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Google: The Missing Manual
Looking at the table of contents (for some reason PDF only), I figured out the book might be useful for someone relatively new to the Internet with intrinsic fear of doing something wrong (which pretty much describes my parents as well as their friends within the same age group). Chapters 8 and 9 on Web-mastering with Google might be useful, as it talks about buying AdWords for ad campaigns and serving AdSense for making money off the Web site. Still, I was interested to see what the book had to offer and started reading from Chapter 1, only to find this useful tip on page 24:
A lot of people probably knew this, but Google allows you to do a phrase search even if you don't have an idea of what the complete phrase looks like. Wildcard search allows one to use an asterisk for any word that's missing. Google will fill it in automatically. Pretty useful for finding the lyrics for that song you heard on the radio, but couldn't figure out the last word.
But this is not a Google tutorial: it turned out to be surprisingly useful even for me, someone who uses Google probably about a hundred times a day. Google features have that feeling of serendipity, where you can use the engine just fine without knowing anything advanced, but once you discover a few shortcuts, there's truly no replacement. For example, the book tells you what kind of numbers can be usefully entered into the Google search window: you can search for area codes, ISBN numbers, UPC numbers, flight numbers, Fedex/UPS/USPS tracking numbers as well as vehicle ID numbers (btw, the car is for sale).
Chapter 4 is very informative for Google's less frequently used services - Groups and Answers. While Google Groups and the Usenet search are probably bookmarked by any geek out there, not many people know that Google runs a paid service that can help you if you're just stuck with no results. Moreover, once the answer is posted and someone has paid for it, Google allows all the visitors to browse it for free, and some advice, for example, in small business section, can save a trip to the lawyer or paid consultant. The book takes the reader through the process of setting up an Answers account (which is actually the same account as the one for Groups) and asking informative questions requiring additional research.
Google: The Missing Manual is a pleasant book to read. Lots of screenshots (although all black-and-white), detailed information on the services and quite useful tips for newbies as well as professionals, clearly marked chapters, notes and tips spread throughout the book all make for a good reading experience. It's interesting URLs like this one that show that the authors really put time and effort into creating a book that's fun as well as informative.
Will the book be useful for an average Slashdot reader? Unlikely, since most of the information is already out there and most of the people here don't need a hand-holding walk-through into Google services. Will it be useful for Webmasters? Most of the tips I've read in the last two chapters were pretty much something I knew before. It's not something you need when you've had your own Web site for a few years, but the book is pretty good if you've just started up building Web pages. Also, since so many features have been only recently introduced, the book doesn't cover things like graphic ads in AdSense or Gmail accounts.
For someone quite unexperienced with the Internet or those seeking to gain expertise in Google services and broaden their research skills, though, it is a useful, fun-to-read title. It's not expensive either, so while I think for most of the geeks it's redundant, it would be a good gift for those in the family who keep calling and asking questions that begin with "Where do I find...?"
You can purchase Google: The Missing Manual from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews. To see your own review here, carefully read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
Well, when a hairdryer needs a warning label about use in the shower.......
Beware of he who would deny you access to information, for in his heart he dreams himself your master.
Step Two: Hit Enter
I'm not so surprised that O'Reilly has published a manual for Google. What surprises me is that they got 224 pages out of it.
224 pages! My god, the style guide and word processing manual here at work, toegther, don't even come to 224 pages.
What in the name of the Eversmiling Buddha could possibly fill those pages? "You may type 'AND' between search terms. To type the word 'AND', do not use the apostrophes. Find your keyboard. Locate the 'A' key..."?
www.kitchengeek.com -- Nosh for
Cheers,
Erick
http://www.busyweather.com/
Slashdot, The Missing Manual
There are tons of little aspects to google that you probably don't know about.
One of my favourites is the define option...
type into google define:whatever and it will come back will a list of defintions, can be very handy sometimes.
Ok, maybe it saves trees or even recycled trees for better use. I personally find using online documentation a massive bother. I shelled for an expensive software package in the past, a few times, only to find no books or even decent installation instructions were included. I like a good copy of reference completely separate from the workstation or laptop. Often I'd like to go find a comfortable place to sit and read, or even read up on something while in line, flying or anywhere else I can make productive used of a few minutes, such as the doctor or dentist. A CD with a manual on it isn't quite going to work. Futher, I waste battery time if I'm trying to learn while on a laptop. Perhaps the best reason of all, though, is because I can put those yellow Post-It notes in the pages I frequently need to return to. A manual for Google? Well, that's not a bad idea, but I think Google has a very simple and intuitive interface. The only thing I think anyone needs to know is how to construct searches properly. Maybe I'm not the audience and the manual is targetted toward someone who hasn't spend their life around computers or written their own search engine (it existed for 5 years where I once worked, the replacement is horrible and I'm sure they paid well for that improvement.) The worst thing about search engines is the 'special knowledge' you need to be savvy. How to avoid being tricked into a site which isn't anything like you are looking for, but has a pile of key words in a header somewhere to get a high Google score. I suppose a book could teach you some of that, but the rest comes with experience.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Call me stupid, but it doesn't look like this book has anything that Google Hacks doesn't have...
