Internet marketing, web analytics, new medias, social medias, conversion and advertising: here’s a lot of process who need lots of monitoring and collaborating tools to build relevant projects and profitable business. In this article, I will present you all you can save or win by using Google range of services, from RSS monitoring to docs sharing, the Mountain View company offers for “free” a large range of solutions. But over knowing which one for which need, another way to combine them with RSS and embedding of quick links, Google Apps might become a more powerful integrated solution for your business, and for sure one important key of your success.

The mainpoints of these keys in 3 words :

“free”

mobility

integration

FREE - Let’s talk about this “free” philosophy.

The only obligation you will have to give to get all services is one Google account, for free. Free means that all implicit information that Google can take from all the data that you will put into their services will be property of Google, either to help you when integrating them into other services (ex: “mapplets” into Google Map to bring data from Picasaweb photo service on maps), or either to help Google bringing you more effective advertising corresponding (that’s the part some could interpret like privacy control, or others the liberal vision from a social Internet, the opinion is not the subject of this article, but is one actual important web economy polemic).

Free means however lots of good thing for someone new in freelance or web business : Free licences and open-source applications (with opening of Google OpenSocial gate. Indeed the hardware and software is a heavy cost for business beginners, more than thinkware ! With all office applications offered by Google Docs, cost of each working post get like free for licences : a Linux based computer (ex: Ubuntu Live with no installation needed, just a USB Key or external drive) working on Docs spreadsheets or documents or presentations get as productive as any other Windows based, and as compatible, Google Docs offers export in any standard format : .PDF, DOC, .XLS, .PPT, OpenOffice, RTF and more !

MOBILITY - Working with one account everywhere with everything.

Mobility might not been invented by Google but is really redefined when using all online services. Log in your Google account and open your online office everywhere, that’s the way mobility should be for every of us, for every worker. Beginning with emails online storage, adding some of your actual documents on Google Docs servers and keep in touch with your business when entering the Google Agenda, that’s a part of the Google way of life !

INTEGRATION - Using all the power from 2.0 services.

Everyone using Google services for a while has maybe seen new gadgets or new functions coming up during the last year, that’s the integration from all the services between themselves, from contacts address book you will be able to use within all other services to the geo-localisation from Google map and the agenda entries, Google is trying to bring the Google world the more ergonomic possible, with new ideas every days. People who develop theses new innovations are really involved and conscious of today’s e-marketers needs, looks like integrated solutions for all our needs and more !

Google services Vs standard softwares:

For all users and especially marketers and freelance agents, all the Google services are very interesting tools for replacing standards offline solutions.

Here are some of the barriers from standard offline applications :

• Need to be frequently updated with new paying version. New technologies or protocol become real-time embed with Google development.
• Standalone software means most of the time to work alone, application are not necessary developed in an integrated/linked way with other one, developed by competitor companies. Adding third-party plug-ins have also costs for the users.
• Mobility and liberty restriction, user need to travel and word with their equipment, risk of damage or loosing the data.

The First Step : Google AppsThe Google Apps is the ultimate panel to take advantages of each separately application into an integrated version that you will be able to control with your own domain, finish with @gmail.com for external communication, let’s come into @yourdomain.com and get more professional with your public relations! The Google Apps panel is offered into 3 version : free, premier and education. All solution are offered into the standard free one, so only companies who needs more support, migration and third-party application will enjoy to get premier account.Installation and first steps may be done in 1 hour, Google Apps use CAME (variable from DNS) who bring availability from different application ready-to-use !

