Google for Non-Profits Newsletter - April, 2009
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Galen Panger
May 1, 2009, 2:48:19 AM5/1/09
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Google for Non-Profits Newsletter - April, 2009
Welcome to everyone who joined this week from the Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco. We hope you enjoy this month's update from the Google for Non-Profits team.
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New AdWords/Grants interface
RSS feeds and why they matter
Google on Twitter
Putting your non-profit on the map
Just for fun: Image Search
--
New AdWords/Grants interface
If you're a Google Grants recipient and you've logged into your AdWords account recently, you may have noticed the new AdWords interface, which has a faster, cleaner feel that makes it easier for you to navigate your account and make changes to your ads on the spot.
To help all AdWords customers, for- and non-profit, understand all of the features the new interface offers, the AdWords blog has launched a weekly series of blog posts called "New Interface Thursdays." Check out the topics they've covered already:
Videos and resources on the new AdWords interface website
Using keyboard shortcuts
Using filters
If you run across something that you think would be useful to other Google Grants recipients, start up a conversation in the Google Grants Discussion Forum. If you don't have access to the new interface yet, you can sign up to try it out. During the beta, you can switch between old and new interfaces, so you'll still have access to the full range of AdWords tools and reports, if needed.
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RSS feeds and why they matter
RSS stands for "really simple syndication," and has been around since the early days of blogging. An RSS feed is a file that contains a blog or website's most recent entries. By subscribing to a site's feed via a "feed reader" such as Google Reader, you're thus able to keep track of new content as it becomes available on that site. And because most sites offer RSS feeds (look for this icon), you can subscribe to and manage the content from your favorite sources all in one place, rather than having to go to each site every day to see what's new. Learn how to get started with Google Reader here.
If your organization has a blog, by the way, you're already producing an RSS feed.
There is huge value in being able to manage your information flow by subscribing to your favorite blogs and websites and then reading them in one place. But even better, perhaps, is the ability to subscribe to Google search results on the issues and topics you care about and thus get a constant feed of the latest information on those topics.
"Wow, that sounds complicated," you say. But let's break it down. Say you want to monitor your organization's name in the news. If you go to Google News or Google Blog Search every day and type in your organization's name, you'll be able to see in the search results if anything new has been written about you. However, a more efficient way to monitor your organization's name in the news would be to subscribe to the News and Blog Search search results pages for your organization so that you get new mentions of your organization automatically.
How do you do this? Try a search on Google News or Blog Search and look at the left-hand column of the search results page for the "RSS" link (it's near the bottom). Copy the link into Google Reader, and then you'll be able to see every time someone mentions your name in the news or in the blogosphere.
If you're a fan of Google Alerts, you can also get Google Alerts via RSS. You can even subscribe to Twitter feeds and Twitter search results pages, too. So every time someone "tweets" about you, you'll hear.
--
Google on Twitter
Speaking of Twitter, with all of the Twittermania that consumed this week's Nonprofit Technology Conference (see all of the activity on the conference's hash tag), we felt it was appropriate to mention Google's official Twitter account, where you can follow all the thoughts we're able to fit into the Twitter's 140 character limit. You can also click to view the people we're following, including some of the other Twitter accounts that have popped up around Google (like googleapps, blogger and youtube), along with some of our favorite bloggers and news outlets.
Overwhelmed by Twittermania? The best way to stay up-to-date on the latest from Google is still through our network of blogs, which cover many audiences and geographic regions, along with just about every Google product. Check out our blog directory here to find the ones that most interest you. Then subscribe to them via RSS in Google Reader.
--
Putting your non-profit on the map
A simple but often overlooked way to increase the visibility of your organization and the services you offer is to make sure that you're represented accurately on Google Maps. That way, your organization can be included in search results where a map commonly appears, like searches for "homeless shelter dc" or "donate blood sf." Whether you're trying to help someone find your services, or figure out how to volunteer, there's no reason not to be on the map.
Enter the Local Business Center, where you can add your organization's location(s) to Google Maps, simply by clicking "add new listing." In the likely case that you're already able to find your organization on the map, you can claim your business listing and edit what's already there. You can even add attributes beyond the basic contact and location details, like your hours of operation or a video about the services you provide.
Before your edits are available to everyone, though, you also have to go through a simple verification process. Learn more about verification and the Local Business Center in this video.
--
Just for fun: Image Search
Some of the things our engineers come up with are just too cool leave unmentioned, no matter how unrelated they may seem to the day-to-day workings of non-profits. But we all need to let out our inner kids from time to time.
For instance, have you noticed the new tools we've been adding recently to Google Image Search? A while back, we rolled out features that allow you to filter your results by image size and by content, so now you can easily pull up clip art images, news content, line drawings, photos and—yes—faces related to your search keywords, and in the size you want.
This month, we took things a step further and now allow you to filter your results by color. Go ahead, try searching for red slime mold and green sea anemone. Or, if you prefer, yellow tulips.
We've also got a new experimental feature in Google Labs called Similar Images, which helps you drill down into your image search results by locating images that look like whatever result you select. Our "computer vision researcher" explains in this video.
--
That's it for this month's newsletter. As always, please send any suggestions for the newsletter or Google for Non-Profits site our way.
