10 Great Google Search Tricks

Google Search isn't just for searching websites anymore. Apparently, Google Search has got a lot of tricks up it's sleeve. Lifehacker shows us other uses for Google Search, some of which are really very useful.

For instance, need to know the time in Sydney? Just type "time sydney" in Google's search box. Aside from the obligatory search results, this appears at the top of the page...

1:33 AM Sunday (EST) - Time in Sydney, New South Wales

Not to shabby if I could say so myself. Check out Lifehacker's article for more Google Search savvy tricks.

Ever Tried Googling Yourself?

Do you like what you find? Being the somewhat paranoid person that I am, I've always used an alias for all my online interactions. Add to that the fact that I've never made the news, so I have a tiny, almost non-existent online footprint.

However, some of you might be not so lucky. And chances are, someone might be Googling your name right now. It may be a prospective employer or secret admirer but one thing's for sure, you will be judged by the information that's available on Google about you.

Lifehacker has a great article on how to "have a say on what Google says about you." It basically shows you how to setup your own website and make it somewhat your online calling card so people can easily find you online. It also gives ideas on how to link up your site so it appears high on Google's search results.

It's a nice article, but it won't tell you how to remove any incriminating information about you online. I don't think it's possible to do that anyway. Tough luck.

Great Ways to Use Your Domain

So you bought your own domain. What now? Building your own website from scratch and getting it hosted can be too much trouble for some people. Instead, why not take advantage of the numerous great services out there and create your own web site complete with your very own email accounts, blog, etc.? Lifehacker shows us the many great ways to set up a "complete domain name backend for free."

Here are my top 3 "domain-friendly" free services:

Blogger.com - This is a very very very popular blogging tool hosted by our very own Google. It's very easy to set a blog using your own domain here instead of the generic blogspot.com domain. I'm using this service and I'm quite happy with it so far.

Tumblr.com - Instead of the usual textey and imagey blogs littering the nets, Tumblr features blogs that are short and simple. Got a link you want to share? Post it! Got a picture? Upload it! With Tumblr, there's no need for lengthy dissertations or introductions. Just post and go.

Google Apps For Your Domain - Google has done it again. They have released an amazing service that's sure to be a hit with the tech savvy people. With this service, you can host your very own versions of Google Apps right on your own domain. You could set-up your homepage to display your Google start page, and set-up up to 50 e-mail addresses that you can access using the Gmail interface.