Customer Reviews

Google: The Missing Manual

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[Edited review for 2nd edition - 05/20/2006]

Every time I read a book on Google, I find new stuff to get excited about (and get reminded about stuff I need to use more). This one is no different... Google: The Missing Manual (2nd Edition) by Sarah Milstein, J. D. Biersdorfer, and Matthew MacDonald.

Contents:
Part 1 - Searching with Google: Google 101; Superior Searching
Part 2 - Google Tools: Googling Further - Images, News, Maps, and More; Googling with Others - Groups and Answers; Shopping with Google; The Google Toolbar; More Cool Google Tools
Part 3 - Google for Webmasters: Becoming a Search Result; Making Money with Google; Google Analytics
Part 4 - Gmail: Gmail
Part 5 - Appendix: The Google Wide Web
Index

The book starts out with the requisite coverage on the search syntax of Google. For those who have never gone beyond a basic search, this will be an eye-opener. For people like me who have tried some of the other options, this serves as a good refresher for some techniques I may have forgotten. The book really becomes valuable to me once it gets into the second part. That's where I'm reminded about and exposed to the other features of Google that fall outside the normal searching. For instance, I didn't know that you could do a personalized homepage using Google (much like MyYahoo). I have that going on now. Google Desktop? I'm inclined to try it again after having dropped it during the initial download frenzy. And using SMS and my cell phone to get Google information like driving directions might become a regular part of my techie toolbox. While it's true you can dig around on the Google site and find all this stuff ("why buy a book for it?"), I much prefer to have that type of information packaged up for me. Also, since Google changes daily, there's always the issue of things being gone or substantially revised by the time you read about it. Still, *knowing* that a feature exists is the first step in learning how it works...

This is a book that will remain close to my home computer, and one that I'll browse through on a regular basis to get those "I missed that feature!" moments...

This missing manual is O'Reilly version of Google Hacks for normal people. Where Google Hacks gives Perl scripts for bending and twisting the Google API at the code level, the Missing Manual covers how to use Google from the web site to find the information, news or images you are looking for. if you don't know that the word Perl is spelled correctly, and you are having trouble finding what you are looking for on Google, this is the book for you.

That's not to say that there isn't some high end stuff. Part four has useful information for web professionals looking to optimize their presence on Google and even to make money from it.

So if all you know about Google is what you see on your browser, and you think you could be getting more out of Google, this book is worth the look. I gave this book five stars because the overall construction of the book is focused, and the content is useful and well written.

You use Google, don't you? With the plethora of print spilled about it, can anything useful be added? Well, Milstein and Dornfest have. They show many options that most users are simply unaware of.

Nifty capabilities that deserve wider knowledge. Perhaps the best is that you can search for an essentially arbitrary alphanumeric string. How is this useful? The string may be an ISBN. The results will often show the book listed under major booksellers like BookFinder, Booksmatter, eCampus and Amazon. Or the string might be a tracking number issued by USPS, DHL, Fedex or UPS. Or course, you could go to those websites and type it there. But if you are a heavy Google user, it may be quicker to start in it. Other useful cases are where that string is a US Patent Number or a Universal Product Code or a Vehicle Id.

But this book is independent of, and not endorsed by, Google. The authors demonstrate this by describing contexts where Google might not be suitable, and other search engines might be more fruitful. Like, if you want to see clustering of results, Google leaves you out of luck. Try Vivisimo instead. In this case, I don't know why Google doesn't offer this capability. Altavista had it in 1998. It surely can't be a technical limitation of Google.

Such examples of when to look elsewhere are reassuring. The authors DO recommend Google. After all, that is what this book is all about. But they are not bedazzled, and readily share with you its boundaries.

A crucial minority of you (Web administrators) may be intensely attracted to the discussion at the end of the book. AnSense and Adwords. These are ways to put ads on your website and (hopefully) derive revenue, and how to advertise on Google, respectively. For some merchants, the latter has lead to heavy sales to a global audience.