Web marketers are multitask and multimedia, that means office applications are a minimum. Business needs agenda and communication tools, Webdesign and creative uses photo albums to share drafts, Web analytics needs monitoring and publishing applications, … let’s see all the solutions from Google services :

• Mirosoft Office killer : Google Docs (equivalent Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Acrobat Distiller in PDF)
• Outlook with 2.0 code : Google Agenda, Google Notebook, Google Reader, Google Map
• Email and supervision : Gmail
• Photos and draft publishing: Picasa (equivalent Photoshop Album, iPhoto, …) + PicasaWeb (web publishing gate)
• Web tools : Google Analytics, Feedburner,
• Advertising, monetising : Google AdSense, AdWords
• Publishing : Blogger, YouTube, Orkut… and more ! Look on http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/

All these services will be detailed separately to present their advantages and the possibilities we can find when combined with other solutions. This article wants to bring a new way to look around services you probably already use for their basic usage. Let’s see now each service and the better way to improve it with connection it into a real 2.0 proactive way. Selected third-party applications and other solutions are also presented. This non exhaustive presentation comes out from my personal experience, testimony’s from new users I bring on the services to focus their comments, and other advices from googlers. All Google service are listed on this up-to-date Wikipedia article.

Gmail - Re-inventig email discussion and moving email-client to supervising-tool

Gmail is accessible with any @gmail.com username sign-in or with your own domain name (Google Apps), that makes it an interesting tool if you want to homogenise all of your partners email access. Google’s innovation is to merge all the incoming/outgoing emails from a same discussion into only one entry, that mean you can quickly have an overview of all communications about on subject and avoid overcharged inbox.

3 innovations to transform a simple email client into the communication gate for you and your collaborators :

• Gmail integrates Google’s Agenda entries and you can directly schedule in the email and invite collaborators. Your email client become a real agenda sharing system for the whole company, everybody gets invitations and an event alert.
• Integrated chat allows direct communication for fast information spread in networking with collaborators.
• The Web clips above the inbox can show custom content but might become another way to monitor new updates in work-in-progress project. Here can be added every feed you need to have a view on it, and more other feeds to keep hot news !

Gmail extensions :

• the new Gmail 2.0 improves the address book and with the new APIs support Google will offer, it gives more solutions for third-party synchronisations on OSX.

• External account checking: anyone can use the interface with keeping its personal mail address.

• POP and IMAP protocol: to use Gmail with mail clients : Outlook, Thunderbird, Mail, etc. (but non recommend if you don’t need to have offline user of emails).

• Plaxo (beta) - The new version try to be the reference on this field, very easy-to-use panel and compatibility with a wide range of handled and mobiles phones.

• GooSync - Free service for Google Agenda (with restrictions), only the registered account can sync with contacts. Cost 12 months : 19.95 pounds.

Google Agenda - Outlook get some new 2.0 services

The Google outlook service has been release since now a few years. The most interesting way is the collaborative mode due to the fact that only Google registered account can access to. A relevant solution to a replace Windows Outlook. All entries are shared with alerts and invitations. People get email via Gmail or mobiles phones (only certain country) and can add rendez-vous places that other can look on the Google Map.

Google service to bring every mobile device a real 2.0 PDA

• Using Agenda and Gmail with the Google mobile will offer to user a navigation tool with instant-access to appointments, maps and email.
• The agenda offers lots of ways to share : HTML (link or embed), XML (to subscribe), iCal (subscription). That gives to Google Agenda a very useful range to be used as sharing tool, office and secretary tool, …

Other solutions :

• GooSync - For registered users, Goosync is an embedded application compatible with many mobiles and Handleds (ex: for Palm, no transit via iCal, direct sync when connected to Internet). Cost 12 months : 19.95 pounds.
• ScheduleWorld - Free solution but the actual “alpha” version is not enough developped for a real business need.
• Spanning Sync (OSX) - This plug-in sync your iCal and Google Agenda very easily. You can use more than one calendar (ex:one for personal use, other for business planning). The basic iCal subscription from Google Agenda is only a one-way sync, so Spanning Sync bring the two-way interactivity. Cost : 25 dollars / annual or 65 dollars permanent licence. This is the easier and economic solution I found at this time.

Google Docs - Microsoft Office killer !

