In the collective imagination, Google is simply a search engine to perform a search on the web. In reality, the set of all the services it offers goes far beyond the simple search for content. It allows you to send emails, manage your electronic correspondence, create documents, calendars and spreadsheets, listen to music and much more. In short, the products offered by Google can be used to manage almost every aspect of life online. Follow the information contained in this guide to be able to perform precise and accurate searches using the Google search engine, but above all to be able to make the most of all the services and products offered by the Mountain View giant.
Steps
Part 1 of 5: Using Gmail
Step 1. Log in with your Google account
You can access the main Gmail page directly from the Google website, but only after logging into your account. This will bring up your Gmail inbox.
Step 2. Review the emails you have received
The Gmail inbox is divided into several tabs and the messages you receive are automatically sorted by content. The default tabs are: "Main", "Social" and "Promotions"; in addition there are also the "Updates" and "Forum" tabs which can be added manually to obtain a more accurate filter.
- The "Main" tab contains the emails you receive from your personal contacts;
- The "Social" tab contains e-mail messages relating to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter;
- The "Promotions" tab contains the emails that are sent to you for advertising purposes from the sites you are subscribed to.
Step 3. View all emails in a "conversation"
When you reply to a received message, the emails are grouped into a single conversation. The first visible message in a conversation corresponds to the last one sent, while all other emails are compressed. To view the content of the latter, you will need to select the relevant header. To view in a single email all the history of messages that are part of the conversation in question, press the "Show abbreviated content" button.
Step 4. Archive the messages you have already read
To keep your Gmail inbox organized and tidy, you can archive all the emails you've already read. All archived emails will always be available in the "All messages" folder that you find in the menu in the left sidebar of the Gmail interface.
If someone sends you an email in response to an archived email, the entire conversation will automatically be moved to your "Inbox" folder
Step 5. Always delete all emails you no longer need
Even if Gmail has a huge amount of storage space, it's always a good idea to delete unnecessary email messages. Select the emails you want to delete, then click the trash can icon. Messages that have been moved to the Gmail trash will be permanently (and automatically) deleted after 30 days.
Step 6. Mark important emails
Press the "Star" button with a star icon on the left of the message header to add it to the "Star" folder. In this way, only the messages that you consider very important will be stored within the latter and that you therefore need to always have at hand or to which you must respond in a short time.
You can add more icons to categorize your correspondence more accurately. Press the gear button and choose the "Settings" option from the drop-down menu that will appear. Find the "Stars" section within the "General" tab, then drag the icons you want to add from the "Not in use" list to the "In use" list. After adding all the icons you need, repeatedly press the "Star" button (star-shaped) on the left of a message header to cycle through all the available options
Step 7. Use Gmail's "labels" system to organize and sort your e-mail
Go to the "Labels" tab of the "Settings" menu. You will see a list of all existing labels that are listed in the menu on the left of the Gmail web interface. To create a new label simply press the "Create new label" button.
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Go to the "Filters" tab to create a new rule based on the criteria you want, so that the emails you receive are automatically inserted into the newly created label. Select the "Create a new filter" link to be able to configure a new rule.
Filters can be based on the sender, recipient, subject and text content of an email. After setting your filter criteria select the "Create filter with this search" link
- Define the action to be associated with the new filter. After completing the configuration of the latter select the check button "Apply the label:", then choose the label you want. If you need emails to be archived directly into the selected folder, without them appearing in the "Inbox" box, select the "Ignore Inbox" checkbox.
Step 8. Create a new email
To create a new email message, press the red "Write" button at the top left of the Gmail web interface. The "New Message" dialog box will appear. At this point, type the recipient's address in the "To" field. If the person in question is present in your contacts, you can type their name and select them from the list of suggested contacts.
- Use the "Cc" field to send a copy of the email to another recipient. Use the "Bcc" field to blind carbon copy other people, without the recipients entered in the "To" and "Cc" fields being made aware of it.
