While there are other search engines that are available for use to search the Internet, Google has ascended to primacy for most users. Some of the best ways to use Google are the least known such as its ability to work as a calculator, convert currency and units of measurement, track packages, find the location of area codes and more. Google provides a helpful page on many of these features here. PC Magazine just published its 20 Google Tips and Tricks detailing these and others here.

To get the most out of a Google search, resources such as Google Guide can be extremely helpful in helping you draft your query and the interpreting the results. Google Guide also has several cheat sheets including this one for general search use and this one for doing basic and advanced calculations.

As lawyers, we too often focus on legal specific search and research tools provided by LexisNexis and Westlaw, but to be truly proficient, you need to use all of the tools at your disposal. Google can be a valuable addition to your Internet toolbox.

Ever wondered how to create a shortcut to today’s date in Excel or how to find enormous attachments in Outlook? Answers to these questions and five hundred and twenty-seven more can be found in PC Magazines article 529 Computing Tips

If you have ever wondered how to do something on your computer, your PDA or even Apple OS X, this is a good place to start your search.

I’m a big fan of backing up your data (as I’ve made clear in prior posts including this one). Using traditional email programs such as Outlook, Thunderbird, Outlook Express, you have copies of your emails on your computer and can make backups of them. With the increasing use of web based email such as Google’s Gmail email service, how do you create a local backup of all of your emails? While I can’t address every web based mail service, you can learn how to make a local backup of your Gmail account from this article on Wired’s How-To-Wiki.

(For Hotwire users, check out this article from Wired.)

Remember, don’t be an idiot: backup your data.

My friend Bonnie Shucha, author of WisBlawg and Head of Reference for the UW Law Library, has an article on fellow law librarian and blogger Bev Butula and a story that Bev penned regarding the usefulness of blogs to legal professionals with the title of Bella is Bewildered About Blogs.

While the story reads like a children’s tale, it is a quick and fun read on why lawyers should be paying attention to blogs for current and relevant information.

If you have clients that are looking to get started in ecommerce or online sales, then the ABA’s new safeselling.org website should be one of the first places they visit. According to the introduction for the site:

“Safeselling.org offers a resource for business people launching ecommerce enterprises and for businesses venturing into online sales. First-time entrepreneurs and established small to medium-sized business expanding their horizons should find helpful information on this site about selling goods and services online.”

Providing information on a wide range of topics, readers can find basic information on Products and Services, Warranties and Online Sales, Taxes, and more. The site generally provides an overview of the topic area and a national perspective, while pointing out state specific information in many instances.

This site is not only helpful for your clients, but can serve as a useful primer for the attorney who is also looking to gain basic knowledge in this growing area of commerce.