When you signed up for gmail you did something you probably were not even aware of, opened up a whole new set of possibilities for computing power including using a great Google application called the Google Notebook.

The Google Notebook is a powerful web clipping tool that allows you to save pictures, text, and links from web pages for later use.

Why would this be valuable? Suppose you come across a web site that contains some quotes and information that would be great for your next sermon. What are your choices? Well, you could print it out and save it. You could jot a note and try to find the site again later, or you could clip it in your Google notebook. Then you will have it for later
in a notebook you can organize as you choose.

To use the Google Notebook, first download Firefox. Then go and download the Google Notebook firefox extension here.

Just click on the download button and follow the instructions. There is a Google Notebook tool also available for the Internet Explorer, but honestly you do not want to go there.

You should now have a small box that reads “open notebook” in the lower right hand corner of your browser.

Assuming you are still signed into your Google account, now go find some text to test clip. Just highlight text you want to save by pushing your left mouse button down and dragging it over text until you have the section you want. Once you have dragged it over the section you want you can release the left mouse button.

Now, on your highlighted text, push your right mouse button and one of the options, towards the bottom, will say “note this (Google Notebook)”. Push that part on the menu and just like that, your “clipped” section will show up in a box in the lower left hand corner. This clip will contain the text you selected and will contain a link back to the site it came from.

You can now hit the X to close it or leave it open as you browse around.

The real power of the notebook comes as your create different notebooks. So for every category of things you would want to clip you can make your own notebook. (Examples, gift ideas for my family, current or future sermons, leadership ideas, inspirational quotes,
great articles on smartpastor.com … the possibilities are endless.)

I would suggest creating your first notebook and start playing it it. When you get comfortable you will see how easy it is to move items around to different notebooks, to search your notebooks, and even eventually share what you find in your notebook.

There are other notebook type products available and Web Worker Daily has a great run down of them all but for my use, the simplicity of the Google Notebook makes it my clipping software of choice.