.

Copyright © Lora Rozkowski. Lora is a website designer, author and owner of two Christian businesses. For more information send an email to: Roz@rozdesignz.com Reprinted with permission. Take a look at Roz's portfolio.

Please let me know if I can answer any questions or help you further.
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