A 299-page manual for Google? You've got to be kidding! C'mon, how hard is it to type a word or phrase, hit a button, and get almost instantaneous and nearly always satisfactory results? But I'm a big fan of the Missing Manual series, and have several on my shelf. So I decided to check out "Google - The Missing Manual", and was won over once again after reading only the first few pages. Like every other one I've looked at, this Missing Manual is very well-written. It's logically organized, informative and at the same time entertaining to read

Sure, a simple Google search is easy. But as this manual says (p. 18), performing a simple search is using only 1% of Google's power (and that's as much as 99% of us ever use). If you'd rather be one of the 1% of the people that know how to use 99% of its power, this manual is for you.

Since I rarely read a manual cover-to-cover (and wouldn't remember everything I'd read if I did), two of the first things I check are the Table of Contents and the Index. At first blush, both appear to be complete and easy to use. But beware if you bought an early copy of this book. Due to a printer's error, the first print run went out with "an incomplete and unpleasantly weird index." If you got one of these, go to www.missingmanual.com to download a copy of the correct index.

The book is logically divided into four parts:

Part 1 deals with searches, from simple to complex. If you read this section only, you will learn much. Did you know that Google only recognizes the first ten words when you do a search? So don't bother typing any more than that (the manual has suggestions for how to maximize your use of words in a search). This manual is not just a promotion for Google-I was pleased to see suggestions for other resources to use when Google is NOT the best tool available.

Part 2 is called "The Unknown Google" and covers the Images, News, Directory, Groups, Answers, and Froogle sections of the web site. Images helps you to search a bank of over 880 million images. News collects articles from 4500 news sources. While we think of Google as an excellent way to search the Internet (which it is), Groups and Answers are actually services designed to help put people in touch with other people. Groups allows you to access 20,000 active newsgroups and search the archives of 100,000. Answers provides a way for you to ask questions (for a fee) if you haven't been able to find the answer elsewhere. Froogle is not a store but it searches for products available online and compares them by price. (A subset of Froogle is Catalogs which allows you to search through 6500 conventional catalogs.)

Part 3 "Search Tools" discusses in depth the Google Toolbar and other "Cool Google Tools". Did you know that you can perform Google searches and actually browse the web from your PDA or wireless phone? As the manual says "This feature is serious magic."

Part 4 is titled "Google for Webmasters". Since I'm not one, and don't have a business or website of my own, I did not spend much time reviewing this part. But it appears this section would be especially useful for someone who wants to get their site higher in Google's ranking, or who wants to have Google put advertisements on their website.

A short appendix lists a number of third-party sites that build on Google. Check out the one that lets you type in a list of ingredients, select a food genre, and then spits out a bunch of recipes. For those who are "Google-obsessed" there are links to a number of Google-themed blogs, including one for "those who believe....that Google is evil."

The second edition was only released last month, so all reviews written prior to March 2006 are referring to the first edition. This is a worthwhile upgrade, with about 80% new content from what I can tell from comparing the two editions. This should be no surprise, as Google's usability and features have been growing right along with its stock price over the past two years.

The authors start out with simple features such as the "cached" and "similar pages" links, the little-known but powerful Google Answers, and the timesaving and pop-up-avoiding Google Toolbar. The authors also show how to use Google as a calculator, dictionary and package tracker. Readers will also learn techniques and tricks such as which search words to choose and how to ask for the specific items that Google can find. A full chapter is devoted to Gmail, which is Google's reliable free email service. Part 3 of the book is devoted to webmastering with Google by guiding readers through getting listed in Google, and taking advantage of AdWords, AdSense, and Google Analytics to make money on the Web.

The one new tool that Google sports that worries me is Google Desktop. Google Desktop Search is what you might call a distributed application. Part of the application gets installed onto your own computer, while part of it runs off of Google's Web site. The idea behind coding the application in this manner is that you can visit Google and search either the Internet or your own PC through a single interface. After installing Google Desktop Search, an index is made of the contents of your PC. Included in the index are E-mail messages contained in Outlook and Outlook Express. The software also indexes Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, as well as plain text and AOL Instant Messenger chats. This seems easily exploitable by hackers, and I think that the book should make more of the potential dangers. I notice that Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here:

PART 1: SEARCHING WITH GOOGLE
Chapter 1. Google 101
The Heart of Google: Basic Text Searches
How to Get More out of Google
Two Important Google Quirks
Interpreting Your Results
When Not to Use Google
Nine Very Cool Google Tricks
A Final Tip: Googling Google
Chapter 2. Superior Searching
Have It Your Way: Setting Preferences
Advanced Search
Advanced Search on Steroids
Searching by Language and Country
Searching by Town
Getting Fancy with Syntax
Mixing Syntax
Anatomy of a Google URL

