how to do it TM

Computers & Technology

Using Google ™
published by Barnes & Noble

Step up your search.

There’s more to the world’s most popular search engine than that simple white
homepage. Google is a powerful tool for finding virtually anything you need online,
from the right website to the right image to the right bargain. Learn to:

• Use advanced web search tricks that make standard searches more powerful

• Search images, news, groups, video, online retailers, books, emails, and more

• Explore Google’s newer features, from Google Book Search to Google Earth

• Locate a specific web page they assume, or know, • Google Web (www.google.com): Google’s default
Google Basics exists (e.g., the homepage of the American Red Cross) search engine, which combs the world wide web.
Google is the world’s largest search engine, and certainly • Find information (e.g., the amount of money the Red • Google Images (images.google.com): Google’s search
one of the most popular. Fifty-five percent of web searches Cross raised for tsunami relief in 2005) from any engine for photos, icons, drawings, maps, and a variety
are conducted using Google. It’s a simple and effective tool web source of other web images.
for navigating the world wide web. • Google Groups (groups.google.com): More than
Beyond basic searches, you can utilize Google for more 30,000 discussion groups organized by topic, plus a
Why Choose Google? sophisticated or personalized functions, such as tracking searchable database that dates back to 1981.
Many web browsers prefer Google for its: news stories of interest to you, viewing merchandise within • Google News (news.google.com): Google’s database
your set price range, or joining discussion groups related to of current news articles, updated by the minute, from
• Simplicity: Unlike websites that feel like commercial your professional or recreational interests. To peruse the more than 4,000 media sources.
mazes, Google’s homepage is not cluttered with links array of Google offerings, check out www.google.com/intl/ • Google Product Search (www.google.com/products):
to other pages or loud banners on the periphery of the en/options/index.html. A search engine for online merchandise that organizes
page. As a gateway to the internet, Google has a simple search results to facilitate product comparison.
design: before it leads you to the world wide web’s How Does Google Work? • Google Local/Maps (maps.google.com): A localized
plethora of options, it lets you define your search in a Ever wonder how Google works its magic? Here’s a sum- search engine for regional business information, maps,
blank search box, which is surrounded by white space. mary of what goes on behind the computer screen: driving directions, and other information specific to
• Scope: The Google search engine combs the text of your area code.
billions of web pages to produce results that correspond 1. Google’s computers constantly crawl the web and track • Google Scholar (scholar.google.com): A database of
with your keywords. And while some other popular the content of web pages in a database called an index, scholarly research and literature that archives academic
engines search text only, Google also searches the which has more than eight billion pages catalogued. papers, theses, books, abstracts, and articles.
content of PDFs and a variety of other file formats. 2. You type keywords into the Google homepage and
• Relevance: Google has developed a fine-tuned system press Enter, prompting Google to comb through its You can find direct links to Google Images, Video, News,
for determining which pages are most relevant to your vast index. Maps, and Gmail on the Google homepage. All five links are
keywords. You won’t have to sift through excessive 3. Google uses its unique algorithm to determine which located at the top left of the page.
spam in your search results; Google typically brings you web pages are the most relevant to your keywords. To access Google’s other programs, click on “About
pages suited to what you’re looking for. This algorithm is based on millions of variables, the Google” on the homepage, then on “Google Services
• Ads: When looking at a search results page, it’s easy most important being PageRank—how many other web and Tools.” This will take you to a complete list of Google
to distinguish between the pages Google has ranked pages link to a given web page, hinting at its popularity cousins, from Google Finance to Google’s Blogger. Though
according to relevance and the paid advertising in the among browsers like you. the “More Google Products” page is not quite as plain and
right-hand margin of the page. All ads are listed sep­ 4. Google presents you with pages of search results to intuitive as the main Google homepage, the programs are
arately under the heading “Sponsored Links,” with no click through. Each page displays 10 results. organized alphabetically to help you locate the one that
distracting images or pesky pop-ups. you need.

