Gfanatic

Ever wonder who the brilliant makers are of GOOGLE search engine?

Everything started with a simple chilling in the dorm room at Stanford University. Larry Page and Sergey Brin who started Google may have not realized how their idea would be a great success. These guys, who invented the search engine Google, have come up with an easy-to-use free website service which is widely used by millions of users (if not billions).

Meet Google…
The website name originated from the mathematical term “Googol” that means 1 followed by a hundred zeros. For Page and Brim, founders of Google, the name connotes to a wide variety of information which becomes available to the user after one search entry.
I need not tell you the state of those who own Google. The website speaks for itself.

Below is a video of Larry and Sergey talking about the Google Machine.

Below is where they talk about the Project Virgle, a Google’s April Fools prank in 2008.

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Have you encountered this message in Gmail or any Google product you know you are logged in? You might have panicked the first time you saw it, and even felt disappointed once you read what Google says what it is.

Symptoms: Your Chat window shows this error:

‘Chat is disabled. You have been signed out of Gmail. You must sign back in to reenable chat.’

Solution: Clearing your browser’s cache and cookies usually resolves this error. For instructions go to Gmail Help

In some cases, it may be necessary to clear your cache more than once.

My Explanation

Being a frequent user though, I don’t think that is related to cache settings. If the solution above had worked for you, then that’s great. However, for others it may not, and you might also want to know more the reason behind this message.

My explanation for this error could not be valid, but this is just my observation for using Gmail account all the time. I have several Gmail accounts. One master account is used for other Google products and services. I also use several browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome.

So first, in browsers with tabs, most of the time you are only allowed to logged into one Gmail account. If you are logged in to your master Gmail account in one tab, then you cannot logged into another Gmail account in the other.

You might say that that is a dumber. But what if you went to Google Reader, or Google Calendar in the other tab and realized that that is not the account you want to use. So you signed it out and signed in to another Google account. Once you go back to your Gmail tab where your Master account is, you will see the message that you are signed out from the account. That’s because you signed it out from other Google products that you used.

Uhm.. 

What I am trying to say is that your Gmail account is your logged in to other Google products, and all Google products are just in one account, and that is what you call your Google account–a universal log in. So if you sign out one Google product, the rest in other tabs will be signed out too.

(Example of Google products are: Google Docs, Google Reader, Google Calendar, Google Search, and Gmail)

Logging into Several Gmail/Google Accounts at the same time

The reason I am using several browsers is that I am logged in to different Google Accounts, and ‘Remember me in this computer’ are all enabled in these browsers. This allows me to save time logging into different accounts I use.

If you don’t want to download and install several browsers to help you multi-task then I suggest you use the Internet Explorer 6 version and make sure you don’t have the tabs in it. Some toolbars you install might have added a tab feature.

Unlike other browsers, Internet Explorer 6 allows me to log in simultaneously in two or more Google accounts. The difference is, it loads as a new window not a tab. I don’t know the real technical reason behind this, but that is just what I noticed.

Make sure when though you log in to Gmail or into any Google products using Internet Explorer 6, you did not click the ‘Remember me in this computer’. So that when you open a new window you are not logged in to any Google account.

(I am not sure if my suggestion will work in Internet Explorer 7 and 8. You can test them out.)

In Firefox,  or Google Chrome, loading a new window to log in to another Gmail/Google account will not work. These browsers only allow you to log in to one Google account at the same time even if it is a new window.

You might also like to read:

How to Get E-mails from Other Gmail Accounts You Have

Google is not just a Search Engine. It was also able to develop a variety of applications for communication and publishing purposes. Business organizations make use of these tools nowadays to be more efficient and productive. Some of the more well-known Google products in this field include the Google Apps and Google 3D Warehouse. Google 3D Warehouse is particularly useful in supporting 3D models created in Google SketchUp.

Meanwhile, other noteworthy application from Google is Google Mail or Gmail. It is a free webmail that is known for it storage capability and simple user interface. It was first introduced as invitation-only software in 2004. Google Talk an instant messaging software from Google is also integrated into Gmail.

For business internet users and online writers, Google has the Google Docs for them. Through it they can create, edit, and publish documents, presentations, and spreadsheets online. Google Docs also allow them to share these docs to their co-workers and friends, so they could collaborate on their projects online.

Google has definitely come a long way from its founders’ Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s Stanford University dorm room. It has transformed the way information is disseminated around the globe and it has redefined the way organizations do business. Google will always be associated with its search engines and indeed, it is a good thing because through its unassuming search engine, Google conquered the world.