PART 2: GOOGLE TOOLS
Chapter 3. Googling Further: Images, News, Maps, and More
Google Images
Google News
Google Maps
Google Directory
Google Print
Chapter 4. Googling with Others: Groups and Answers
Google Groups
Google Answers
Chapter 5. Shopping with Google
When to Use Froogle
Finding Stuff with Froogle
Chapter 6. The Google Toolbar
The Google Toolbar: Search Faster
Other Browsers with Google Features
Chapter 7. More Cool Google Tools
Alternative Search Boxes
Bookmarklets
Google Desktop Search
Google Deskbar
Experimental Google Tools
Google Wireless
Google SMS

PART 3: GOOGLE FOR WEBMASTERS
Chapter 8. Becoming a Search Result
Getting Your Site Ready for Google
Getting Google's Attention
Does Google Know You're There?
Rising in Google Results
Getting Rid of Google
Adding Google Searches to Your Site
Chapter 9. Making Money with Google
Google AdSense
Google AdWords
Chapter 10. Google Analytics
How Google Analytics Works
Setting Up Google Analytics
A Snapshot of Your Web Traffic
Assessing Your Site
Goal Tracking
Understanding Your Visitors

PART 4: GMAIL
Chapter 11. Gmail
Welcome to Gmail
Composing and Sending Messages
Gmail Mailbox Management
The Contacts List
Adjusting Your Account Settings
Other Cool Gmail Tricks
Three Other Ways of Reading Gmail

PART 5: APPENDIX
Appendix. The Google Wide Web
Sites That Use Google
Sites That Discuss Google

The super search engine has a multitude of features many don't know about. The authors do a first-rate job of describing its features and demonstrating how to use them.

When I start a search, Google is often the first place I go. Over time, I've learned of its new features and applyied tricks here and there. I have found the words to a song when I could only remember a handful of words. The song is no rock 'n roll hit or anything played on the radio.

Heck, save money with Google. A search engine that saves money? Indeed. Froogle is the word. Enter the item and it provides results with prices. I use it for comparison shopping to ensure I get the best deal. Thanks to Froogle, I located a hard to find item for my niece's birthday gift.

The book covers every trick I've learned and read about and taught me a few more. A call comes through, but the person doesn't leave a message. The CallerID shows the phone number and a company name, but it doesn't ring a bell. When I enter the phone number in Google, it provides three results (boy, talk about bad luck as a couple of companies who had the phone number went out of business) and I learn who called as the name that appeared the telecommunications company who provided the service.

The Google API (application program interface) is not covered although it is mentioned as a resource. The purpose of the book is to show how to use Google from a non-programming and non-techie perspective. The authors have accomplished the goal. They briefly cover using Google on Web sites as a search tool and for Ad Sense.

Those looking for hard-core Google tips using the API obviously won't find it in this book. This is a book for all the non-programmers and non-Web designers. Scanning the book takes little time and it's an excellent reference since it's well organized in five parts: techniques, unknown Google, search tools, Google for Webmaster, and an appendix with resources. Also extra nice is the authors' use of other browsers besides Internet Explorer when discussing tools.

One of the reasons the company is popular is for its simplicity. Its home page has hardly anything other than its logo and a search box. The book continues the theme by keeping it simple.

Who would buy or need a computer book on how to use a web search engine? Maybe a person who has ever been to Yahoo.com and is hit with a hundred or so choices of where to click to make an attempt to get what you need, but to write an entire book on how to use Google, the world's simplest and most accurate search engine. What a waste was my first thought?

I knew and use some of the features that lie in the menu above that search box like "Images" when I am looking for a certain picture or "News" for "Up to The Minute" stories but since the book was part of O'Reilly's "Missing Manual" series so I knew it would be well written and good so I figured it would be worthwhile reading. Google: The Missing Manual goes into detail about how this "magical" search engine works and some amazing (and scary) things it can do.

The book opens with a bit of history about Google, which was a concept of two Stanford College grad students in 1995 that had an idea to create a search engine that would rank search results not on data that could be manipulated by web masters but would return results based on the strength of the Internet itself.