How to Use Google Navigation Tip

Once you’ve arrived at Google’s familiar homepage, the first When using any Google website, you can return quickly to
step is to choose a search engine. While most people stick the Google Web homepage by clicking on the large “Google”
with Google Web, Google’s default engine, the alternative icon in the upper left corner. This multicolored icon appears
search engines that Google offers may be better suited to on just about every Google-related page.
your web hunt.
Advanced Search
Selecting the Right Google If you want to refine your query after running it, click on the
Additional Google search engines, such as Google News Advanced Search link on Google’s homepage. Advanced
and Google Scholar, allow you to perform specific types of Search gives you an array of options to help specify your
searches within different Google databases. Some impor- query—according to date, domain, file format, and so
What Can You Use Google For? tant Google search engines are: on—and it can eliminate hundreds or even thousands of
You can use Google to locate just about anything on the irrelevant search results.
web, from the population of Tuvalu to the address of the
nearest laundromat. People generally use Google to:
 www.quamut.com Using Google

Double .. Signifies a range be- 1996..1999

If you think of ways to specify or narrow your search • Are there keywords that Google ignores? Yes.
period tween two numbers
after you’ve already submitted a standard query, you can Google disregards many common words, or stop words
still utilize the Advanced Search tools without having to start (e.g., “the,” “an,” “where”), as well as single digits and Pipe | Functions just like Plane|airline
from scratch. Just click the Advanced Search link at the top letters, for the sake of running more efficient searches. the word “OR,” tell-
of your Search Results page. If there is a stop word that you want Google to read, ing Google to search
include it in a phrase inside it within quotation marks for either of the key-
words alongside it
Customizing Google (e.g., “The Daily Show”).
If you are a frequent Google user, consider customizing • Do I need to use the word “and” between key­ Defining Your Search
Google according to your search needs and personal prefer- words to tell Google to find all of them? Google Anyone can type a couple of words into Google and press
ences. It takes just a few seconds to tell Google how you like assumes you mean “and” between each separate Enter. But using Google to find precisely what you want is a
your searches conducted and how you want your search re- keyword so it automatically searches for web pages skill that requires some knowledge and practice. Here are a
sults displayed. Click on the Preferences (www.google.com/ that include all of the keywords. Therefore, it’s not few tips on how to run expert Google searches:
preferences) link on the Google homepage or any Search necessary to type “and” or to use the plus sign (+)
Results page to adjust the following settings: between keywords. • Make your keywords specific. Your keywords are the
• What does the word “OR” tell Google? By placing only instructions Google has to go on; the more specific
• Interface Language: In what language do you want “OR” in between keywords, you’re telling Google to you make them, the more clues Google can use.
Google to communicate with you? search for the web pages containing either one of Instead of “design class,” try “graphic design course
• Search Language: Do you want to search for pages those keywords (“OR” is the only Boolean search term instructor,” to increase the likelihood that you’ll end up
written in a particular language? that Google reads). on an academic page, not a commercial one.
• Filtering: Do you want to turn up or down the Google • Does the order of my keywords matter? Yes. • Brainstorm synonyms. If you’re not sure that one
SafeSearch (www.google.com/intl/en/help/customize. Google assumes that the first word you type is the keyword is specific enough to turn up what you’re
html#safe) filter? most important one, the second is the next most looking for, type the word “OR,” then tack on a syno-
• Number of search results: Do you want to view more important, and so on. So bear this prioritization in nym for your keyword (e.g., Paris accommodation OR