Google’s functionality as a search engine enabled it to conquer the world so to speak entirely through word of mouth. Satisfied users are impressed with its utility and they inevitably shared their new find to their friends and family.

From a business perspective, Google is able to generate massive revenue through advertising. Their Google AdWords program provides webmasters to have cost-effective and measurable advertising that is relevant to their target audience.

Meanwhile, the Adwords program has its counterpart, the Google Adsense program. The Adsense programs allow website masters to display relevant advertising on their sites; these publishers will have an additional revenue stream even as they enhance the overall experience of their visitors.

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Right now, everyone who doesn’t live under a rock or even if they did, they know what Google is. Just a few years ago, “Google” is an unknown name. In fact, when someone heard about it, their first reaction would be “What?”.

Google is mostly associated with its core service, the search engine. Through the years though, Google has developed a variety of products, software, and web applications that boxing it in as a search engine just won’t do anymore.

What does Google mean?

According to the Google corporate website, the name Google came from the word “Googol”, the “mathematical term for a 1 followed by 100 zeroes”.

Early on, Google’s use of the term shows the company’s dedication in organizing the countless amounts of data on the internet. It has achieved its mission to organize information and make it accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

When you visit www.google.com today, you will see dozens of different Google domains in many languages. You can read news headlines, view local maps, look up phonebook listings, check stock quotes, and search billions of images. Even without going to the Google homepage, you will have access to this information through the Google Toolbar. This tool allows you to do a Google search easily and conveniently online. Even when you need to be away from your computer, Google offers wireless platforms that help you search anywhere.

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If you have a Google account and you are logged in while using Google Search, it is most likely that your searches are saved in Google Web History.  This is different from what are saved by your browser. Those that are saved in your browser are removed differently, while those in Google history are saved and can be removed online. You can delete google web history.

So, what are saved in your own Google search history? A lot of  your online activity in Google Search and other Google search related products:

• the keywords you typed, and the date and time you searched them. 
• websites you visited, and how often you visit them.
• images you viewed in Google Image Search
• news articles you viewed through Google News.
• Products you searched and viewed through Google Products
• the Sponsored Links you clicked. 
• the videos you watched from Google search results.
• the addresses or places you searched in Google Maps
• blogs you visited
• and books you read or acccessed in Google Book Search

If you think of it, it seems Google knows a lot about your life if ever they access it. Your searches most likely tell what lifestyle you have, your wants in life. You wont search the web of something that doesn’t appeal to you or doesn’t mean to you in any way. Somehow your searches tell about your personality.

If your best friend or special someone also knows the login information of your Google account, then he/she will know any secrets you have, well, if there is. They just login to http://www.google.com/history/. It doesn’t matter if he/she uses a different computer.

Despite the privacy issue it can brought up, this Google product is helpful especially if there’s a website you visit again but forget what the site was. You can just google your own web history or just scan through your activity in a specific date ( if you remember when you’ve gone to the site). You can also analyze your own web activity. Know what are your  top ten queries, sites, and clicks. You will be amazed to find out what they are. 

Anyway, if you are concern about your privacy you can delete your Google web history. And when you search again, make sure you are not login to your Google account. You will find that out if you see your email address at the upper right corner of the Google search page. If you do this, what you will just worry about is deleting your search history on your browser.

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Random images from random people from random sites. These are the images in Google Image Search, and many are wondering how to add their own pictures to Google’s database or if there is any submission process. That is a very tricky question.

The truth is, Google does not have those images in their database. Those images are uploaded from different sites and Google image search spider just crawled on that site and remembers whatever images that are viewable by public. These sites could be any blog from blogger.com or wordpress.com. These could also be from social networking sites like Facebook.com.

But if you want to know how other people do it here are two pieces of advice.

Advice #1 - Own a blog, and upload your photos there together with an article. 

Sign up for free in Blogger.com or Wordpress.com. You can also buy your own domain like www.yourname.com and get a web hosting service. Then set up your blog, design it however you like, and post an article. 

If you have photos about your adventure in the Grand Canyon, make a post about it, and upload the photos. Make sure that these photos have descriptive file names like Dennis_Smith_Grand_Canyon.jpg instead of Image582.jpg.  The keywords in the file name helps Google index your photo. 

