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Google is exceedingly -- even seductively -- easy to use, which is one reason why it facilitates in excess of 150 million searches per day. However, despite its admirably simple, clean, and idiot-proof user interface, Google is a powerful and flexible search tool, so long as you know how to get the best from it.
Toward that end, Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, and DJ Adams, have created the Google Pocket Guide, a comprehensive manual on using Google to its full potential and your best advantage. This information-packed little book tells you how to be more precise in telling Google what you're looking for, how to get the best result from your search keywords, how to discover and use the largely undocumented special syntax support, and how to access and use cool features like language tools, newsgroup article searching, image searches, and more.
The Google Pocket Guide is structured in five parts (see TOC in Appendix belos):
Part one, "What Can You Do With Google?," provides an overview of Google's features, explains what Google is and isn't, and includes several examples to help you get started improving your Google results.
Part Two, "Asking For What You Want," explains how to construct search queries, how to make the most of Google's special syntax and advanced search features, and shows you how to work around some of the restrictions Google places on search criteria. Topics covered include: phone searches, basic boolean, negation, explicit inclusion, simple searching and "feeling lucky," case sensitivity, full-word wild cards, the 10-word limit, special syntax, mixing syntax, advanced search, specialized vocabularies: slang and terminology, and industrial slang.
Part 3, "Understanding What You Get," addresses getting Google to remember how you like to see results presented, and how to interpret the list of results displayed on the results page. Topics include setting preferences, the anatomy of a search result, understanding Google URLs, and checking spelling.
Part 4, "Other Google Services And Features," discusses things Google offers that you may not be aware of, such as looking for phone numbers, stock information, and catalog content, the Google Directory, and local groups, Google images, Google News, Froogle (Google catalogs), language tools, consulting the dictionary, consulting the phone book, tracking stocks, searching article archives, finding directories of information, finding technical definitions, the Google Glossary, finding Weblog commentary, the Google tool bar, and Googling with bookmarks.
Part 5, "Appendix," includes a syntax summary and Julian dates.
There is also a 10-page Index.
Each topic gets a page or two of explanation clearly presented, and the book is illustrated where appropriate with screenshots. If you need a more detailed and in-depth Google manual, a more weighty tome called "Google Hacks" is available from O'Reilly, of which this book is a sort of "lite" edition.
However, for most of us, the Google Pocket Guide should be more than adequate. I certainly learned a lot that I didn't know before about using Google from reading it for this review Since virtually everyone who owns an Internet-connected computer uses Google, this little book is also a pretty safe gift idea for either Mac or PC users on your list. At just $9.95, it will make a great stocking stuffer.
Google Pocket Guide
By Tara Calishain, Rael Dornfest, DJ Adams
June 2003
Series: Pocket References
0-596-00550-4, Order Number: 5504
140 pages,
$9.95 US, $15.95 CA, �6.95 UK
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/googlepg/index.html
Appendix
Google Pocket Guide Table of Contents
Introduction
Part I. What Can You Do with Google?
What Google Isn't
What Google Is
A Simple Example
Improving Your Google Results
Case A: Joseph Lomax, Student
Case B: Sabine Reitz, Journalist
Case C: Dr. Katie Aston, Dentist
Part II. Asking for What You Want
Google Basics
Phrase Searches
Basic Boolean
Negation
Explicit Inclusion
Simple Searching and Feeling Lucky
Case Sensitivity
Full-Word Wildcards
The 10-Word Limit
Favor Obscurity
Playing the Wildcard
Special Syntax
Mixing Syntax
How Not to Mix Syntax
How to Mix Syntax
The Antisocial Syntax Elements
All the Possibilities
Advanced Search
Query Words
Language
File Format
Date
Occurrences
Domain
Safe Search
Additional Google Properties
Specialized Vocabularies: Slang and Terminology
Slang
Specialized Vocabularies-Industrial Slang
Part III. Understanding What You Get
Setting Preferences
Interface Language
Search Language
SafeSearch Filtering
Number of Results
Settings for Researchers
Anatomy of a Search Result
Understanding Google URLs
Anatomy of a URL
Checking Spelling
Embrace Misspellings
Part IV. Other Google Services and Features
Google Directory
Searching the Google Directory
Google Directory Special Syntax
Google Groups
Browsing Groups
Google Groups Special Syntax
Google Images
Google Images Special Syntax
Google News
International Versions
Google News Special Syntax
Making the Most of Google News
Beyond Google for News Search
Google Catalogs
Google Catalogs Special Syntax
Froogle
Browsing for Purchases
Searching for Purchases
Froogle Special Syntax
Adding a Merchant to Froogle
Language Tools
Getting to the Language Tool
Making the Most of Google's Language Tools
Consulting the Dictionary
Consulting the Phonebook
Google Phonebook Special Syntax
Tracking Stocks
Beyond Google for Basic Stock Information
More Stock Research with Google
Searching Article Archives
Articles from The New York Times
Magazine Articles
Finding Directories of Information
Title Tags and Wildcards
Finding Searchable Subject Indexes
Finding Technical Definitions
Technology Terminology
Google Glossary
Researching Terminology with Google
Where to Go When It's Not on Google
Finding Weblog Commentary
Finding Weblogs
Using the "Magic Words"
The Google Toolbar
Googling with Bookmarklets
Part V. Appendix
Syntax Summary
Julian Dates
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