Google started a revolution when offering free office solution in 2006, after open-source application (ex: OpenOffice) to compete with the Microsoft Office monopole. Moreover to offer standards services, Google thought this service as an open space area with embed tools to share, collaborate and publish work done on Google Docs. Microsoft is going to launch it’s own plate-form with Office Live, another way to think and work with core office applications like Word, Excel and Powerpoint is born, free, online, and mobile (respectively Docs, Spreadsheet and Presentation).This live office service propose standards tools to edit documents, into classic shape for printing, and into web-based format to publish HTML extended articles, and a revision history tool can perform revert actions. That’s a real competitor to Word and OpenOffice, but online only right now, we may expect from Google Gears a second alternative to bring Docs off-line and offer like a solution to work while travels.

• Sharing/Publishing tools : This is maybe the smartest point from Google Docs, the wikinomics philosophy in use ! Share with collaborators, feed for document change, propose meetings or events to collaborators, publish on the Intranet or on the Work-in-Progress homemade blog… everything brings the work from a individual way to a new collaborative and real-time sharing platform!
• DocSyncer : Want to move all opened project from your existing files to the collaborative platform from Google Docs ? This website will soon be released and will offer to users a plug-in ton sync all the selected files and folders from your computer to Google Docs servers.

We showed all the opportunities working with Google services for a new startup or a freelance individual in the many web professions. Yes, Google offers lots of impressive and avant-garde solutions for an Internet who is “better when it’s social” but know let’s look over all disadvantages and constraints working with googled services.The next subject is more oriented about issues from Google like service provider than technical problems. Nevertheless some of the important constraints due to technical or pratical will be shown.

The privacy question.This subject has autority as well in economic than politic scene. Google use your information to keep you loyal and make money. That could be a pure ultra-liberal issue, in this case users who sign in know the consequences and accept this, in the same way that when you open a bank account, your banker knows lots of private information you concerning. In spite of that Google became a leader in the Internet market and continue this way with its diversification : user history, medical, payments. That mean that the company will hold so with all services together so many information about the users, maybe more than the government, that Google has to think about privacy and monopoly issues in our societies. A powerful view of everyone privacy, especially business companies who use Google services. But stop with paranoia, I don’t feel conditioned in some commercials, and advertising on Google is less intrusive and better discrete that it is on other web services providers !

The everything-Google orientation.Yes products are very useful and relevant, but sometimes user feels like the web is only Google. Diversification shows that there no space which Google has not taken position, leader one sure ! Last conferences about the new Google OpenSocial catalog seems to push the social APIs in the same feeling, Google as the director from this new game ?

The web works only connected.

Despite of the large bandwidth network coming everywhere and all wireless areas, when the network is down or inaccessible, the system is off too. That look very stupid for some of you but it’s a reality, online solutions can’t replace standalone applications. Google is working on this subject with its new Google Gears to bring applications such Reader, the first one, offline to users.This last but not the least issue underline fact that in work process, the practical point is the more important, and to think about this disadvantage in your own environment. Don’t try to switch all your situation in order to integrate absolutely Google because you are a fan, but think in what this or this service can bring you more competitive or save you time and money !

Things Google should improve.We need a real 2.0 adress book : In spite of the interrest from Google Mail solution for companies, on of the most important point in business and marketing is the adress book and contacts managment. Since the opening from Gmail, these point is slowly open to syncronisation with other platforms. Import/Export tool may be usefull but no dynamic bilateral solution are offered inside Google applications. Recent paying platforms like Plaxo, GooSync or other openware to try to fill the lack (GCALDaemon, ScheduleWorld & Funambol servers) but that means adding another gate in the game, and it becomes harder to deal with adress book than with a paper notebook!. Gmail 2.0 and its new code on bring for the moment another interface, beta version I hope…Concerning Docs, the connected way of working don’t offer to users a full office replacement tool, only a relevant collaborative gate for the moment who needs file sync and mirroring. People need to work offline and in place without Internet connection, and we expect a consideration of this point to bring Docs offline like are Reader with the Google Gears application. Other code cleaning tools are also needed to bring the document a perfect public view.