A bit of a cute title, but "The Great Googly One" is a powerhouse collection of tools that's just getting stronger. This simple search engine is now a home for more than twenty tools to help communicate, coordinate and create online.
In this course, we'll be using Google for email, blogging, photosharing, RSS feed reading and more. By creating a Google account, you gain access to most of the tools you need to run your way through the social web. There are other sites that provide many of the same services (Yahoo!, msn.com, AOL, etc.), but Google really does have everything we need all in one place.
Discovery Activity:
Set up your Google account for this course and email me your address. If you already have a Google/Gmail account you'd rather use, please skip to Step 5. If you'd prefer directions with images of what you'll see, please go to this page.
1) Go to Gmail's website.
2) Click on "Sign up for Gmail!"
3) Fill out the required fields, including choosing a login name/email name. (As a suggestion, think about what you might use this email address for before picking "fluffybunny200".)
4) Click on "I accept. Take me to my account." to accept the Terms of Service and create your account.
5) From your new email account, please send mail to me at boston26dot2@gmail.com.
Congratulations! You've completed your first sprint on the 2.0 course. Since this Thing is a foundation for much of the rest of our work, please let me know in a comment here if you have any questions or problems.
I don't want to overwhelm you on the first day of class, so I'll post Thing #3: A Blog! A Blog! by this Wednesday. Enjoy the anticipation!
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5 comments:
I'm somewhat mystified by gmail. I have previously signed up for Google apps thru Brandeis, and it seems to list me as that account even though I signed up using a different name for gmail. I can log in using either my Brandeis google apps name or the name I chose for google mail as part of this class, but it only uses the name from Google apps. And I don't seem to get mail I send to myself.
I'm continually impressed with the variety of apps Google provides along with its search engine and mail service - all free, of course. I'm curious as to when people will begin to shift in major numbers from professionally-produced (and paid for) programs like Microsoft Office to using open Web applications like Google Documents.
To the best of my knowledge, Sam, that shift has already begun. Folks are using things like Open Office as a replacement for overpriced proprietary softwares. Web-based platforms are the next step, and they're beginning to catch on. I use Google Apps because I work on so many things at home, on the road and here at work.
Ultimately, I expect that we'll be paying for these services, but not nearly as much as we pay for installed software from MS.
I am going to use my old gmail account. I can't keep track of one more.
I think google is taking over! I have been using the google docs too, they are great for sharing and letting others edit. You can do it from any computer.
Hi,
Signing up for gmail was quite painless. I look forward to finding out more about the other Google apps too. I see you've mentioned Open Office, Jennifer. I believe I downloaded it, but I haven't ventured to use it yet.
Judy D.
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