The Hindu Business Line : easeofuse.googlepages.com

Want to create an online photo tour of your vacation to Bali? An overview of the South American precipitation cycle for your science class? A shrine to your pet ferret? Now's your chance.... '

So goes Google's description of its new free offering, Google Page Creator, inviting you to create a Web site of yours and let the world know what you did last summer or this winter.

So, what's new, some people are asking. Don't we already have a Web presence? Haven't we already used the free image hosting services? Haven't we used the immediacy of blogs to publish our thoughts on the Web? And aren't there other free site creators and hosters on the Web? So, what's new?

The answer is, in fact, Google has done nothing `new'. At the same time, let's not forget that they haven't invented Web-search or the e-mail either; two things their products have made an undeniable impact on. Google's tack lies elsewhere. It excels in making simple, usable, grandma-friendly and dummy-proof products that make technology more welcome. Google Page Creator is all this and more.

The tour

Page Creator is a Web-based program (that is, you don't need to download anything on to your desktop) that can be used to design, create and publish your site right from your browser window. No need for an FTP client to upload your files and pages. No knowledge of HTML is needed from your side. And it's WYSIWYG. Now, doesn't that make things a bit easier?

First, you need a Gmail e-mail account for signing in to this service. If you don't already have one, go get one, free, for yourself at Gmail.com. In fact, it's handy if you have two G-mail usernames; it's a small safety trick on cyberspace and we will come to that in the later part of the review.

As soon as you sign in and agree to their terms and conditions, you're taken to a page that looks like a stripped-down version of a word processor combined with a layout maker. Well, that is what it actually is and this is where all the action takes place.

Click on the `create new page' button and you're all set for your Aarangetram as a Web designer. You can pick the look and layout of your pages with templates provided. With 40-odd templates to choose from, the `look factor' has enough to keep all of us satisfied. The layout choice is limited to four, enough to leave some of us dissatisfied.

The interface has all the controls for text, images and links on the left panel. You can set the attributes for headings, subheadings and minor headings using the bottom-left of the panel while the top half provides nifty buttons placing links, images and for setting attributes for body text. Play around for 10 minutes and you'll get the hang of it. Or click on `help' if you want to save the 10 minutes.

The rest of the interface is the window where you type, place images and links. Placing an image is simple: just press the button and choose an image from either your hard disk or the Web. Drag your photos to anywhere on the page and the text wraps itself neatly around it. Particularly impressive is the link button, which gives you a foolproof option of linking to your files, URLs, e-mail or the pages you created. There's full undo and redo functionality that a lot of us will thank God for.

Once you've created all the pages you wanted and properly linked them, click on the `publish' button and you're live on the Web instantly. Your prided place on the Web will be http://yourgmailusername.googlepages.com. (Note that there's no WWW after http://) Google limits you to 100mb of free space on their servers, though. Ah, they are the ones who spoilt us with 2+ GB mailboxes!

Oh, but hey, what have you done?! What's that beer mug doing in your hand in that photograph?

And you've already told your mother to have a look at your Web site? Don't panic, just go back to page creator and with one click on `unpublish' button, your page(s) will disappear from the Web as magically as they made the appearance.

One problem is that free services like these are an easy prey to spammers and scammers. Anybody can take your username as it appears in your URL, add a `@ gmail.com' to it and your mail box will end up welcoming the unwelcome. One way of getting around the problem is to have two Gmail IDs. Use one for your mail, keep it confidential, and have the other one to set up the site. Cool, no?!

Work in progress

Page Creator is a product from Google labs. That means it's a work in progress. We may expect further improvements and additional features (publish a photo-page directly from Picasa?) in future. It's totally free; not even those ads selling you detergents from right panel while you read your friend's opinion on the latest TV soap operas. Google doesn't even place its logo on your Web pages. It's a charmingly simple tool to create your Web site. Try it.

rkanth@thehindu.co.in