- If you have multiple email addresses linked to your Gmail account, you can choose which one to use to send the message. Click the arrow icon next to the "From" field.
- To change the formatting of the email text, press the "A" button next to the "Send" button. A small menu will appear that will allow you to change the font, size, color and style. You will also have the ability to change the alignment of the text, modify its indentation or create bulleted and numbered lists.
- To attach a file to the message press the "Attach file" button in the shape of a paperclip. A dialog will appear that will allow you to attach one of the files on your computer. Gmail has a maximum limit of 25 MB on the size of files that can be attached to a single email.
- If you are a resident of the United States, you will have the option to transfer money using the Google Wallet service. Move the mouse cursor over the "+" icon, then press the "$" button. Google will ask you to verify your identity if you haven't done so yet.
- You also have the option to insert images from Google Photos and documents directly from Google Drive by clicking the "Insert Photo" and "Insert File Using Drive" icons respectively.
Part 2 of 5: Create and Share Files with Google Drive
Step 1. Log in to the Google Drive website
You can do this using the menu bar at the top of Google's main page. Google Drive has replaced the Google Docs product while maintaining the same features and adding new ones. You can use Google Drive to create, edit, and share documents or to store files stored on your computer online for access from anywhere on the globe.
In order to use the features of Google Drive you will need to log in using your Google account. Google Drive is a free product, available to all users who have created a Google profile
Step 2. Create a new document
Press the red "New" button to create a new document. A small menu will appear from which you can choose to start working on a text document, spreadsheet, presentation, form or drawing.
You can add more features by choosing the "Link Other Applications" option that appears at the bottom of the "More" submenu. You will see a list of add-ons provided directly by Google, along with apps produced by third parties
Step 3. Edit the new document you just created
Once you have chosen what type of content to create, you can start editing it according to your needs. Select the "[Document_type] untitled" field to name the file. It is located in the upper left of the page. Now use the toolbar to format and edit the contents of the file.
- The functionalities contained within the toolbar visible at the top of the window vary according to the type of document that has been created.
- All changes to the file in question will be made automatically.
Step 4. Download a document
If you need to download the file you created locally to your computer, access the "File" menu, then choose the "Download as" option. You will have the possibility to download the document in different formats, choose the one compatible with the program in use.
Step 5. Share your files
You can share the newly created document with whoever you want by accessing the "File" menu and choosing the "Share" option. The sharing settings dialog will appear. At this point you can indicate the people with whom you want to share the file in question or use a social network, such as Facebook or Twitter.
Step 6. Upload the files on your computer to Drive
If you need to keep a backup copy of the files stored on your computer on Google Drive, you can upload them to the platform. Press the "My Drive" button located to the right of the "New" button and choose whether to upload a set of files or folders.
- Any file format can be loaded into Google Drive. Some of these can be converted into Google documents, for example a Word file. To do this, simply access the settings menu of the loading window. All uploaded files will be added to your Google Drive profile content list.
- You can download the Google Drive client for desktop and laptop systems that allows you to create shared folders that automatically synchronize with the Drive platform. To download the program, go to the "Settings" menu and choose the "Download backup and synchronization" option.
- All free Google Drive accounts have 15GB of storage (shared between all services offered by Google). If you run out of this memory space, you will have to clean up the documents and emails you no longer need or buy more GB by paying a monthly subscription.
Step 7. Create a folder structure to better organize your files
Press the "New" button in the upper left of the window, then choose the "Folder" option. At this point, select and drag the files you want to the icon of the new folder in order to move them inside and make your Google Drive page more tidy and clean.
Part 3 of 5: Searching for Content on the Web with Google
Step 1. Log in to the Google website and type in what you want to search for
The way you enter the words to search and the terms used will change the list of results you will get. For best results, use simple keywords. Search using only the most relevant words, leaving out the punctuation. The "I'm feeling lucky" button will automatically redirect you to the first link in the search results list.