than 10 results per page? mind before you type. hostels). Also bear in mind that tacking a letter ‘s’ on
• Search Results window: Do you want a new browser • What if I want to search for a particular phrase? the end of a noun (e.g., Accommodations) will alter
window to open up every time you click on a search Type the exact phrase within quotation marks to run your search. Try typing your keyword in both singular
result? (If you find it bothersome to click the forward a phrase search. Otherwise, Google will not keep the and plural form, with “OR” between them.
and backward arrows, try adjusting this setting.) phrase intact and instead will search for each keyword • Use wildcards. Rather than ask Google for informa-
anywhere on a web page. tion in question form (“How many legs does a spider
• Does Google use wildcards? If you aren’t sure about have?”), write out a statement with an asterisk inserted
How to Use Google Web Search the exact spelling of a keyword, Google won’t allow you as a blank (“A spider has * legs”). You can also just use
Everyone who has ever run a query in Google knows the to use the asterisk in place of the missing letter(s) of an unfinished sentence (“John Kennedy ran against”)
frustration of getting thousands of search results that are that word. However, Google does read the asterisk as and let Google lead you to the complete version.
far too broad or just plain irrelevant. Knowing a few basic a full-word wildcard (e.g., “Athens hosted the Olympics • Learn syntax operators. There are a few handy codes
rules about web searching will help you drive your Google * years ago”). that enable you to guide your Google search more
searches more expertly and efficiently. • Are there keyword shortcuts or codes I can use? deftly. For example, since the URL of a website such
Yes. These codes can save you a great deal of time: as www.cheaptickets.com can indicate or at least hint
Search Basics at its purpose and content, telling Google to search
Before you fire up the Google engine, take a moment to Shortcut Code Function Example only page URLs for your keyword (“tickets”) could
review the answers to these common search questions. Tilde ~ Commands Google ~toads quicken your search. Simply type one of the operators
to look for syn- listed below, followed by a colon, then your keyword
• How many words can I type in the box? Google onyms of a particu- (inurl:tickets). Be sure not to put a space before or after
allows you to type in up to 32 words, or keywords, in lar word. the colon.
the search box. Though most web users type fewer Asterisk * Tells Google that Meryl Streep • Intitle: Looks for pages whose titles contain
than 32 keywords, brainstorming more than one or there is a blank has won * your keyword.
two can hone your web search tremendously. in your keyword Oscars • Allinthetitle: Looks for pages whose titles contain
• Does it matter whether I capitalize my keywords? phrase, or a wild all the keywords you list.
No. Google is not case-sensitive, which means it does card • Inurl: Looks for page URLs that contain your keyword.
not take capitalization into account. Minus - Commands Google bush -george • Allinurl: Looks for page URLs that contain all of the
• What if I misspell my keywords? Google recognizes sign to exclude all pages keywords you list.
common misspellings and often suggests alternative containing the key- • Intext: Looks only in the text of a web page and not
spellings in italics (e.g., “Did you mean aquarium?”) at word directly follow- in the URL, title, or links.
the top of your Search Results page. However, if your ing the minus sign • Inanchor: Looks only for pages with links that
keyword is misspelled in an uncommon way, Google Plus sign + Commands Google Spiderman contain your keywords. Helpful for finding
might not catch the error. If you’re unsure about how to to include the word +3 email addresses.
spell your keyword, type in two or three likely spellings placed directly after
with the word “OR” between them. the +, rather than Starting the Google Engine
• Does punctuation matter? Google reads apos­ disregarding it as a Once you’ve chosen your keywords, and perhaps a few syn-
trophes, hyphens, and quotation marks but ignores stop word tax operators, you’re ready to search. You can click on one
most other punctuation, such as single periods. of two gray bars below the search box to get started:

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its readers and should not be used as a basis for making medical, investment, legal or other important
decisions. Though Quamut makes efforts to create accurate guides, editorial and research mistakes can
occur. Quamut cannot, therefore, guarantee the accuracy of its guides. We disclaim all warranties, including
www.quamut.com
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, and must advise you to use our guides at Copyright © 2007 Quamut
your own risk. Quamut and its employees are not liable for loss of any nature resulting from the use of or
All rights reserved.
reliance upon our charts and the information found therein.
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Printed in the United States
Photo Credit: Page 1: Ferruccio/Alamy.

Writer: Colleen Kinder

 www.quamut.com Using Google

• Google Search: This button functions just like the preferences) so that each search result you click is opened • Maps: Type a complete address and Google
Return or Enter key; it commands the search engine in a new window. includes a map at the top of the search results
to find and compile the web pages most relevant to (e.g., “23 Mulberry Street, NY, NY 10013”).
your keywords. Searching Within Your Results • Patents: Visit www.google.com/patents.
• I’m Feeling Lucky: This seldom-used shortcut sends If your Google search results are too broad and you think • Flight Numbers: Type the airline plus the flight
you directly to your first search result, bypassing the of a better keyword, it’s not too late to refine your search. number to check the flight status (e.g., “Delta 1440”).
actual Search Results page. This shortcut is useful if Rather than start all over, click on the “Search within • Postal tracking codes: Type your FedEx, UPS, or
you have confidence in the specificity of your keywords results” link at the bottom of the page. USPS tracking number (e.g., “046049211045501”).
or are looking for something extremely obvious. • Movies: Type “movies” or “showtimes” plus the
Keyboard Shortcuts name of your city (e.g., “movies Houston”).
Sifting through Your Results Using keyboard commands can rapidly speed up the pro-
Google presents your search results in a simple, vertical cess of combing through your search results.
column that’s easy to scroll and click through. The page that How to Use Advanced Search
Google thinks is most relevant is listed first, and the rest are Command Windows Mac By wandering one click away from the Google homepage to
ranked below, in descending order of relevance. Advanced Search, you can customize your Google search in
Open this page Ctrl+L Command+O
Understanding all the features of the Search Results many ways. 95% of web users never use Advanced Search
page can help you evaluate each suggested page quickly Open new Ctrl+N Command+N features and remain unaware of how helpful these special
and decide whether it’s worth viewing, thereby saving you browser window controls can be. Using Advanced Search options helps you:
time. Below are the various components of each search Find text on page Ctrl+F Command+F
result listing: • Give Google highly specific directions about what
Copy highlighted Ctrl+C Command+C you’re seeking
• Page title: The name of the page text • Eliminate the need for syntax operators, such
• URL: The full page address (with your keywords bolded Paste copied text Ctrl+V Command+V as “allinurl”
if it contains them) • Confine your search to a specific type of domain, file
Print page Ctrl+P Command+P
• Text: A few sentences that give you a sense of the format, or particular website
content you’ll find on the page • Exclude certain content that you’re not interested in or
• Page size: The number of kilobytes in the page’s text More Google Tricks that you’re offended by
portion, which hints at how complex the page is Google does much more than search for keywords. It also:
• Cache: The “cached” link takes you to the last version 12 Ways to Advance Your Search
of the page that Google recorded, helping you uncover • Defines: Type “define” plus a keyword to view a 1. Keyword Instructions: In place of a single keyword
older material or material that no longer exists online. definition at the top of your search results. search box, Advanced Search offers four different
• Similar pages: Brings you to other pages that have • Calculates: Enter an equation, such as 1+1, in the fields in the top, blue portion of the Advanced Search
been categorized as this one has search box, and Google will do the math. page. These four fields allow you to give Google various
• File format: An abbreviation (pdf, xls, ppt) directly • Converts: Google can switch miles to kilometers, search directions all at once.
before the page title that signals that the page is a change dollars to pounds, and perform many other unit
formatted document (you can choose to view it in conversions (e.g., “5 USD in Mexican pesos”). Search Box Title Functions Like Syntax Code
HTML format to save yourself the time of opening • Locates: With all of the words and
the document) • Phone numbers: Enter any combination of first or
With the exact phrase “”
• More Results: If your search result is indented, this last name, as well as city, state, and area code
means it is another page from the same site as the (e.g., “Doris Stevens Albany”). With at least one of or
page above it; click “More results” if you’re interested • Stock quotes: Type the stock ticker symbol the words
in seeing more relevant pages from this same site. (e.g., “YHOO”).
Without the words -
• Weather: Type “weather” followed by a city name
If clicking the forward and back arrows is making your head to find the most recent forecast (e.g., “weather 2. Number of Search Results: This setting gives you the
spin, adjust your Google preferences (www.google.com/ Tallahassee”). choice of viewing more search results than Google’s
default 10 per page. You can view up to 100 search
results on the same page, and since scrolling is quicker
than clicking, this is a time-saver.
3. Language: Unless you alter this setting, Google
will suggest pages in any language, so long as they
correspond with your keywords. Switch this lan­
guage setting if you’re only interested in pages in a
certain language.
4. File Format: This setting enables you to look for a
specific type of file, such as a PDF or a PowerPoint file.
You can also exclude one of these formats from your
search by changing the “only” setting to “don’t.”
5. Date: Adjust this setting to tell Google to search only
pages that it has indexed or gathered information about
in one of these time periods: the last three months, last
six months, last year, or any time.
6. Occurrences: This setting allows you to search a
particular part of a page only—such as the text or links.
This is helpful if you’re looking for an email address or a
particular phrase or sentence.
7. Domain: This setting limits your search to a particular
domain, such as “.edu” or “.gov.” You can also exclude
any domain from your search by switching “only”
to “don’t.”
8. Safe Search: This setting lets you control the content
filter by turning it on or off. To learn more about
what Google considers offensive content, click the
SafeSearch link (www.google.com/intl/en/help/
customize.html#safe).

the Google search result page

 www.quamut.com Using Google

search to a particular website or domain.

• SafeSearch: This setting lets you set the content
filter to None, Moderate, or Strict. If you suspect
your keywords might turn up pornographic content,
changing the filter can block offensive images from
your computer screen.

