Google For Dummies [Paperback]

Brad Hill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0764544209 | ISBN-13: 978-0764544200 | Publication Date: September 26, 2003 | Edition: 1

* Google is the world's most popular search engine, with more than 150 million queries per day and more than fourteen million users per week
* Author Brad Hill, frequently consulted in media coverage of the Internet, will take readers "under the hood"
* Illuminates dozens of packaged Google tools that significantly extend Web searching
* Enables more technical readers to install and use the Google API to develop Web querying capabilities for their own programs
* Includes extensive coverage of Blogger, the popular Web log service recently acquired by Google

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Get Googling and improve your search for Web fulfillment

Find search shortcuts, great add-on tools, and ways you can customize your Google

Sure, you know it searches, but all the other things Google can do will leave you, well, google-eyed. So journey into the heart of Google and then to its outer limits with this friendly guide! Discover how you can use Google to get the news, go shopping, build your business, play games, find phone numbers, and even go blogging.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

About the Author

Brad Hill has written fourteen books and numerous articles about technology, cyber-cultural trends, and online destinations. He has appeared on CNN, the Business News Network, and Online Tonight.

Product Details

• Paperback: 360 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (September 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764544209
• ISBN-13: 978-0764544200
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a nonfiction writer. In a typical year I write about a half-million words for publication in various media and genres. My book authorship is mostly of the how-to variety; I've penned (word-processed, actually) several "...For Dummies" titles, one "Complete Idiots Guide to..." book, and a number of non-series titles. Over the years I've written hundreds of columns and articles for magazines and Web publications. Currently I'm a lead blogger at Weblogs, Inc, where I manage a small writing staff and oversee several blogs. I have posted well over 3,000 blog entries at Weblogs, Inc. (Even I find that hard to fathom). At the time of this writing, my most recently completed book is "Blogging For Dummies," which will be out in January, 2006.

A typical day consists of ... well, writing. I sit down, check e-mail and IM messages, and start out blogging for a couple of hours to sharpen my brain for the day. If a book is in progress, chances are good that a ferocious deadline is nipping at my heels; most of my books are written in short, concentrated bursts (weeks, not months). When two or more projects collide I am reminded of the motto at an espresso bar near my home: "Sleep is for the weak."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Google for Dummies, November 6, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Google For Dummies (Paperback)

Part how-to and part reference, Google for Dummies is Brad Hill's newest title in the For Dummies series. Hill, whose Internet Searching For Dummies has undergone three updates, says that if he does another, it will contain the single sentence "Go to Google." He cites Google's 36-word home-page design, its accuracy and ability to almost read minds, and its behind-the-scenes offerings.

Google lets you access an enormous images database, as well as news, directories, and groups, get instant stock quotes, search pages of thousands of mail-order catalogues, look up words and translate text, find someone's phone number or address, search in only the titles of web pages, play Google games, navigate search results using keys rather than the mouse, become an expert at specialty searches, get answers with Google's for-pay research service, and try out Google Labs, an open testing area.

Want to start your own weblog? Google helps you do it for free on its Blogger.com site.

For Dummies fans know you will find concise information laced with humor - lots of it, loads of icons and other navigational aids, a tear-out cheat sheet that highlights the best features and shortcuts, and lists of tips. You're guaranteed to chuckle when you translate your favorite English words into these languages: Elmer Fudd, Pig Latin, Hacker, Interlingua, and Klingon.

The downside is learning that the Google Toolbar, which the author says is guaranteed to change your life by streamlining and consolidating search abilities, is not available to Mac users. You won't be able to use the pop-up ad blocker or practice one-click blog posting from the Google Toolbar. This book may contain more about Google than you ever wanted or needed to know, and it's not cheap. But if you want to discover all the nuances of Google, which daily searches over 200 million queries in 90 languages and has better brand recognition than Coca-Cola and Starbucks, you'll want to own this title.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harnessing the power!, October 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Google For Dummies (Paperback)

Fantastic! This book is great for anyone who wants to harness the power of the Internet. I would buy it again tomorrow and will probably purchase a copy for a college student I know for Christmas. Kind of leaves you asking why anyone would use any other search engine. As a small business owner, I particularly appreciated the chapters on getting listed in searches and using AdWords to drive traffic to your site.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just Googling! Way much more!, February 24, 2004

By 

Ruby Bayan (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Google For Dummies (Paperback)

When I first saw "Google for Dummies," I thought, "A whole book about Google? How much can you say about an online search engine?" I browsed the table of contents and discovered how misinformed I was. After reading the book, I can say that author Brad Hill has done an excellent job of presenting how Google goes far beyond simply spitting out search results and swanky holiday logos.

"Google for Dummies" goes over all the functions, features, and fun tricks associated with the phenomenon that is now part of daily language. To "google" something is synonymous to finding information, and "googling" has become an indispensable research tool for knowledge. However, quickly spinning off from its primary purpose of trolling the 'Net for information on specific words and phrases, Google is now also into news, shopping, dictionary assistance, ad words, games, online journaling, and marketing. Brad Hill talks about all these in attention-grabbing detail.

And true to Dummies tradition, the language of the book is straightforward, simple, and brilliantly humorous. Editors' notes ("While our backs were turned, Brad Hill snuck some chocolate-covered espresso beans. We are now feeding him through a tube."), cartoon quips (I love The 5th Wave!), and the "Remember," "Tip," and "Warning" icons enhance the book's appeal to both the Google beginner (if there is still such a creature) and the googling geek. I especially appreciate the hundreds of screen shots that help me visualize what the author is trying to explain. And many thanks to Brad Hill for confirming that Google does not plant spy ware, and Dr. Mellifluous Boolean did not prophesy the Internet.

In short, if you want step-by-step instructions on how to optimize your Google search, how to use the Google Toolbar to enhance your browsing experience, or how to tap Google's functionalities to fire up your site's popularity, "Google for Dummies" has it all -- and much more, actually (heard of Boogle.com?). - Ruby Bayan (www.OurSimpleJoys.com)