If not, don’t worry. Google has delivered a simple solution to help you understand what the internet is and how to use to it. In a simple to read and understand format, Google has developed an e-book to answer all of these fundamental questions and a few more.

Let me introduce you to “20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the  Internet”. It is simple to follow (especially with all the fun illustrations like the one here), but comprehensive enough to educate children and adults alike about the inner workings and makeup of the internet.

Along with the simple understanding of how the Internet works, this e-book also help you understand online security by properly protecting your data from vicious virus and hacking attacks. It also explores the advantages of cloud computing where your data can exist unharmed no matter the amount of hardware damage your personal computer might sustain. Making this a must read for any and every Internet user. To read or browse this extremely helpful Internet tool, simply visit 20thingsilearned.com

Unlike Facebook advertising, the key to Google Adwords is keywords. But like Facebook, it is important to know your target and how to draw them in. When using Google AdWords, an advertiser is allowed to select keywords that will enable their ad to pop up when the keyword(s) are searched. In this way, Google AdWords is different because an advertiser is targeting their audience based upon what they are searching for, and since the ads are Pay Per Click (PPC), it is important to generate narrow keywords that are specific to help avoid unwanted clicks.

Fortunately, Google has a keyword generator on their site so, before you even get started, you can generate ideas from the content on your web site or a competitor’s web site. You can also check out your estimated CPC (Cost Per Click) so you know how much you are getting into before you think about committing.

Google AdWords has also introduced bid ideas to aid in the reduction of costs and the increase of website traffic. Google tries to identify which of your keywords seem to be good candidates for bid changes and targets them based upon whether or not you would like to decrease costs or increase traffic. Check out their help blog about bid ideas for more information.

In addition to building a larger Web presence, Google has announced the addition of phone extensions into AdWords. By including phone extensions, users can call the business directly from their smart phones when viewing the ad on their mobile device. This feature appears as the last line of text of the advertisement and only costs the same as a PPC.

When examining these two popular digital advertising channels , it’s clear to see that advertising on Facebook and Google AdWords works best when under a more specific umbrella. There are tons of resources on how to best work with keywords so that an ad will make the most impression with the lowest overall cost, as well as what not to do when generating keywords and creating an ad. The important thing to remember is to keep it specific and not overdo the amount of keywords attached to an ad.

Of course, we are more than happy to help.

Maureen Scumacher

Oct. 26, 2008 | ROME, GA. When Sergey Brin and Larry Page began work on their Stanford doctoral project to create a search engine that would better connect users to relevant information, it’s possible they envisioned the kind of global success their brand would have just ten years following their first $100,000 investment from Sun Microsystems even from their home garage office.  As Maureen Schumacher clearly articulated at Berry College’s Executive Round Table Dinner, the company is founded not just on the concept of connection to information, but on the notions of innovation – nine of them to be exact.

Maureen Schumacher is a  “googler” –the term used by employees of Google for themselves–of three years who comes to the company after sixteen years in marketing for the corporate giant, General Electric.  After a short, high-impact film visually showcasing the company’s growth from 10,000 searches a month in 1998 to over three billion in 2007 and a veritable cornucopia of corporate purchases and partnerships in the same time, she very calmly explained the philosophy behind the technological and workplace trendsetter.

The secrets of Google’s successful business model lie in the infrastructure, consumer products and applications, and media platform.  Over 450,000 servers in clusters worldwide make possible the speed that Google holds top priority. “Speed trumps perfection in today’s technological environment, and Google honors that priority by releasing as quickly as possible, and improving as quickly as possible following release,” Schumacher said. This willingness to try new things seems to be the common thread running through the development of consumer products and the ever-expanding brand marketing.

Because “innovation is imperative” Google lays out the kind of principles that make innovation possible beginning with staffing. “You are brilliant, and we are hiring,” Schumacher said of the company’s goal to hire only the best employees who will be “A people” and team players, willing to innovate both personally and corporately. This notion is complemented by the notion to “share everything you can,” the goal that guides Google office design to be entirely anti-office. “Every workspace is the size of a garage with shared workspace of teams of five to seven,” said Schumacher, “that way information is shared the most efficiently.”  But, don’t worry. Employees are also entrusted with the “license to pursue dreams” and given up to one day a week to work on ambitious projects separate from their given job responsibilities, in addition to the infamous free snack bar and cafeteria and access to a variety of recreational activities all on-site.

The value of transparency and an environment where “information isn’t hoarded” leads to the kind of attitude that allows for “ideas to come from everywhere,” said Schumacher.  In the earliest of days, colleagues would share ideas verbally to either a “boo or applause” from their teammates. This has since been made a digital process, but still includes the willingness to share a dumb idea or be wrong.  “We expect everyone to contribute, from our consumers to our finance team; there’s no acceptance of stagnation,” Schumacher said.  And the words “I like and I think” are not allowed. The company asserts that employees should “not politic” or operate by force or assumption, but instead “use data” to understand a problem or postulate a solution.

These four dos of Google corporate culture are met with three don’ts: “creativity loves restraint,” “users

Google founders Larry Page & Sergey Brin

come first, not money,” and “don’t kill projects; just morph them.”  While other search engine companies followed the revenue-driven ad model, said Schumacher, Google makes every effort to keep “relevant data” as the top priority for its users, as well as a clean, simple interface.  “We aim to get the user on and off the page as quickly as possible,” a different approach from those who gauge their success on the time spent on the page, said Schumacher.  This value is punctuated by the reality that Google does not enter into contracts with advertisers, but instead seeks to continually provide value to both consumer and advertiser in a way that will prolong business relationships.

Lowell Pratt, Small Business Development Coordinator for the Greater Rome Chamber of Commerce, was excited to return to the Chamber with ideas for working with small businesses. “So often, you see too much structure and rigidity in business, which is stifling to actual productivity.  Lasting businesses learn to build creativity into the structure, “ Pratt said.  He indicated plans to work with the Small Business Action Council to bring the Google philosophy to more Rome business leaders.

Schumacher briefly “opened the Google kimono” so to speak and profiled just a few of Google’s current undertakings including the new G-1 phone through T-Mobile, Chrome open source browser, 1-800-GOOG-411 free directory, and AdWords marketing tool.  She advised the audience to check in on Google Labs, the place where new ideas are showcased in their infant stage. Here a user will find search statistics on any term, street view maps of the entire world, searchable public transit schedules, as well as other social and commercial applications.

With such a host of actions never before possible, it is no wonder ‘google’ has officially become a new verb.

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