This week had a reason to revisit Google Maps (http://maps.google.com). I needed satellite pictures of some property. I forgot just how cool it was. I could see how many cars were in the parking lot and it was so easy to use.

I made me want to check to see what else Google has been up to lately and report my findings:

Google Page Creator (http://shorl.com/henudryvolofa) – Yes, apparently Google is testing a simple “web site in a box”. I couldn’t test it out because they had a backlog of people wanting to test it out. The reviews have not been great so far – but in fairness the format for reviews is more of a complaints board.

Google Video (http://video.google.com/) – I actually found this for a client the other day. We had video we wanted to make available but we didn’t want to waste space on our server or get too involved in the details. Google allows you to post your own videos on their server. You can also search for video to download. Some of the videos look interesting (some Google insider training for example), some look desperate (such as the Jessica Simpson I clip I passed up), some look less than family-friendly, and some require payment (such as old issues of I Love Lucy). If I had a video I wanted to promote I’d post it here. If I were really bored I might peruse videos.

Google Suggest (http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en) – As you type in your Google search, Google offers some helpful search suggestions. As I searcher this is remotely interesting. As a web owner, it is interesting to see what they offer. I was disappointed that they really just offer variation on what you are searching. So what you get is additions to the search you are devising – I was hoping to get synonyms, which would be helpful when you are trying to find out what terms a potential client is using when they search for your services.