Google Tools - Thing 29

Before starting this thing, I had already used Book search, Google Earth, Scholar, Toolbar, Calendar, Labs, Translate, & iGoogle. I use regularly Google Images, Maps, News, Blogger, Docs, Gmail, Reader, YouTube. So, for purposes of this exercise, I investigated Goog411, Knol, & Sketchup.

I heard about Goog411 from a coworker who uses it all the time. Beyond reading about it, though, I'd like to try it from my cell phone some day when I'm out and about and have need of a phone number. It looks simple and quite useful.

Knol looks like a poor man's Wikipedia. It wasn't too interesting and could be dangerous if someone relied on it for accurate information. I looked at a section about military veterans' disability benefits. When I checked out the author, his single biographical note said that he is a veteran. The note I read as I began my investigation of Knol said that the author controls the level of collaboration he or she wants with the larger community. So, whether or not they are an expert in the field, if they believe themselves to be expert and don't want others adding to their Knol, the potential for misinformation here is enormous.

I read about Google Sketchup in a do-it-yourself magazine. The magazine recommended it. And in looking at it I can see why. It looks simple to use (I watched a couple of the instructional videos) and when I have a computer I can download it onto, I'm going to give it more of a try.

I think librarians, especially, need to check in on Google labs regularly. They are constantly developing new and interesting things. Some are duds; but some fill a definite need. As part of our computer classes we suggest to students that they check Google labs every now and then to see what's new.