Recently I haven’t had much time to give myself to writing(as you can see from the chronology of my blog posts if you’d been following this blog!!! :-P) but as of now since my semester end vacations had started I could again get back to what I like to do best :WRITING. For the past maybe 2-3 months I had engaged myself in a lot of other activities apart from my bachelor degree studies. I don’t know how much these are going to serve me in the long run but I would like to quote one phrase from one of my favorite movies i.e. 3 Idiots which is “ Beta!! Jindegi mein woh hi karo jo tumhe dil se acchi lagti hoon”.Okay, let’s get back to our discussion .Actually I have a lot to write and talk about, here I would only talk about my experience with one thing which I tried quite recently i.e. online education…..
Knowledge is Power
---Francis Bacon
Yup…..We enjoy being trendy and following the newest tendencies in the web-world. In June 2012 Google announced they would be introducing a new course called Power Searching With Google to their repertoire of online learning tools. This is under the umbrella of their Search Education initiative.The Power Searching With Google course is a series of videos split up between 6 classes, intermediate Google+ Hangouts, and a Mid-Class Assessment along with a Final Assessment. All initially available between July 10th and July 23rd. This community-based course showcases the techniques of successful web-search and the ways you can use them to solve some everyday issues.
Those who pass the post-course assessment will get Certificate of Completion. The first class was released on July 10, 2012, and what is really cool about the course organization is that one can take classes according to his own schedule during a two-week window, alongside a worldwide community! Wherever you are, Google makes education easy for you. Google is pretty good at providing education on it’s products. Basic search doctrine is not one I thought they’d need, nor accommodate. I must say that I really had fun taking Google's online power searching course. Some of it is very familiar for anyone who does a lot of searching, but there is some mind-widening stuff in here, too. For instance, I hadn't thought about using the color filter on images to narrow down specific types of things (the black and white option, for instance, will pull out charts and graphs that tend to be in B&W).There's also the ability to find KML data using the "filetype" filter and feed that link back into Google maps to quickly create a useful map. But personally, I took this as a welcome surprise and so far, I think they’ve done an excellent job of explaining the many benefits of using Google compared to the other search engines. And even as a tech savvy person already, I am learning new things I didn’t know Google Search was capable of.
But the question begs to be answered…….
Why did Google initiate this course?
Google prides itself on doing no evil. And as an extension of that you can (probably) say they want to do good. They understand that they have built this amazing resource that has capabilities in-line with and far beyond what they originally anticipated. But perhaps they feel they have unleashed this search engine on the world without providing the right instruction book for it. And for those who are willing to take the time to learn, the Power Searching With Google course is their way of saying, there is SO MUCH MORE you can do with Google. After taking the initial pre-assessment and course I can tell you that the Power Searching With Google course is not for the average user. Sorry Google!!
It is a series of 2-10 minute videos explaining the finer aspects of Google’s search capabilities. There are even mid-course assessments to test that you have retained what you just learned. For those who simply use Google for basic search, like the average user, this is not for you. I don’t see most Google users taking the time, (1-2 hours) per course to learn how to use Google more productively. They are fine with the results they get when searching and have no need to better hone those skills. And that brings me to my point of why I think Google came out with this course. For niche site builders, a prominent topic of conversation has been the recent or should I say constant, Google algorithm changes and updates. In various ways these changes have affected SERPs and how sites are ranked. Perhaps, Google is trying, inconspicuously, to tell niche site builders, affiliate marketers, and those trying to build a website empire, how to do it right. But would Google do that? Absolutely! Our niche sites, that rank well for certain keywords and keyword terms, are as intelligently designed as possible to draw a very targeted crowd to a site. And for advertisers that means a very targeted list of leads. This increases the chances that PPC clicks with Google AdWords will produce targeted, highly valuable customers that are relevant to the audience that the AdWords buyers are looking for.
What I Hoped To Learn From The Power Searching With Google Course??
It is well known that Google is king of Search Engines. So when building and designing niche sites it is appropriate to take Google’s tastes, preferences, and ideals into mind. My intention with taking this course is to learn not only what Google is capable of as a search engine, but how to better optimize my niche sites to accommodate Google’s many abilities, those well known and not. For lack of a better term, I want to learn how to better exploit Google and it’s search algorithms. And of course, how they rank pages so that I can better understand and get my own niche sites to rank well for the keywords. Finally, I really would like to say that out an out it was a truly fascinating and exciting course with a professional tinge. And guess what!!! I had a perfect score on both of my Mid Class & Post Class Assessment!!!
Here the mail which I received from them:
help@powersearchingwithgoogle.com via search-edu.bounces.google.com
Congratulations! Here is the certificate you earned through your participation in Power Searching with Google. Below are your assessment scores.
Mid-class assessment score: 100%
Post-class assessment score: 100%
You can print out the attached certificate and hang it on your wall. We hope you enjoyed the class!
Cheers,
Power Searching with Google course staff
Here is my certifate!!!! Cheers….. :D :D
Here the mail which I received from them:
help@powersearchingwithgoogle.com via search-edu.bounces.google.com
Congratulations! Here is the certificate you earned through your participation in Power Searching with Google. Below are your assessment scores.
Mid-class assessment score: 100%
Post-class assessment score: 100%
You can print out the attached certificate and hang it on your wall. We hope you enjoyed the class!
Cheers,
Power Searching with Google course staff
Here is my certifate!!!! Cheers….. :D :D
