What exactly are people talking about when they refer to Google? Well, if we're talking about the seniors I work with they could mean any number of things - the most common are the Google Search page, the Google Search bar, Gmail, and the Google Chrome browser. It's very helpful to know, first of all, that they are not all the same thing, and secondly, what each one is.
The Google Search Page:
Google.com - This is where you go when you want to "google something". In other words, to look something up, to look for information about something or find a link to a web page.
Google Search Bar:
Many people have something like this built in to whatever browser they are using. Sometimes it is in a separate line all by itself and sometimes as seen here it is just a little window on the same line as the address window where you type in web addresses (URLs). It functions as a shortcut to Google search. It simply saves you the trouble of going to the main Search page. You can type your search term in directly without going to the main google.com web page.
Gmail
Some people call this Google Mail. This is just a regular email system like hotmail or Yahoo! Mail or AOL mail. You send and receive email by going to the Gmail web page (gmail.com) and signing in with your email address and password.
You can do this from any computer that is connected to the internet. It is not connected to Google Search, they just happen to be produced by the same company.
The Chrome Browser (seen in the screenshot above)
This is also referred to as Google Chrome, but I try to avoid that term because Google has other products named Chrome - an operating system called Chrome and a netbook computer called the ChromeBook .
But the Chrome Browser is exactly what it says, a web browser, and is a competitor with Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE), Firefox, and Apple's Safari. You use them to navigate the internet.
You do not need to be using Google's browser (the Chrome Browser) to use the other Google products like Search and Gmail. Most people in fact use IE, Firefox and Safari. I prefer to use the Chrome Browser because it is fast and the interface is uncluttered, but I don't need to just because I have a Gmail address.
Once you've got these separate products straight you won't get so confused when someone else says they "just use Google". You'll be able to say with confidence, "Oh, did you mean Gmail or are you using the Chrome Browser".