Perusing Your Images

Once you’ve tinkered with the Advanced Image Search set-
tings and entered your keywords, Google Image presents
its suggested images. The search results page for Google
Image looks different from the Google Web search results,
mainly because each search result is displayed as a thumb-
nail-sized image. If you’re interested in a particular image,
you have four options:

1. Zoom in: If you click on any search result, Google

Image shows you a larger version of this image for
closer examination. From there, you have the option of
viewing an even larger version by clicking the “See full-
size image” link.
2. Go straight to the page: Click on the search result,
then on the “original context” link for a full-screen
image of the page.
3. Click on “More Results From”: If Google has found
other relevant images on the same website, this tab
signals that. Click on the link to view more.
4. Print Preview: Once you isolate the image, click Print
Preview from the File menu to zoom in and out.
the Google advanced search page
If you find yourself scanning rapidly through the Google
9. Usage Rights: This feature aids you in searching for • Consider the captions. It might help to come up with Image search results, you might want to revisit Preferences
published content that you can copy or redistribute. keywords that are likely to appear in an image’s caption and increase the number of results displayed per page.
10. Page-Specific Search—Similar: This function tells or in the surrounding text.
Google to display any pages that it categorizes as • Use syntax operators. If you want to narrow your image
similar to the URL you type in the search box. search quickly, these four operators can help: How to Use Google News
11. Page-Specific Search—Links: This function com­ Though just about every daily newspaper has a searchable
mands Google to find all of the pages that link to the Operator Function Example website, Google News compiles the latest articles from the
URL you type into the search box. This is an easy way to world’s major media outlets just minutes after they break.
Site Search for images “site:facebook.
check out who’s linking to your personal website. only on a particular com”; Many web browsers count on Google News as a reliable and
12. Topic-Specific Search: Helps you confine your domain or site “domain:de” user-friendly news source because it offers:
search to a particular archive that Google has (Germany)
compiled, like Google Scholar or all pages affiliated • A wide, unbiased range of news stories from more than
with Microsoft Corp. Filetype Find only images in “filetype:jpeg” 4,500 worldwide media sources
a particular format • Up-to-the-minute news coverage, with stories ranked
by how recently they broke
How to Use Google Image Search Intitle Find images only
on pages whose
“intitle:kites”
• Easy comparison of how different media outlets cover
While the Google Web engine searches for text, Google Im- titles contain your a particular story
age scours the web for photos, drawings, icons, maps, and keywords • Email alerts to keep you abreast of the topics that
posters that correspond with your keywords. interest you most
Inurl Find images only “inurl:sushi”
• Organization of major news by topic and world region,
on pages whose
as well as categories you customize
URLs contain your
keywords
Searching Google News
Advanced Image Searching Google News searches work like Google Web searches:
Many people already have an image in mind when they go to
Google Image. The Advanced Search fields for Google Image 1. Enter your keyword(s) into the search box.
help you gear the Google search in the direction you want. 2. Consider adding one or both of these syntax oper­
The following settings will help you customize an Advanced ators, which can be extremely helpful in narrowing
Image Search: news queries:
A. Intitle: If you want the keyword(s) to appear in the
• Keywords: These four fields let you specify exactly news headline itself (Intitle:Pelosi)
what Google Image does with your various keywords. B. Source: If you want to confine your search to a
• Size: This is an option to limit your search to images particular media outlet (Source:CNN)
that are a small, medium, or large number of pixels. 3. The headlines Google News suggests in your search
Google Image search results Because loading images can be time-consuming, results can be sorted by:
selecting “small” is one way to quicken your Google A. Relevance: How related the new stories are to
Image Keywords Image search. your keywords
Google Image works similarly to Google Web, but there are a • Filetypes: This setting lets you specify the format of B. Date: How recently these related stories broke
few things to bear in mind as you brainstorm keywords: the image you’re seeking (e.g., JPG, GIF, PNG). (3 minutes to 30 days)
• Coloration: This setting lets you specify whether you 4. To read the full text of a news story on the website of
• Get specific, but be concise. Though it always helps want to look for black-and-white, grayscale, or full- media outlet, click on the title. Because some news
to give Google precise instructions, using too many color images. Grayscale searches might help you locate sites require registration, Google usually warns you of
keywords or complex phrases might not return any drawings more effectively, whereas black-and-white this in the search results by noting “subscription” in
web images at all. may be appropriate for finding charts or cartoons. parentheses beside the name of the news source.
• Domain: This setting allows you to restrict your image
 www.quamut.com Using Google

2. Delete any news categories that you are completely

uninterested in by clicking the category and choosing
the Delete Section box that appears.
3. To expand or shrink any news category, click on the
category and choose among 1–9 in the Stories box.
This increases/decreases the number of headlines that
Google News displays in that particular news category.
4. To add another news category, click on Add a Standard
Section and browse through the additional Google
News categories. Google News lets you combine an
international edition with a topical section (e.g., “India”
and “Entertainment”).
5. To create your own news category, click on Add a
Custom Section and enter a few keywords that instruct
Google how to search for relevant news stories (e.g.,
“AIDS Africa”).
6. To make further specifications in your customized news
interface, click on the Advanced link, which lets you
specify the language, label name, etc.
7. Click on Save Layout to be sure that Google News
stores these preferences for your future visits.

