Google, the name says its all. From being a search engine following links to indexing websites not more than a decade ago has grown into an Internet giant with a series of services which have an immense contribution to my overall productivity and efficiency over the internet.

I am a freelance programmer with almost all of my freelance programming project leads coming from the internet and Google certainly plays a major role in my freelance work. Therefore I decided to make a list of the most productive Google tools and services which really help me to get my work done right from contacting people in the form of Email or Gtalk or basic reminder and calender service; you name and Google has got a solution for it.

Of course this list is with respect to me and how I manage things on the internet with the help of Google. Do tell me if I have missed something which will enable me to improve.

  1. Google Search: This is how Google started, from crawling through webpages and indexing them and providing very efficient and to the point search results. I probably like the rest of the world use this service more than any other service. My job as a freelance programmer requires me to do a lot of coding and there are times when you get stuck somewhere. That is when the first thing I do is “Google It”. Moreover, Google has got an efficient advanced search features which can do wonders if you know specifically what you are searching for. So, Google search is definitely the first in my list.
  2. Gmail:When Gmail came Yahoo mail was really BIG. I had a Yahoo mail user account then infact i still use it but not as much as Gmail. Then Gmail was a invitation only service and someone sent me an invitation and Gmail and me got hooked right away. Since that day i didn’t have to look any further for a better Mail service and Gmail keeps on adding newer features day in and day out. I think the most important thing about Gmail that hooked me is its simplicity and its ability to provide new features at the apt time. It has happened to me more than once(the latest one being colored labels) when I thought to myself, they should have this feature and viola after a few days they did include the feature that I wanted so badly.
  3. Google Calender: There are several calender services out there but Google calender is another service that i use very often. The most used feature is the reminder service which sends reminders via email or SMS. The SMS feature is a great thing indeed which i dont think other calender services have and even if they do it is a paid subscription and here in Google Calender its FREE.
  4. Picasa Web Albums: Picasa web albums help me share my pictures with my friends and family members over the internet. These albums also have a privacy feature which enable me to decide who sees my images and who doesn’t. Picasa web albums provide 1GB storage space and of course you can buy extra storage space but for me 1GB is more than good enough.
  5. Google Reader: It is a Feed Reader and there are millions out there but Google Reader still catches my fancy. I use the Google reader to keep me updated about the latest news and happenings in the world of IT.
  6. iGoogle: IGoogle is probably the best thing after the search functionality and Gmail that Google has come out with. You can have news and stuff from all over the internet as well as you can create your own iGoogle widgets if you need one. You can have stuff from all walks of life from technology to health to science to your latest email previews.
  7. Google Bookmarks: I dont know why I use Google bookmarks because bookmarking is the most basic feature in any browser available to today but still I use Google bookmarks. I think that is because I can take my bookmarks anywhere I go and access them from any computer I like. Moreover, Google bookmarks lets you add labels(tags) and detailed description for Bookmarks.
  8. Gtalk: Gtalk is an IM service that is extremely simple yet very efficient to use. The most important and striking feature of Google Talk is that it is based on XMPP so we can use it with jabber and any other XMPP based client services on the internet.
  9. Google Maps: This is the best mapping service and the most popular one certainly.It certainly has helped me to know about places when I was searching for and looking for universities in the US for my Master’s in Computer Science.
  10. Google Groups: Google groups is the most informative of all the groups or club services that I have seen on the internet. Google groups certainly keeps me abreast with the latest google services like the Google Android group and the Google Adsense group. It also has very active members which certainly helps in the field of technology.

As I have said earlier these are some of those services which help me in various aspects and make my life a little easier on the internet. Of course, as i said earlier this is with respect to me and can be different for different people; but do tell me what you guys think as well do tell me if you have any other productivity service which I have missed and maybe it will in turn make me more productive. So comments as always are welcome!

I am a freelance programmer with experience in vb,vb.net,asp,asp.net and php with mysql and ms-sql as the backend. Please contact me if you need any programming job to be done or if you need to outsource any programming projects.