We spend a lot of time at Astek with brand exercises that have informed us that we are firmly in the geek camp (bright/passionate). I just came across this Venn Diagram at Great White Shark that supports our verdict by clearly delineating us from the socially inept side of the equation.

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Andy Swindler Categories: Fun, General, Technology

How do you Google? Chances are you start most of your Internet research at Google.com. You might also have a Gmail account or use Google Calendar to manage your life. And it’s a safe bet you’ve used Google maps and have your own opinion about the street view trucks making sure everyone can see your house. But there is much more to Google than meets the eye.

Google is many things to millions of people. What started as an innovative way to search the Web back in 1998 has grown into one of the world’s largest and most successful companies, now delivering results for more than one billion searches every day using its highly guarded secret sauce. Put simply, Google is what makes the Web usable.

Recently Google has taken great strides to integrate its numerous products and services into a suite of business applications called Google Apps, which can help you with corporate email, shared calendars and documents, groups, websites, and video.

The services are all Web-based, which means you don’t have to worry about servers, maintenance, etc. Just make sure you have a Web connection, get through the basic set-up, and you’re good to go. All the services are seamlessly integrated with each other at a fixed low per-user cost. Google even provides a handy cost savings calculator if you’re using Lotus or Exchange.

As much value as the Business Apps give you, Google’s free apps can deliver even more value. I encourage you to look into:

• Google Analytics to see how your Web site traffic is doing to improve marketing strategy
• Google Alerts to have industry or brand-related articles and comments delivered right to your inbox
• Google Reader to keep all of your blogs and RSS feeds in one place

While Google’s unofficial slogan has emerged as “Don’t be evil,” prominent tech leaders such as Steve Jobs have publicly objected to Google’s claims of holistic do-gooding. Let’s face it, Google is still an enormous company with responsibility to its shareholders. Good and money don’t always line up conveniently in that model, despite the best intentions.

Google continues to face challengers in the search space, such as Facebook, especially as social media continues to fundamentally change the way people access the Web and search for information. More and more people would rather get answers from people they know than the search giant. But stay tuned — Google may just master social search yet.

Keep your eyes open for Google’s latest experiment to revolutionize the way American’s access the Web with the fiber-to-the-home network.

Let me know if you have any questions about Google for Business or increasing your search rankings!

 This post was featured in ePiphany, Astek’s Monthly Newsletter |  Other ePiphany Articles 

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Andy Swindler Categories: Entrepreneurship, ePiphany Featured Story, Gadget, Marketing, Social Media, Technology, Web

Using your Android enabled camera phone you can now take a picture of a book cover, a landmark or even a local business and find out more about it using Google Goggles.

At the MCA and not sure if that is abstract expression or cubism. SNAP! Let the goggles tell ya.

Hungry on the brown line commute back home. Not sure if that sushi restaurant at Montrose is worth a visit. SNAP! Let the Goggles show you the lasted reviews.

Got a new business card, hate typing all that stuff into your CRM. SNAP! The Goggles make it easy to add new contacts.

It is admittedly limited on what it can do, but don’t worry before you know it, you will be able to snap a picture of a rock and have the goggles tell you – GRANITE!

Search by taking a picture! What next….

What do you need?

• An Android device running Android 1.6 or above
• A QVGA screen
• A camera with autofocus

Can your mobile device use the Goggles? Here’s the current list from Wikipedia.

Watch the video to learn more, put your goggles on, and become more so omniscient.

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Tom Lynch Categories: General, google, Technology

Last week Google added another transportation option to their maps directions service. Previously you could choose car, public transit, or walking. Now you can get recommendations for biking directions. They have incorporated information about trails, bike lines, and other preferred routes. These are denoted in dark green, light green, and dashed green, respectively. So from one point to another it will attempt to recommend the safest and most efficient route. Pretty cool.

I searched for the route from our office to Daley Plaza, which I take when I do Critical Mass, as I likely will Friday after next. See the full route in Google maps here.

Not bad, that’s pretty much the route I already take. Check out a much more detailed article from Google’s blog here.

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Andrew Crowe Categories: Fun, google, Technology, Web

Well, it’s getting to feel like spring for real here in Chicago, and for me that means the end of the snowboarding season. Besides adventures in Wisconsin, Washington State, and Colorado, for the past two years I’ve done a fair amount of snowboarding right here in Illinois, just west of Chicago. The Burton Snowboard Company organizes a program called Chill every year, all around the country. They work with various agencies that target underserved youth, and provide everything they need to get them, out snowboarding. Astek graciously lets me tweak my schedule for a few months during the winter to allow me to take part in the Chicago program.

It takes place at Four Lakes Resort in Lisle, which is just a hill really, but perfect for beginners. They run the program out there three nights a week, with individual groups coming out once a week on the same night. So I generally pick one day of the week and make it to as many of them as I can for the 6-8 weeks the program runs, weather depending. And it is immensely rewarding. Snowboarding is really hard, and quite frustrating to pick up at first. So these kids learn a lot of patience, as well as gain tons of self esteem as they gradually get the hang of it. It’s just such a pleasure to be a part of.

Above is this year’s Tuesday night crew – I’m in the top right. Looking forward to next year!

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Andrew Crowe Categories: Fun, General