Google Alerts
Because combing news headlines can be time-consuming,
Google News Alerts are a handy way to keep consistent
track of the news stories that matter to you most. Signing up
for Google Alerts is like asking Google News to let you know
Google News when certain news stories break. Google News does this by
sending you an email “alert” once a day, once a week, or as
Advanced Searching on Google News • Entertainment frequently as the stories appear.
The Advanced Search options for Google News come in • Health
handy when you have a particular media source, region, or • Most Popular To sign up for an alert through Google News:
time frame in mind. You can reach get there by clicking on 1. Click on the envelope icon marked News Alerts
the Advanced News Search (news.google.com/advanced_ Just by scrolling down the main page, you can view a few (www.google.com/alerts) on the left side of the
news_search) link on the right side of the search field. Once stories from these main categories without having to click Google News homepage.
there, you can specify: on any particular category. 2. Enter the keywords that indicate what news stories you
want to keep abreast of. Remember to be specific (for
• What part of the world to look in: If you have a local Viewing Google News example, “Venezuelan oil” instead of “Venezuela”) so
news story in mind, type the name of a U.S. state or If you want your computer to display text headlines only, that you don’t end up with a barrage of irrelevant news
foreign country into the Location field. rather than showing the photos that accompany some alerts in your inbox.
• Where your keywords occur: If you want Google Google News headlines, click on the Text Version link in the 3. Specify whether you want Web or News Alerts. Unless
News to turn up only news stories that contain your left margin of the Google News homepage. The text setting you specify otherwise, Google will treat your alert as
keywords in the headline, in the body of the article, is especially helpful if you have a dialup connection and a Google News Alert and compile your alerts from the
or in the URL, select one of these settings in the want to speed up your web searching. To switch back to Google News archives. However, if you want to know
Occurrences field (by default, Google News searches the Google News default format—photos intermixed with when a more obscure keyword, such as a specific
for keywords anywhere within an article). headlines—click on the Standard News (news.google.com/ person or company, shows up anywhere on the world
• How recent: Tell Google News whether you’re looking news?ned=us&rec=0) link. wide web, choose Web to broaden the alert. You can
for a news story from the last hour, day, week, month, also get alerts for “News & Web” combined, as well as
or anytime, by adjusting the Date setting. Google Clusters alerts for Google Groups.
• Which news source to comb: If you already have a On the main Google News page, stories are grouped by topic. 4. Tell Google News how often you want an email alert to
media outlet in mind, type the name of the particular This is especially helpful if you are following a particular news notify you of these news stories: once a day, once a
outlet into the News Source field. development and want to keep track of how various news week, or as it happens.
outlets are covering it. To delve deeper into any particular 5. Give Google News your email address. If you suspect
Just like the Advanced Search on Google Web, Advanced cluster, click on the All News Articles that Google News high- that your keywords will results in constant email alerts,
News Search gives you four syntax fields so you can command lights in green below its featured headline stories. consider setting up a new email account specifically
Google to perform various search functions simultaneously. for tracking news stories. You might also just create a
News by Country separate news folder within your existing email account
Browsing Google News If you’re interested in news stories covered by foreign media and feed all Google alerts into that folder.
Running a keyword search through Google News should outlets, scroll to the bottom of the main Google News page 6. To adjust your alert settings, click the “edit” link on the
lead you straight to the stories that you have in mind. and select the country of your choice from the international “Manage your Alerts” page. You will need a Google
However, you can also just browse through Google News as versions listed. account to do this. If the setting you chose turned out
you would peruse a print newspaper. Knowing the layout of to be too frequent or too infrequent, change the “How
Google News will help you to better navigate it, according to Customizing Google News often” field. You can also cancel an alert altogether by
what interests you most. If you spend a couple of minutes telling Google News what clicking the cancellation button at the bottom of any
types of stories interest you most, what types you’re com- Google Alert email.
Google News Categories pletely uninterested in, and how you prefer to view the daily
Google News organizes the latest news stories under these headlines, you’ll get to enjoy a customized arrangement of
major headings, which are listed with multicolored tabs on the day’s happenings every time you visit the Google News How to Use Google Groups
the left margin of the page: homepage. Click on the Personalize This Page link and fol- If you’re looking for a discussion on a particular topic rather
low these simple steps: than a web page, product, or news story, Google Groups
• Top Stories is the place to go. With more than 30,000 discussions
• World 1. On the small sample page at the right, drag the topic catalogued in its archives, Google Groups gives you access
• U.S. tabs (e.g., “Sports,” “World”) around until they are to web-based chats on everything imaginable, from stain-
• Business ordered according to your personal preference. removal techniques to political debates. Each group has
• Sci/Tech its own page where group contributors reply to discussion
• Sports threads and post their own new messages.
 www.quamut.com Using Google

