Could you access them in your scripts? Are they on your include path? (if not, check the value of @INC)
If so, did the script connect to Google's website?
What specific error messages did you see at the point where things stopped working?
If you were able to install the module and use the module in your code, what does your code look like? Could you post a sample?
Finally, what communication protocols do the modules you've tried rely on? Are you sure your system's firewall is set up to allow outgoing and incoming messages using that protocol?