By Sean Dowdall, General Manager & CMO
I am constantly surprised that people forget there is nearly always an answer at their fingertips. This is true whether it be colleagues, friends, clients or people you see every day – people such as grocery clerks, waiters, etc. We are all constantly asking questions such as “how do I do . . .?” or “what is the name of that . . .?” My answer is: Google it!
Online search has it all. I repaired our dishwasher at home after I found a step-by-step video that literally had me take out 15 parts to get to the one that had to be unblocked. Parts were strewn all over the kitchen floor. Fortunately, and I checked before starting, the video also showed how to put it all back together. I must admit, I was proud of myself for completing the task, but next time I’ll just use Google to find a dishwasher repair service!
For business, Google is one of the first places we go to conduct research on prospects, clients, client industries, competitors and media/marketing programs. We also use paid communications tools and services, but we normally start with Google and at least use it to fill in gaps.
Another way we use it is to find ways to do things more efficiently. I never use a software service’s help function on their website or in their program – even if Google powers it. I find that I get the answers I need more quickly by using Google directly. This is true with questions such as “how do I put a checkmark in text when using Word?” or “how do I change an incident report I made on Waze?” – I used that one this very morning. Google found the answers faster than me hunting through those programs and apps.
In my head, I say thank you to Google many times a day. But, this is far less than saying thank you to all the people that help me during the day. So, thank you Google and thank you everyone – and you can say thank you to me when I tell you to “Google it!”
How have you used Google to solve a problem recently? Leave a comment below or tweet @LandisComm.
I couldn’t agree with you more, Sean. Like it or not, Google is here to stay and it is becoming more integrated into our daily lives than ever before. I recently purchased a Google Home virtual assistant – a device I currently use more for the “fun” factor than anything else. However, as AI continues to improve, devices like this will also continue to solidify their place in society as must-have gadgets.
I look forward to revisiting this topic in just a year to see how things have changed.
Regards,
David
Google has certainly made our lives easier while also becoming synonymous with search – no one has ever uttered the phrase ‘Bing it!’
Sean, thank you for reminding us why we should be thankful for Google — it is life saver!
Sean: two of my most favorite expressions: “Google It!” and “Thank you!” Thanks for a great blog post! Cheers, David
I especially love when you Google something that you’re convinced is so esoteric that no one’s ever asked the question … and then it populates right away! We are more alike than we are different, cybercitizens!