While I am a die-hard WordPress fan for CMS and SEO reasons, I think that Google’s apps are awesome.

For example, I currently host all of my sites emails through Google MX and Gmail. In addition, I have started using Google Calendar and Docs and I love me some GChat.

Just today I was invited to join Google Voice. It’s a new app that allows you to have one phone number where all your calls are forwarded, free voice mail with transcription and probably another thousand features that I have yet to figure out. I will let you know how it goes and report back soon!

What exactly did people do before Facebook? Much less Gmail (and GChat) oh, and AIM. These social networking/communication tools make my life *that* much easier to get in touch with people. So, piggy-backing off of this article from Joel Postman over at Talent Zoo, I’d like to share some advice on how exactly to use these communication channels effectively.

• Connect with people you already know, be weary of “friending” strangers.
• Be professional – even if it’s a personal networking site.
• When sending messages, ask yourself, is this message about something that will be meaningful to the recipient?
• When in doubt, don’t.
• Focus on making the most of your contacts, not making the most contacts.