The rest of the book is divided into four parts, "Search Techniques", "The Unknown Google", and "Google For Webmasters". Almost all computer users will learn something new from the "Search Techniques" part of the book while "The Unknown Google" goes into detail on Images, News Groups, Shopping and Directory searches. "Search Tools" is an excellent section on how to easily get the most out of your Google searches although much of the info offered relates to Windows users (not Mac) and I found "Google For Webmasters" most interesting since I dabble in webdesign as a hobby.

Overall the book is an interesting read and very informative for anyone who wants to save time and use their time online more efficiently or for a person who relies heavily on the Internet as a source of information. If you are person with a webpage or website, the book is worth the price of admission to increase your Google (and other search engine) rank.

Art Payne - Michigan Apple User Group

The problem with Google is that it does not seem to advertise all of its tools, or for that matter, all the functions within their tools. For instance, did you know that you could search for Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) with Google as see the auto history?

Google: The Missing Manual provides an essential source that brings together all the tools and hidden functions in the tools and puts it into an easy-to-read volume. The book is separated into four main components: searches with Google, general Google tools, Google tools specific to webmasters, and Gmail.

Google searching is the best-known tool that Google offers. It is the most popular web search on the Internet also. However, many of its functions are not as widely known, as they ought to be. This book goes through all the different items besides web pages that can be searched for (phone numbers, UPC codes, tracking numbers, and so on) and then goes into the search syntax. It presents search tools individually in easy-to-digest chunks to make it accessible to even the novice user.

The general Google tools include some of the newest Google tools such as Google Maps, Google Desktop and Google Print. The book goes through these point-by-point to give the reader a solid grasp on the latest tools available. It even includes a chapter on how to shop with Google and integrated Google with your web browser.

There are two tools, in specific, that have been to some measure controversial, Google Desktop and Google Search History. Google Desktop allows you to Google search the files on your computer for words and phrases. Google Desktop has to be explicitly installed and set up, but Google makes it clear (and the book re-emphasizes) that no data from your PC is sent to Google. Google Search History allows you to view previously executed searches (if you have a Google account and are logged in). Some are less than comfortable with the prospect of having all web searches archived, however, there are instructions in the book to delete the data and the service.

Third, the book goes through how to use Google to get the most out of your website. It talks about the rudimentary tasks of getting listed in Google searches and how to use AdSense and AdWords, which is invaluable information for the uninitiated. However, the most interesting chapter is on a tool not yet publicly available (you have to request an account and they grant them on a slow but ongoing basis), Google Analytics. Google Analytics harnesses the power of Google to get the most data and statistics out of your website visitors. It helps you know what keywords work, what your visitors are interested in, and what pages are or are not popular. After reading this section you'll unfortunately have to curb your enthusiasm because you'll have to wait in line like everyone else after you sign up.

Lastly, the book goes through all the power and functions of Google Mail. As a relatively new service, Gmail keeps adding functions for the user. This book has the most up-to-date information on how the manage mailboxes; work with the contact list, and setting up keyboard shortcuts. Unfortunately with the speed of Gmail development some functions like Google Talk integration are missed by the time the book hit the shelves.

All in all, the book is a solid resource for anyone trying to get the most out of Google and harness that many powerful tools Google brings to bear.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who uses Google frequently. My ability to use Google has improved 100% since I read this book. The book is well organized and starts with the best way to do a basic search, then moves on to advanced searching. It is filled with tips that help immensly. Although many advanced techniques are covered, it is a very readable book. It also shows how to use the "Unknown Google"--images, news, froogle, and the directory. I was also very interested to learn how Google does what it does, and why it is different from the other search engines. At the end the book has a chapter for webmasters and a chapter on making money with Google.

My initial reaction when I picked up this book was that as a power user of Google it would only contain a few items that I didn't already know. I could not have been more wrong. I soon realized that although I have used Google regularly for several years I know very little about how to use it efficiently to get the results I want. But that situation has changed thanks to this book. If you have an Internet connection and you do anything with Google you should get a copy of this book. When you are done reading it you will have a new respect for Google and how it can make your life easier is so many ways, including a lot of different uses besides as an Internet search engine. There is even some humor in the book, like changing the language to Elmer Fudd for some humorous spellings. "Google: The Missing Manual" is highly recommended and truly the missing manual.