Slashdot Mirror
Web Search Garage
For experienced net researchers and the search-engine savvy among us, the book may well not live up to the promise, though for a large number of 'net users out there it may be just the thing. Where Calishain's previous book, Google Hacks , covered one search engine in great depth in a fairly technical way, this book covers the entire topic of web research in a more friendly manner and language, leaving out the more technical topics of APIs and programming interfaces to spend more time covering advanced search syntaxes and off-the-beaten path search engines and directories.
Calishain has for quite a while written well-researched, informative articles on search engines and research for her weekly newsletter and website ResearchBuzz and the time she has spent on the topic and writing experience have informed this volume. She starts out with the absolute basics, the difference between a search engine (Google) and a searchable subject index (Yahoo) before going on to cover how to get the best out of each.
The book also covers a wide range of search related topics such as finding jobs, local information, multimedia or information about people and Genealogy. Almanacs, dictionaries and encyclopedia get covered. It's hard to think of something missing. Calishain has also taken a great deal of care with her topics. In the section on searching for drugs and medical information, for example, she stresses checking the reliability of your sources.
If you visit Calishain's site for the book at Web Search Garage (which redirects to the book's page at her ResearchBuzz site) there is a link to the table of contents and an example chapter. She also has two 'freebie' articles, 'Four Things Yahoo Can Do that Google Can't' and 'Seven Ways to Save Time Searching' that are further good examples of her writing and the usefulness of the content. She also has an offer for a free six-month subscription to ResearchBuzzExtra, her paid extension to ResearchBuzz.
This volume has gone for breadth instead of depth. That, and the low starting point should make it an ideal beginners book. Since I had on hand my daughter Jessica (a slightly tech-savvy twelve-year-old with a brand-new broadband connection), I lent her my review copy of the book. The response:
"This book is absolutely fantastic and I love it to death! I loved how Tara writes about Google and Yahoo and also about smaller search engines. By reading this book you find out how to find the exact information that you want. Also there are many websites in this book that are very helpful. To make the most of them I wrote them down then later checked them out on the internet. There are heaps of helpful sites for kids and heaps for all ages. Sites for fun and sites for information. I love that it is written as if Tara is talking to you and you are just reading instead of listening. It's a really cool book but if you are going to read it you need to know a little about searching the internet first. A really great book."
Jessica is correct about the language. Tara has written in a light, conversational style that lends itself to quick reading. At the same time either the writing or the editing has been quite tight, the information is packed in. This is a book that needs, indeed deserves, a second read.
The perfect book for the average web user who wants to improve his research skills. I'd put this one in the Christmas stocking for all those people who are getting a new computer or a new broadband connection. That's not to say that the more technical savvy will find nothing in this book, so if you give a copy to someone, either read it first or borrow it back -- you may find it worth enough to get your own copy.
You can purchase Web Search Garage from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
http://google.com
The end.
Much better than Cats. I will read it again and again.
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
Google Link ;)
With everyone and their brother developing a seach portal (or an online music store) I think it's a far better ideal to lean how to use Google; you countries locale and/or the Google Hacks book. Really, there's not much I haven't been able to do/find with Google.
CB&(*@#$
free ipod and free gmail!
google is great.. let me say that first. But, when you are looking for professional services, listings, and more commercial solutions to your problem, i find that yahoo does slightly better ( i still try to stick to google). that said, i hope google isn't trying to become more like yahoo... simpler is always better
it just amazes me that people need to buy a book to learn to type something into a search box and click "search"
you know.. idiot-proof something and yet there is still an entire industry out there for explaining the simple.
anime+manga together at last.. in real time.
Discovery Channel is launching Monster Web Search Garage.
Coming up on Web Search Garage, we'll be retrofitting this Google appliance with a snazzy user interface, chrome trim, a spoiler and leather seats. Stay tuned to Web Search Garage, right here on TNN.
Unknown host pong.
Dood your daughter writes better than you!
:P
t ent/homework.html/
:)
At first pass I simply refused to believe this 12 year old net savy (net sp3akin?) child wrote that blurb.
Are you sure daddy didn't help you with your assignment?http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/con
Yo Grark
Canadian Bred with American Buttering
His 12 year old writes better than the average senior in high school, unless daddy did some heavy editing. That girl should be writing books by the time she finishes her senior year. Perhaps she can write a textbook for high school English, _How to Write Better than the Average Ape_.
When I think "find it fast" and "less junk," the LAST thing that comes to mind is my garage....
Hell, now *that* would be useful. Where's the damn tyre pump? Have you kids had my screwdrivers? Where are the firelighters for the barbie?
I'd buy that for a dollar.
It's quite simple really....
Since Google appears to be nearing their 4GB page index limit, do this:
Delete ALL (YES *ALL*) indexed webpages except the homepage.
Example:
Why index:
http://www.example.com/
http://subdomain.examp
http://www.example.com/thispage/
http://
When all you really need to index is just:
http://www.example.com/
Added to that, Google has already been 'spamdexed' by online retailers -- 'about 1,650,000 pages' indexed by Google from one particular online retail giant's domain alone!
This approach will also kill off all pages like this:
http://www.example.com/~ispcustomer/
and make it harder, for example, to find useful info in a particular labyrinthine website I freqent via Google on an ongoing basis as needed.
For the 'ispcustomers': if you truly value your information in such a context, buy a
Then the next thing that could be done is to make it easy to report 'spamdexed' domains and 'link farms' so they can ALL be automatically purged from the Google database as needed. To avoid 'Joe Jobs', this purging does not extend to the domains listed on the pages hosted at the offending domains.
Problem solved.
It would be helpful if Google implemented these changes--if possible. If not, a brand-new search engine using these techniques above and some kind of 'PageRank' algorithm that is better than the one that Google came up with will become in part the fabled 'Google-killer' as Google still has the assest of the 'entire' USENET archive dating back to 1981 if I am not mistaken.
It took me a good 5 minutes to figure out this review was on a book, not an actual search engine. I thought someone was out to top Google!
-----
Make Love not [Browser] War!