The Awesomeness of Google

This is my tribute to the greatness that is Google; a company I love and want to work for one day because they’re such an integral part of my internet experience. Some I’d like to outline the reasons for my adoration of Google.

The Search Engine

Firstly (and obviously) is the search engine. This is the core part of their business; bringing in over 90% of their revenue despite several efforts to diversify. It has helped me research assignments, blog posts and find cool stuff on the internet. If I want to find something online I ask Google first before anything else and since I’ve been using it as me (meaning logged in) for over 6 years now, it almost always knows what I’m asking for and delivers it first.

The Browser

Secondly is the Chrome browser. I use it on Windows and when I pop over to Linux, it’s right there, with all my preferences and apps installed. It is my central starting point online and the apps on it are awesome, especially if you already use Google for everything. It just works and works well.

 The Feeder

Google Reader is up next; this beautiful, beautiful app. I started using it just after I left high school as I was discovering twitter and blogs. I needed a way to keep track of blogs and websites I constantly read, and there it was ready for me. I have several feeds I keep track of there. It ensures I never miss anything too interesting. I’d be half as knowledgeable as I am without it. Unfortunately, they’re shutting it down in July. Not that it’ll help a lot but you could sign the online petition here to try and make Google not kill Reader.

The Mobile OS

Another part of the Google experience I appreciate is Android. Though I’ve never used the platform extensively (Nokia fan boy here), I like the fact that it’s giving Apple a run for its money. Also I’ve seen and used the Nexus 4 and it is beyond awesome!!!! That is the best way to experience android by the way, as Google intended it to be.

The Videos

Then there’s YouTube of course! I could stop there and you’d know what I’m talking about. However, I won’t. From interesting channels like Ray William Johnson’s Equals Three, a commentary on viral videos; to

previews of upcoming movies, YouTube has several billion hours of content and I’ve gotten lost on it for hours, jumping from one video to the next. Through Vevo, they have music videos galore and that makes it a prime discovery channel for me. Also, it’s provided a platform for artists to get out their content, connect with their fans and get discovered.

The Blogging Experience

Also without Google, this blog wouldn’t exist. It is being hosted on their Blogger platform. I’ve tried using Wordpress before and a few other blogging platforms, however, they didn’t work for me. I found them difficult to use and I couldn’t find anything on them. Blogger has made things incredibly easy and it’s the platform I’d recommend for all beginners. I could move platforms easy but Google just makes things neat and simple for me.

The Fight for Neutrality

Finally, and perhaps most important, Google fights for the things I care for. I’m a huge fan of net neutrality and so is Google. They’re involved in several court battles on the subject and lobby actively for it. Now it is in their best business interest for the net to remain neutral but it seems to me they, more than even other internet companies, fight hardest and loudest for it. They’re also fans of online freedom of speech and the right to information. It’s always bothered me that for some reason Governments don’t feel that the freedoms we enjoy offline don’t extend online. Google fights for their users and publish lists and stuff of all the requests they get to give user information and to take down content. For this and all the activist type work they do I love them.

There are many reasons to love Google and these are just my top reasons. They’re a great company, and I hope to one day to emulate their example in my own company (hopefully it’ll be as big or bigger). I’d love to hear your reasons for loving Google (or any internet company for that matter) in the comments below. Peace!!!