If you want your own photo appear in the search results, make an About Me page in your blog, and include your photo. Make sure the photo’s file name has your name it. For example, your name is China Mendez then the file name of the photo is China_Mendez.jpg. That seems a unique name, so it has high probability that it will be included in the search results if someone searches China Mendez. However, if your name is John Smith (John_Smith.jpg), which is a very common name, then there is a slim possibility your photo will be in the search results if someone searches for John Smith.

Make sure though that you submit your site to Google.

Advice #2 - Sign up in Social Networking Sites, and upload your photos there.

Some photos from social networking sites like LinkedIn.com, Digg.com, Multiply.com, and Facebook.com appear in Google image search results. These photos are included because the users set their profile, and photos viewable by public, to appear in the search engines. Just check the photo privacy settings of your social networking account. File names I believe will also be a factor.

So, that’s it.

These steps, however, does not work all the time, because there is a certain criteria on how these images appear in the search results. Besides, Google image bot may take time before it visit your blog like months. Also, Google Image Search algorithm could not be as efficient as that of Google Search since it’s harder to index images. Anyway, if you have time you can help Google describe the photos that appear in search results by playing the Google Image Labeler. You can also read the articles below.

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It is interesting how internet technology brings everyone closer, for the Pope, the leader of Roman Catholic Church is now, I say, also into social networking. 

On January 21st, the Vatican opened their dedicated YouTube channel, and was announced in Google’s official blog and YouTube blog on the 23rd. According to Father Lombardi, “This initiative is aimed at creating a climate of dialogue, and at promoting open communications in all directions.” Well, this channel is not just for Catholics but to anyone who is interested in knowing the Pope’s activities and get the news straight from Vatican. You can listen to Father Lombardi’s message here.

I am not sure how everyone will take this news, but with this channel, the Vatican or the Pope is certainly taking advantage of the internet technology to reach the modern people, whether they are believers or non-believers.

What about Facebook?

Some bored ‘2nd life’ citizens (online fanatics) have found themselves a refuge in Google Image Labeler. This is a feature that allows internet users to label the photos they see in Google image search results. This helps Google to sort out those millions of photos in their index.

Labeling images in Google can be done by anyone. Interested individuals can just start labeling either as a guest or with a specific nickname. There’s a twist though, users are labeling the images with someone else as if it is a game. Google has come up with a mechanism making it more interesting and interactive.

The twist…
You’ll be randomly paired with someone else who’s active online wanting to use the same feature. Both of you will be given two minutes and you’ll do the same thing at the same time.

The first thing you’ll have to do with your partner is to view a set of images. You’ll have to label the photos you will see. As both of you describe the images with similar descriptions, you’ll receive points. You can describe as many images as you can in the given time of two minutes.

A lot of websites offer features that allow the online community to be involved. It’s amazing how most of them gather overwhelming responses when all these people participate into is simply the interest of improving the quality of Google image search.

So what?
Oh well, I have tried describing sites in various site directories and my interest lasted short, really short. I found reading blogs and commenting on them more interesting. It caught my attention better as it was interactive getting replies for the comments I’ve posted. Some more websites offered similar features which didn’t get into me at all. So what if they allow people to be part of their content development.

But for Google Image Labeler, it was a different case. The idea of having to describe with someone else online at the same time was a bit catchy or maybe I was too bored at that time. The more interactive it sounded, the more I got interested.

Sometimes labeling can serve as a form of competition not necessarily among pairs but within the pairs. Yes, it can happen by comparing how many descriptions you can give. But as a pair, your goal is to have similar descriptions so as to earn more points.

Not all search results in Google Search are directly relevant to the desired search. For example, you want to search other websites about Gfanatic. Results from www.gfanatic.com would turn out useless because you already know about Gfanatic from this site. 

Another possible reason why people prefer to exclude some sites from their search is to lessen the commercial aspect of the search results. Commercialized websites usually show up the first granted its relevance to the keyword. But it doesn’t necessarily contain relevant information.

Now for those of you who have been researching on how to exclude sites from your Google search, here’s how. After typing in the keyword/s enclosed with quotation marks, simply type the hyphen or minus sign followed by the word ‘site’ then a colon and then the website url.

Syntax: <”keyword/s”>-site:<URL of the site you want to exclude search results from>

Example: “Gfanatic”-site:http://gfanatic.com

Don’t forget the hyphen or the minus sign. Remember it signifies to cancel out. If you don’t include the hyphen or the minus sign, it will search the keyword on that specific site. 

Examples:

To Exclude a Site
“Google Earth”-site:http://gfanatic.com

To Search in a Particular Site (no hyphen / minus sign)
“Google Earth” site:http://gfanatic.com

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