We’ve all heard about it, we’ve all used it. It’s the website that has revolutionized our use of the internet and become the means through which most people find the answers to all their questions. There isn’t anything that it can’t find, or much it can’t do. It’s more than just a search engine, it’s Google, and it’s an intern’s best friend.
As an intern, you are immediately thrown into the goals and mission of a company. You will probably be given an assignment that you have heard little to nothing about, and when this happens what do you do? You Google it. Google is an outlet that allows us to discover the world (and impress our bosses) just by tapping “search.”
What have I used Google for during my internship?
- Research: Every story has a start, every subject a “Who? What? Where?” From social opinion, to economics, political developments, and more, you need to know what has happened, what is happening, and what might happen to make decisions and drive future results. Google connects you to all that information.
- Quick facts: How often do you need a quick statistic? A simple clarification? The definition of a word? A quote from a source? A bit of information to help your argument, or to cite in a blog, tweet, or paper? For me, it’s every day, and Google has made it simpler than ever.
- Multimedia content: A picture says a thousand words. A video provides information as well as entertainment. With Google, you are not limited to articles, websites, and papers, but also to images, videos, infographics, and more. And that’s not all! Google allows you to determine where your media comes from (i.e. YouTube), when it was posted, and how short or long you want your content to be, if you have a preference.
- Current events: It is no secret that the world is moving at an incredibly fast rate. With constant developments taking place around the world every second of the day, and with mass amounts of information flooding the web, Google makes it easy to see the top news stories presented by a variety of news sources, from the New York Times to a personal blog.
- Alerts: Just when I thought finding information couldn’t get any faster or easier, I was introduced to Google Alerts. There are certain topics that I need new information on every single day, and Google brings it to me without me having to search for it. Yes, while I am running to catch the Metro on my way to work or waiting in line at Starbucks, Google is pulling information from all over the web and sending it straight to my email. Could it get much simpler?
- Mapping directions: This may seem foolish, but I think I speak for all interns when I say “Google Maps is a life-saver!” Since several interns, including myself, move to a new city for an internship, Google Maps not only tells you the route you should take to a destination, but also gives you alternative routes and your travel time depending on time of day and method of transportation. So thank you Google Maps, for helping me catch the right Metro train, get to work on time, and know the location of every Starbucks in the city.
So to all you interns, Keep Calm and Google On.