Why Use Google Groups? your interests, you can move backward to the previous cat- 2. You can read the group’s correspondence in one of
The perks of Google Groups include: egory by clicking the “X” box beside the latest subcategory three ways:
you’ve visited. A. No email: Without postings sent to your
• A comprehensive directory of topics that’s easy email account
to browse Evaluating Groups B. Abridged email: A maximum of one email
• Keyword search capability, which allows you to locate Before you actually click on a group, you’ll see a one-sen- summary of the group’s activity per day
discussions on obscure topics tence description of the group, the number of members or C. Digest email: Up to 25 emails bundled into a single
• Access to a community of people with similar interests subscribers, and the date of the last posting. If you click on email, usually once per day
• A User Profile to share whatever personal information the “Group” link and then click on “About This Group” at the 3. Designate a nickname that you want displayed with
you choose right of the page, you will see data about the following: your postings.
• Bookmarks to keep track of the conversations that
interest you • Activity: Indicates the level of traffic that particular Replying
• More than a billion archived postings, dating back to group receives as well as the number of subscribers to Google Groups allows you to post a reply to any message
1981, of past discussions on Usenet, an online bulletin- that group. that is up to 60 days old. Simply scroll down to the bottom
board system accessible to anyone on the web • Description: Each group offers a brief overview of its of the message and click the Reply link.
discussion topics.
Navigating Google Groups • Categories: Google topics and subtopics, Usenet Starting New Threads
Once on the main Google Groups page, you have a few category language, activity. To post a brand-new thread, click on + New Post, choose
options for finding a discussion. • Access: Public versus restricted. a new title, type your message, and post the thread to the
• Adult Content: If Google has flagged a public as rest of the group. (Note that, as the warning at the top of the
Searching by Keyword containing adult content, it will warn you when you page states, all messages posted to Usenet will expose the
You can type in the keyword(s) that you think will turn click on the group name. To proceed, you must click on poster’s email address.)
up relevant groups or individual postings. Google Groups the “I am at least 18 years old” button.
then searches using these keywords and presents you Starting a New Google Group
with suggested: Scanning the Postings To initiate a new discussion on Google Groups, click on Create
Once you decide you’re interested in a particular group, you a Group on the main Google Groups page, and:
• Groups: Listed on the top portion of the page can begin browsing through its postings. The features and
(e.g., “soc.cultural.mongolian”) tricks listed below will help you explore the multitude of 1. Title your group in a way that will help people locate it
• Postings: Appear directly below the group matches threads without getting tangled: with keyword searches.
(e.g., “Riding in Mongolia?”) 2. Create an e-mail address that corresponds to
• Reverse chronology: The thread with the most recent your topic.
Reading your search results on Google Groups can be per- posting will appear first, regardless of how long ago this 3. Write a description of your group.
plexing at first. Knowing the search results labels below will thread was first created. 4. Check the warning box if your group may contain
help you narrow down which groups interest you. When you • Thread title: Group threads maintain the same title content suitable only for adults.
click on “Groups matching (your keywords),” you’ll see: unless a member alters the title. 5. Designate your group as public, announcement-only,
• Topic List vs. Topic Summary: To view an excerpt of or restricted.
• Topic: Indicates how the matching groups are each posting below its title, click Topic Summary. To 6. Click on “Create My Group.”
classified, including the number of groups in return to the condensed, non-text view, click Topic List. 7. Recruit members by entering the email addresses of
each subcategory • Star: You can keep track of the postings that interest people you’d like to invite, or add members directly.
• Region: What part of the world the groups originated in you most by clicking the star button beside each title. 8. Write an invitation message.
(e.g., “Europe – United Kingdom”) Everything you star gets filed under Favorites for easy 9. Click on “Invite Members.”
• Language: The language(s) used by the various groups access from any Google Groups page. 10. Click on “Tune Your Group’s Settings” for more options.
(e.g., “English”) • Related Postings: When you view a group’s postings
• Activity: The frequency with which messages are with text displayed, you’ll see a list of older posts Personalizing Google Groups
posted to the groups (e.g., Low, Medium, or High) related to your topic in the right margin, called Active You can customize Google Groups according to your topics
• Members: How many members currently belong to the Older Topics. of interest and your web usage:
groups (e.g., 1000+, 100+, 10–100, or < 10)
Following the Conversation • My Groups: Keeps track of which groups you’ve joined
You’ll notice that each subcategory name is followed by a If you’re new to Google Groups, it can be puzzling to figure and gives you quick access to them. Google also puts
number in parentheses. This indicates how many postings out who’s responding to whom. Changing the way the suggested groups on this page, based on your keyword
in the group correspond with your keywords. conversation is displayed can help you make sense of the searches and other group memberships.
sequence of replies. • My Profile: Lets you edit and view the personal
Browsing by Category information you share with other Google Groups users.
If you want to browse through Google Groups’ many cat- • View as tree: This indented format offers a helpful • Favorites: Stores all the postings you’ve marked with a
egories and subcategories, click on a category link that best visual of the conversation’s chronology. Click “Options” star. To delete any postings from this page, simply click
corresponds with your area of interest. To select from a in the title bar. A column will appear on the left side of the star a second time.
more comprehensive directory than the brief listing you see the page, with the indentation signaling the sequence • Group Alerts: If you want to be notified when a certain
on the Google Groups homepage, click on the Browse All of replies. keyword appears in larger Google Groups forums, add
Group Categories link (groups.google.com/groups/dir). • More options: Clicking this link at the top of a posting an alert for this keyword and indicate how frequently
allows you to do various things with the message, you wish to be emailed.
Google Group Categories such as reply or locate more information on the group
Google uses several main “topics” to organize its groups: member who posted the message.
How to Use Google Product Search
• Adult Joining the Group Google Product Search (formerly called Froogle) helps you
• Computers If you’re just interested in browsing the postings that are locate products instantly on the web and comparison-shop
• Home public, you don’t have to register with Google Groups. according to price, features, customer ratings, and more.
• People However, to read a restricted group, to post a reply, or to It isn’t a store in itself but rather a searchable database
• Recreation start a new group, you have to register for a free Google of millions of products sold on the web. So if you’ve got a
• Science and Technology Account. Click on the Join link in the menu. If you’re product in mind but aren’t wedded to a particular merchant,
• Society already a Gmail user, you can log in without registering for the Google Product Search search engine will collect a wide
another account. array of options for you and then give you the tools to zero
Click on any of these main categories and you’ll find dozens in on the best buy.
of subcategories to choose among. Keep clicking until you How to Subscribe
find the subcategory that matches your interest. If you find 1. Click on the “Join This Group” link in the gray box on the
yourself in a subcategory that is too narrow or irrelevant to right side of the Groups page. If the group is designated
as public, then you will be permitted to join.
 www.quamut.com Using Google

