Smart Meetings

Way Cool Tools

Author: Carolyn Koenig
December 2007

Technophiles

James Spellos, CMP and president of Meeting U., a New York-based training and education company, knows how to grab an audience’s attention.

At a recent MPI Northern California Chapter meeting, the tech guru first asked: “Who uses Google as their search engine?” Nearly all the hands went up.

“Who uses Google as their only search engine?” Nearly all the hands went up again.

Great, he said, but that’s not the only engine, nor is it necessarily the best.

Huh? “Try Yahoo,” was his response. “You may be surprised if you do.”

That said (and Yahoo does have Google-like features), he gave the audience of about 50 planners (and now our readers) tips on using search engines more comfortably and knowledgeably—including how to unleash “the hidden power of Google”—things we might not know that would make our familiar engine work faster, easier and more specific.

“Even though it’s not a sexy new technology, it’s a critical, useful tool,” Spellos said in an interview after the seminar. “People just don’t have time to explore it.”

For example: Need a site inspection? After your RFP goes out, look at Google Earth, a download that provides 3D maps of the U.S. and Canada, as well as most of the world.

Need a restaurant in a new city? Keeping first things first—one of the basic tenets of his approach—enter “san francisco restaurant” not “restaurant san francisco” as your search term. Use all lower-case letters to maximize the results, and put the term in quotes.

Want to know where those bargain seats are actually located on a United Airbus 320? Log on to SeatGuru (seatguru.com) and you’ll see if they’re narrower than usual, near the lavatories or don’t recline.

And when all else fails, cheat—using his “Google Cheat Sheet: Cool web tools and services offered by (and about) Google,” that is. Spellos, who is a certified Microsoft Office Specialist by the way, compiles this ever-expanding list of URLs accessible through Google’s main page, or URLs that are redirects bringing you to the proper page. (To receive a free copy, just e-mail him at jspellos@meeting-u.com.) Here are a few goodies:

• Catalogs: catalogs.google.com—Allows you to browse the online catalogs of many different merchants. You can browse by company or type of product.

• Government: google.com/ig/usgov—Google’s new  government website search. This engine culls information from various government sites such as .mil and .gov.

• Images: images.google.com—Returns pictures and other images only, for the search in question.

• Maps: maps.google.com—Searchable maps for any location in the United States and Canada.

• Mobile Devices: google.com/xhtml (or mobile.google.com)—Use this when googling from a PDA or mobile device. The Google info will be in narrow form, fitting into a smaller screen.

And here are some “Google-licious” niche uses of Google search you can utilize from its home page:

• Airport Delays: To find info about a specific airport and potential delays, enter the airport code, followed by the word "airport" (i.e., JFK airport). A link at the top will allow you to view conditions at the airport you choose, via fly.faa.gov.

• Conversions & Currency: To convert currency, or perform other measurement conversions, just enter the phrase in the search box (i.e., 10 meters in feet, or 250 USD in Euro).

• Weather: Enter the word "weather," followed by a city (the state is sometimes required). Weather conditions are provided by Weather Underground.

In your Google searches, you’ve probably run across an orange “RSS” (Real Simple Syndication) logo on an organization or company’s website. Sign up for this (usually free) feed, and it automatically delivers real-time news to your website—a great way to keep up with the constant flow of information effortlessly. You’ll save time as well as energy.

Not surprisingly, Spellos’ most popular educational seminars are focused on Google (also Excel), reaching a broad base of clients in numerous industries, but particularly the meeting planning and admin marketplaces. “Given how fast technology develops, there’s never a shortage of information or new content,” he says.

And speaking of new technologies, think along the  lines of convergence and collaboration, he says. For example, your cell phone may become your room key, your RFID tag, your portable e-mail and video player—a central all-in-one device.

Collaboration-wise, it’s a web-based approach today. “Organizations are going outside their organization to get experts. The web has leveled the playing field, giving access to the greatest minds in the world,” he says.

But that’s another seminar, another column, another month. Stay tuned...

In the meantime, sign up for Meeting U. Technology Newsletter, his lively, free e-newsletter distributed monthly. Just pop him an e-mail and you’ll be clued in on the latest tech lingo (mashups: web applications that combine content from more than one source), as well as more "way cool tools." 

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