It’s no secret that google runs my life. It may sound like a joke, but since my first days with UGA HEROs, I have been addicted to everything Google has to offer to organize my life. I run on Gmail, google docs, gchat and even gave Buzz more than a week to impress me (though our relationship ended there).

What makes Google even better are its ad ons. Many of the features can be found in Google’s Labs, but often a little gem comes along from somewhere else. And a post from Nick Lucido, a friend of mine on Twitter and PRSSA National President, caught my eye as one such feature.

No need to email someone new, perform a Google search and them find them on various social networks. Rapportive does it for you and all within Gmail.

What does this person do? What do they look like? Where are they based? The tool answers it all and more. Take a look at the sample of mine to the left.

Rapportive is simple, it allows a user to install the add on to Gmail in literally ONE click. The tool is fairly new (the company itself was only started in January 2010) but if it hasn’t yet found information on a person, you can help out by adding notes and information for a user.

The tool currently sees more than 20 million lookups in the system each month and people are talking. A lot. Check it out for yourself.

As the online identity becomes more integrated with each facet of our daily lives, tools like this are not only cool and innovative, but also highly effective it making work easier – and in turn my life.

Could it be any easier to be social? Give it a try.