In successful Google searches, all you really need to do is find the right search phrase. You can do dozens of searches but until you find just the right phrase, the information you’re looking for can stay buried forever. It can take hours. Days. (Way more than that. Ages!)

But the minute you find the right search phrase, everything turns around. The information is right there. It seems incredibly easy, and you can’t believe it took you so long to find it.

Problem solving is like that, too. All it takes is the right thought, and suddenly you have no problem at all. You’ve found the solution.

The way I find alternate search phrases when I’m doing web research is the same way I find alternate idea patterns in problem solving. I take all the knowledge I have—including possible answers—and turn it over in my head (like a Rubiks Cube). I look at it from all sides. I figure out what it would look like (or sound like, or smell like) if I turned it inside out, or stuck one half on backwards, or liquidified it, or covered it in sequins. Once I name the thing I’ve created, I have a new idea to try—or a new search phrase.

Once you get the hang of doing this very fast, you can come up with dozens or hundreds of ideas or solutions or search phrases for just one problem (or question). The more ideas you generate, the greater the possibility that you’ll plug one in and find an excellent solution sitting right there in front of you. Whistling innocently and twiddling its thumbs. Like it was there the whole time.

Little stinker.

I just discovered something absolutely fantastic. I was sending a client setup instructions for a new email account, and lo and behold, found that Gmail will download as well as send mail from outside accounts. This is a real treat, because I typically distrust most webmail solutions. Gmail is what I recommend to clients bewildered by domain email setup, and this is the best of both worlds. I’m even considering sending all my mail through my Gmail account, which has (by far) the best spam filtering I’ve come across. On top of that, I’m pretty sure that Gmail has the best Highrise intregration available (which suits me, since I’m such a power user). When did this happen? How fabulous!

A few more great side-effects a setup like this might have: All my mail in one place, a webmail solution that doesn’t fritz out and piss me off. Great spam filtering, great intuitive controls, and I don’t have to give up my mail client use when I’m in the office. Plenty of space, swell archiving. Man! Not bad!

And some risks I think I’m willing to take: Scroogled gets just a little creepier. Only one account to compromise and I’m screwed; plus if Gmail goes down, I’m back to basics. Time to change my Gmail password to something absurdly cryptic! If this sounds acceptable to you, read on…

Your settings may vary slightly depending on your server setup—but here’s the run-down I gave my client, so that you can do the same if you so desire.

To Download Outside Email to Your Gmail Account:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Get mail from other accounts.
2. Add another mail account.
3. Fill in the information like this:

Address: youremail@yourdomain.com
Username: youremail@yourdomain.com
Password: yourpassword
Server: mail.yourdomain.com Port: 110
(+) Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server.
(-) Always use a secure connection (SSL)...
(+) Label incoming messages…
(-) Archive incoming messages (Skip the inbox)

To Send From An Outside Email Address Using Gmail:

1. Go to Settings > Accounts > Send Mail As > Add another.
2. Type in youremail@yourdomain.com, hit Next Step.
3. Hit Send Verification.
4. Receive the verification email (in Gmail); hit the verification link.

If you like, you can go back into Accounts and make it your default send address. And you’re good to go! I’m going to go fiddle a bit and report back with my results. Doesn’t it just give you shivers? Now Google can collect information and serve you ads based on all your email! Exciting! ;}

I don’t know why Monday is sex day; it just seems to work out that way. Maybe we all need a little titillation to get us through the first day back at work (although personally, my Mondays are already a fantastic kind of exciting, as you may know).

Google TechTalks on YouTube has a fantastic recording of Violet Blue’s talk about sex on the internet, the realities of porn, sexual privacy, and a myriad of other issues that are super important to understand—and talk about! It’s down-to-earth, entertaining to listen to (plus, her slides are awesome), safe for work if your employer isn’t offended by intelligent discussion of sexuality on the ‘net, and full of really interesting (and wonderful, and sometimes horrifying) information.

Also, cute bits like this: “The internet is growing new users every single day, and will continue,” she says, wielding one finger in feigned accusation, “until you all stop breeding.” (I think that’s at around 18:20 in—adorable!)

Link.

I loved reading this post from Seth Godin because just this week I had been discussing natural search results for a really nifty project. The folks behind the brand hadn’t mentioned traditional search engine optimization at all and I wanted to make sure they understood that their rankings could be much better, much more reliable, if we took the whole path and provided visitors with excellent, continuous content. It didn’t take them any time at all to understand me, and we had already been thinking the same thing. People like this are awesome to work with.

When the sales rep started talking about natural search results, I knew I had a core of kindred spirits here. Many people look at the web and try to find the magic pill that will give them exactly what they want, but do not so often look to the web to develop a plan to give others what they need. They want to know who they can throw money at so that all their problems will be solved—without honesty or effort, in so many cases. Providing a service, selling a product, this isn’t just about us. It’s about those who need what we can give them, about helping those people because we can, an exchange of value that benefits both parties. It’s not about tricking them into buying our stuff. It’s about showing them how very well we can help each other. Suddenly, the world has forgotten this wonderful, wonderful thing—and Google is upsetting its search algorithms apple cart over and over, screwing up the magic pills and shortcuts that we use because we’ve forgotten. It makes you just want to hug them.

From Google Keeps Tweaking Its Search Engine, NYT...

“Even more daunting, many of those pages are shams created by hucksters trying to lure Web surfers to their sites filled with ads, pornography or financial scams. At the same time, users have come to expect that Google can sift through all that data and find what they are seeking, with just a few words as clues.”

Beyond the Hansell piece being an awesome article about a complex and wonderful system and the new exchange of information via intertubes, Seth saw the same thing I saw. He saw that what they’re doing is going to change everything in an excellent way. Oh, I bought Web Position Gold in the old days—we are all growing and learning and changing. (Well gosh, that’s what I’m all about these days!) But that’s sneaking around in the bushes when I can come right out into the open road and show you what I am, what I stand for, and how I can help you. How we can help each other!

For once, it’s obvious that being honest and true can give everyone what they want. Why was that so hard?

In any case, thanks Seth, and Saul—and Google!