- As search criteria use directly the words that are contained within the website you are looking for. For example, if you have a toothache, use the keywords "toothache" instead of "my teeth hurt". This way the results you get will be more accurate, reliable and relevant.
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If you need to get more precise results, search by enclosing words or phrases in quotation marks. This way Google will know that it will only have to report web pages that contain exactly the terms or phrases you indicated.
For example using keywords chocolate biscuits, without quotes, Google will provide you with the link of each web page that contains the word "chocolate" or "cookies" (however, pages containing the phrase "chocolate cookies" may not appear in the first search results). Using the search criteria "chocolate biscuits" you will be offered only the pages that contain the words or the exact phrase you have indicated.
- Exclude a word from the search by using the "-" character. Typing the symbol in question before a keyword will not be used as a criterion during the search. This way you can exclude all the pages that contain it from the list of results.
- Type an equation to get its solution as the first search result. The Google calculator will appear allowing you to type in other equations to solve.
- Type in the units of measurement you want to convert to have Google do the conversion automatically. For example use the search string ounces = grams so as to find out how many grams one ounce corresponds to. The list of search results will be displayed below the conversion result. You can use the drop-down menus that appeared to convert other units of measure.
- Most punctuation marks are automatically ignored during Google searches.
Step 2. Refine your search results
After entering the keywords or search string to use, you can narrow the list of results by selecting one of the options at the top of the page.
- The "All" link shows all the search results found. This is the option that is selected by default.
- The "Images" tab shows the list of images that match what you searched for. If the search criteria used refer to a large number of images, the most popular ones will be displayed directly at the top of the list on the "All" tab.
- The "Maps" tab shows the results found directly on the map. This option is useful when searching for cities or locations and in this case a preview of the Google Maps map is automatically displayed within the "All" tab.
- The "Shopping" link shows the list of products available for purchase in the area where you live or online and which are compatible with the criteria you are looking for.
- The "News" tab shows the list of related posts with the search criteria entered.
- By selecting the "Other" tab, you will be able to view the contents identified by Google relating to other topics, such as "Books", "Finance", etc.
Step 3. Perform a targeted search
Through the "Advanced Search" feature you can use additional parameters that will allow you to perform a more accurate search. Select the "Settings" link below the search bar, then choose the "Advanced Search" option from the drop-down menu that appeared.
- Within the "Find web pages that contain" section you can specify all the terms and words you wish to search for. You can use all the features in the section also directly from the Google search bar, using the instructions listed on the right of each field.
- Within the "Then delete results by" section, you can tell Google how to filter the list of results to eliminate items that are of no interest to you or that are not relevant to your purposes. You can set a language, a geographic area, the website update date, you can limit the search to a specific domain and much more. For example, you could limit your search to Italian videos published on YouTube in the current year.
Step 4. Log into your Google account
Press the blue "Login" button located in the upper right corner of the page to log in with your account. In this way, Google will be able to carry out personalized searches, based on your browsing habits, and you can also save the settings you normally use to perform searches. If the initials of your name and your profile picture are visible in the upper right corner of your browser window, it means that you have successfully logged in.
The Google account is unique for all products and services offered, which include Gmail, Drive, Maps, YouTube and much more
Step 5. Configure the search settings
After performing a specific search, select the "Settings" link below the search bar, then choose the "Search Settings" option from the menu that appeared.
- You can choose whether to filter out explicit or inappropriate results, show suggested results as you type, change the number of results to display per page, and more.
- These preferences cannot be saved if you are not logged in with your Google account. In this case, once the browser is closed, they will be lost.
Part 4 of 5: Using Google Maps
Step 1. Go to the Google Maps website
Also in this case you can use the bar located at the top right of the main Google page. Press the "Google App" button and choose "Maps" from the menu that will appear. By default, the map of your current location or the closest location to it will be displayed.
