Translations, time stamps, trending searches, oh, my. The Google for Journalists session provided a mother load of new web tools to help with reporting.

The broad range and depth of the translation service was impressive. Who knew the computer engine could help translate documents in so many languages and also initiate interactive chats with people speaking two different languages?

Sean Carlson, a manager for news industry relations, walked the audience through other innovative web tools, including:

YouTube.com/citizentube - a compliation of on-the ground videos

YouTube.com/trends - the “water cooler of the web”

Google.com/publicdata - compilations of trends and data. Google has partnered with several organizations to provide information from mutiple sources, such as the World Bank, retail sales and infectious diseases.

Google.com/trends - shows a list of top topics rising up in search trends. Carlson said that checking out trend searches can yield interesting stories, such as when the Illinois bar examination website broke down - leading to several stories about young lawyers. He noted that trending is not the same as top searchs, though, and sometimes things can repeat later on and be a jumping point for follow-up stories. One example he mentioned was from North Carolina, when an initiative to eliminate a clothing sales tax was a top trend on Monday and again on Friday, when the deal was first announced and later on when people actually get ready to shop on the weekends.  

The most simple and nifty trick I learned, however, is a simple formula to create a “time stamp” that cuts directly to a specific section on a YouTube.com video.

Simply type this at the end of the URL

#t=XXmXXs

m = minutes

s = seconds

I look forward to fiddling around and learning with these new tools.

— Michelle Lee