Also, the book reviewed is available on Amazon for four dollars less. Don't pay the /. tax.
When more computer novices entered the market for computers and software in the 90's and I suppose up until now, manuals were being used less and less percentage wise. I'm sure it's expensive for software developers to publish them and so if no one reads them, then why bother? The "for Dummies" series and other publishers took over because they could provide manuals for people's specific needs. If you had no clue what you were doing, there was a manual for that. If you were skilled, but wanted a good technical reference, you had your books. The old way of the "one level fits all" manual style became too obtuse for the customers.
The last manual I've read in a long long time was the Gentoo handbook. That was an example of the old style one level fits all, but they just happened to do a very good job and it worked. They combined good explainations along with technical information. For something like windows, you're dealing with system admins and complete idiots. There is no way Microsoft could make a manual to satisfy the needs of 90% of their customers, so they don't bother. Many other companies obviously do the same.
If you don't believe me that novices have difficulty with one level fits all technical manuals, print out some man pages and see how many people can understand them.
I really like the google guide.
http://www.googleguide.com/
I used it a few times to teach some classes on how to search the internet.
Here a Sig There a Sig Everywhere a Sig Sig...
We are all geeks here, so yeah it's ridiculous to us. But I see this as being an awesome book, and required reading for people getting into computers with the will to learn
See, if you go out looking for something obscure, you'll find it perfectly in 15 minutes or fewer. But I have friends who work as researchers for Harvard Univeristy and are considered the bomb and a bag of Fritos basically because of this ability. It's not second nature to most people to start using quoted phrases, alternative spellings, excluded matches, and cached pages with their handy highlights. Most folks have never clicked "I'm feeling lucky," or even know what it does. And good luck explaining to someone when you should use the directory, what pagerank is (and isn't) good for, how to find GIS results, or foreign language results. Yes the product is simple, but it is huge
Also, most people don't understand formal logic. Best Google-foo artist I know: a philosophy major. Try explaining even a concept so seemingly basic as implication to a random non math non geek. It's like the Mr. Wizard with the apple and pear slices. "So, if X implies Y, and I have Y, what can I infer?" They'll say "X" every time. Toss in a little logic, a little set theory, and I'm guessing that book could be even bigger than it is. And that's not counting Froogle or the toolbar or Gmail or anything.
I'd buy it. I probably will. And I'll make my LSAT students read it.
adam b.
Not if you're doing a phrase search, ie with quotes, matches the entire phrase.
"Netcraft confirms: * is dying"
and
"Netcraft confirms: is dying"
and
Netcraft confirms is dying
Are wholly different.
Sounds like you need this book!
I don't need no instructions to know how to rock!!!!
451 furlongs/fortnight in km/hr and you get back:
451 (furlongs / fortnight) = 0.270020143 km / hr
or type: 387 btu/hr in watts
and get: 387 (btu / hr) = 113.418504 Watts
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro" -- HST
Wildcard search allows one to use an asterisk for any word that's missing. Google will fill it in automatically. Pretty useful for finding the lyrics for that song you heard on the radio, but couldn't figure out the last word.
If you were missing the last word, you could just type in the part you remember ( the first X words ) and it would do the exact same thing as the wildcard!
Wildcard is usefull when you have a phrase you want to search for that can include generalities. For example, "The crooks at SCO are a bunch of * *" could match:
Not mentioned in this write up (but perhaps in the book?) is this:
-qqqqqqqq site:slashdot.org
Placing something impossible (like 8 Qs) in the "without the words" field on the Advanced Search page combined with entering a site in the "Domain" field will get you a listing of ALL of the pages on that website!
Well, unless the robots.txt file blocks certain pages/directories... but most sites don't do this. I don't know how many times I've used this trick to find more pr0... err, I mean, information on a website.
For example: Remember that Slashdot story about tired.com? It bugged me that there was only one page on the site... so I pulled out my google trick and found these. Nothing amazing, but fun.
Visit the Game Programming Wiki!
Bug: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q= 10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000000000+light+years+to+ picometers&btnG=Search
"inf picometers" :)
"'Yrch!' said Legolas, falling into his own tongue."
On a related note, Soople.com offers a sort of "GUI" for Google's more advanced features. Yes most of us on Slashdot can remember/figure out how to search for specific file types or look up a phone number via the command-prompt framework, but Soople puts them out front.
It can work pretty well for those proverbial parents/grandparents who don't quite "get" it.
So close and yet so far from the world's perfect ID number
Actually, a user manual for telephones would be useful. A full list of all the # and * functions is hard to find.
If anyone doesn't know, you can put your tracking number for UPS, FedEx or USPS into google and it'll give you a direct link to their tracking service. Very handy.
"Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Although I'm suprised 1 light years to picometers works!
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
Just open it at a random page and you'll be ok...
Z