Step 2. Perform a search
Using Google Maps you can search for businesses, historical places and monuments, cities, addresses, geographic coordinates and much more. Google will always try to provide the most relevant search results possible and they will be listed within the left panel.
Step 3. Examine the map
Use your computer mouse or keyboard to move around the map.
- You can use the "Zoom" function by acting on the relative "+" and "-" buttons. Alternatively you can use the mouse wheel if present. You can also use the "+" and "-" keys on the keyboard.
- Click anywhere on the map without releasing the left mouse button to move it across the screen and view new portions. Alternatively you can use the directional arrows on the keyboard.
Step 4. Review a location
Select the name of the latter with the right mouse button and choose the option "What's here?" from the menu that appeared. The selected map point will be marked and a list of nearby activities and points of interest will be displayed in the left pane of the page.
Select the "Search Nearby" link to search for other places near the selected map point
Step 5. Get road information
Select anywhere on the map to view related information. At this point, click the "Directions" icon located in the left frame of the map to view the Google Maps navigator. In the left panel of the page, the selected location will appear as the destination of your itinerary, so you can enter its starting point. At this point you just have to choose the means of transport to use. At this point, select one of the routes proposed by Google Maps to obtain the complete list of directions to follow to reach the indicated destination. The route will be plotted directly on the map.
- The estimated travel time will be displayed on the screen next to each section of the itinerary and will be influenced by the current level of traffic present along the route to be traveled.
- You can modify your itinerary at any time by selecting any point with the mouse and dragging it where desired. The complete route will be automatically recalculated in order to reach the new location entered.
- Alternatively, you can select anywhere on the map with the right mouse button and choose the option "Directions to here". The Google Maps navigator box will be displayed.
Part 5 of 5: Making the Most of Google Services
Step 1. Listen to your favorite music using Google Play Music.
This Google service allows you to upload audio files on your computer to your account as well as having the opportunity to consult the huge multimedia library made available by Google.
Step 2. Create a Google+ profile
This is the social network created by Google for all its users. Use it to create your online virtual alter ego, to follow current trends, fashions, other users and to stay in touch with friends.
Step 3. Organize your appointments and deadlines with Google Calendar
This tool allows you to synchronize all important appointments and recurrences using all Google products and services. You have the ability to share a calendar and related events with friends and other people as well as being able to create a calendar for every aspect of your life.
Step 4. Use Google Scholar to search for school books and textbooks
Google Scholar offers the possibility to search within journals and scientific publications that are trusted and verified by the experts in the sector to which they refer. This tool is perfect when you need to do a research or presentation in a school or academic setting.
Step 5. Use Google Groups
This is a Google service that allows you to join groups of people who have common interests. Use it to post or search for information that is relevant to your interests.
Step 6. Stay informed using Google News
This tool allows you to create and customize your news bulletin board using all the information sources available on the web.
Advice
- Using the same Google web page, it is also possible to search for images and audio and video content. After entering your keywords and searching, select the tabs that appeared at the top of the screen to see only the content that interests you.
- If you have the McAfee Site Advisor program installed on your computer, a green check mark, a yellow exclamation point, or a red "X" will appear next to each item in the Google search results list. Make sure you only select links marked with a green check mark.
- To search, try to use simple keywords without using a complex grammar or syntax. For example, simply use ships and not ships or Pizzeria Pino Milano instead of Pizzeria da Pino in Milan.
- Google Scholar allows you to obtain more accurate information based on scientific research and studies.
- To perform searches faster using the Google engine install its toolbar. It is available for Internet Explorer and Firefox. You can download the installation file from the following link.
- Use the Google feature called Advanced Search to be able to perform a more accurate search and filter the results with precision.
Warnings
- To change the configuration settings related to image searches select the link visible at the top of the Google image search page called "SafeSearch".
- Before selecting one of the links in the search results list, carefully review the related information. Use common sense to select the websites and online sources to use.
