Google on the Brain

Here at DDA, we talk about Google a lot. Most of the time, it’s because one of the most asked-about services we provide is search engine optimization, and there is no bigger search engine than Google. We work to make our clients’ sites easily recognized by Google and the other major search engines, allowing more traffic to hit the sites on a daily basis. And unlike many so-called search engine marketing firms, we do it all on the up-and-up. No “black hat” techniques, or efforts to “trick” Google into finding our sites.

But on this occasion, it was another Google concept that caught my eye. First, some background: I’m a HUGE fan of Google’s email service — GMail. It is easy to use, easy to search, easy to access, and has unlimited space

Recently, GMail has unveiled “Google Labs”, which is a collection of small plug-in applications developed by individual programmers at Google. According to an article I read, Google allows staffers to spend 20% of their work week developing these applications without any oversight. So far, they have created a few useful applications, such as the ability to send chat messages as text messages to a friend’s cell phone, and crazy plug-ins, such as “Mail Goggles.” Users who install this plug-in can designate the times and days when they are most likely to sit down and send an ill-advised email to an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend without thinking — likely Fridays and Saturdays between midnight and 3 a.m., after a night out with friends. The plug-in actually makes you answer a series of math equations before it will send your email, thus giving you time to rethink your decision.

The article cited the most recent Google Labs plug-in: The  “Undo Send” button. Every time you click “send” on an email, a button and timer will pop up. This gives you five seconds to cancel the transmission, and edit your message. Anyone who has used email at all would consider this a great feature. I always see typos after I click send, realize I had an incorrect email address, or worst of all — realize I included someone I didn’t mean to on the “TO:” list. My most common mistake? Mentioning in the email that the message includes an attached file — and then forgetting to attach the file. The programmers are Google are working on this one too. They offer a new plugin that will actually search the body of your email for the word “attachment”, and if it is found, GMail will ask you if you meant to attach a file before it allows you to send.

While we may not have the same sunny weather here in suburban Philadelphia as they have at the “Googleplex” in California (we don’t have an on-site cafe and restaurant either, but the DDA kitchen works fine), we do have the same kind of creative programming minds under our roof. Amy, Reggie, Tyler, and the rest of the DDA programming crew have created countless custom applications, complex database systems, fancy websites, and everything in between. From medical CMEs (continuing medical education) and healthcare IT applications to intranets and complex back-end systems, our programmers have all the tools necessary to make your next project a reality.

Entry by: Steve