Have a great weekend!
Galen from the Google for Non-Profits team
Welcome to everyone who joined this week from the Nonprofit Technology Conference in San Francisco. We hope you enjoy this month's update from the Google for Non-Profits team.
--
New AdWords/Grants interface
RSS feeds and why they matter
Google on Twitter
Putting your non-profit on the map
Just for fun: Image Search
--
New AdWords/Grants interface
If you're a Google Grants recipient and you've logged into your AdWords account recently, you may have noticed the new AdWords interface, which has a faster, cleaner feel that makes it easier for you to navigate your account and make changes to your ads on the spot.
To help all AdWords customers, for- and non-profit, understand all of the features the new interface offers, the AdWords blog has launched a weekly series of blog posts called "New Interface Thursdays." Check out the topics they've covered already:
Videos and resources on the new AdWords interface website
Using keyboard shortcuts
Using filters
If you run across something that you think would be useful to other Google Grants recipients, start up a conversation in the Google Grants Discussion Forum. If you don't have access to the new interface yet, you can sign up to try it out. During the beta, you can switch between old and new interfaces, so you'll still have access to the full range of AdWords tools and reports, if needed.
--
RSS feeds and why they matter
RSS stands for "really simple syndication," and has been around since the early days of blogging. An RSS feed is a file that contains a blog or website's most recent entries. By subscribing to a site's feed via a "feed reader" such as Google Reader, you're thus able to keep track of new content as it becomes available on that site. And because most sites offer RSS feeds (look for this icon), you can subscribe to and manage the content from your favorite sources all in one place, rather than having to go to each site every day to see what's new. Learn how to get started with Google Reader here.
If your organization has a blog, by the way, you're already producing an RSS feed.
There is huge value in being able to manage your information flow by subscribing to your favorite blogs and websites and then reading them in one place. But even better, perhaps, is the ability to subscribe to Google search results on the issues and topics you care about and thus get a constant feed of the latest information on those topics.
"Wow, that sounds complicated," you say. But let's break it down. Say you want to monitor your organization's name in the news. If you go to Google News or Google Blog Search every day and type in your organization's name, you'll be able to see in the search results if anything new has been written about you. However, a more efficient way to monitor your organization's name in the news would be to subscribe to the News and Blog Search search results pages for your organization so that you get new mentions of your organization automatically.
How do you do this? Try a search on Google News or Blog Search and look at the left-hand column of the search results page for the "RSS" link (it's near the bottom). Copy the link into Google Reader, and then you'll be able to see every time someone mentions your name in the news or in the blogosphere.
If you're a fan of Google Alerts, you can also get Google Alerts via RSS. You can even subscribe to Twitter feeds and Twitter search results pages, too. So every time someone "tweets" about you, you'll hear.
--
Google on Twitter
Speaking of Twitter, with all of the Twittermania that consumed this week's Nonprofit Technology Conference (see all of the activity on the conference's hash tag), we felt it was appropriate to mention Google's official Twitter account, where you can follow all the thoughts we're able to fit into the Twitter's 140 character limit. You can also click to view the people we're following, including some of the other Twitter accounts that have popped up around Google (like googleapps, blogger and youtube), along with some of our favorite bloggers and news outlets.
Overwhelmed by Twittermania? The best way to stay up-to-date on the latest from Google is still through our network of blogs, which cover many audiences and geographic regions, along with just about every Google product. Check out our blog directory here to find the ones that most interest you. Then subscribe to them via RSS in Google Reader.
--
Putting your non-profit on the map
A simple but often overlooked way to increase the visibility of your organization and the services you offer is to make sure that you're represented accurately on Google Maps. That way, your organization can be included in search results where a map commonly appears, like searches for "homeless shelter dc" or "donate blood sf." Whether you're trying to help someone find your services, or figure out how to volunteer, there's no reason not to be on the map.
Enter the Local Business Center, where you can add your organization's location(s) to Google Maps, simply by clicking "add new listing." In the likely case that you're already able to find your organization on the map, you can claim your business listing and edit what's already there. You can even add attributes beyond the basic contact and location details, like your hours of operation or a video about the services you provide.
Before your edits are available to everyone, though, you also have to go through a simple verification process. Learn more about verification and the Local Business Center in this video.
--
Just for fun: Image Search
Some of the things our engineers come up with are just too cool leave unmentioned, no matter how unrelated they may seem to the day-to-day workings of non-profits. But we all need to let out our inner kids from time to time.
For instance, have you noticed the new tools we've been adding recently to Google Image Search? A while back, we rolled out features that allow you to filter your results by image size and by content, so now you can easily pull up clip art images, news content, line drawings, photos and—yes—faces related to your search keywords, and in the size you want.
This month, we took things a step further and now allow you to filter your results by color. Go ahead, try searching for red slime mold and green sea anemone. Or, if you prefer, yellow tulips.
We've also got a new experimental feature in Google Labs called Similar Images, which helps you drill down into your image search results by locating images that look like whatever result you select. Our "computer vision researcher" explains in this video.
--
That's it for this month's newsletter. As always, please send any suggestions for the newsletter or Google for Non-Profits site our way.
Have a great weekend!
Galen from the Google for Non-Profits team
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