the Google Product Search search engine scramble for the

products your wallet can handle.
the Google Toolbar
Search by Store
If you want to zero in on the products sold by a particular Spend a few minutes downloading Google’s Toolbar and
merchant, click on the name of this merchant under the you’ll be able to:
Stores heading.
• Search the various Google archives from any web page
Advanced Searching on Google (without going to www.google.com)
Product Search • Block pop-up windows as you browse the web
Google Product Search The Advanced Search fields on Google Product Search • Quickly spellcheck text you type into any web field
enables you not only to give Google highly specific instruc- • Save and paste the personal information you regularly
How to Use Google Product Search tions along with your keywords but to set your price range enter into online forms
The easiest way to begin your Google Product Search search and sorting mechanisms before you even run the query. • Instantly access maps of addresses you find online
is to en ter a keyword such as: Here are a few other handy Advanced Search tools that • Translate English words into the foreign language of
Google Product Search offers: your choice by hovering your mouse over them
• The product name
• The model number • Category: Select one of 15 Google Product Search Installing the Toolbar
• The brand name product categories to narrow the search down quickly To install Google’s toolbar, go to toolbar.google.com. If you
• A combination of the above to the type of product you have in mind. have Windows, you will need:
• Occurrences: Tell Google Product Search whether you
Since it can be tricky to figure out exactly how a company want your keyword to appear in the actual product • Microsoft Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP, or Vista
phrases its product name (e.g., bike vs. bicycle), the syntax name, in the product description, or in both. • Internet Explorer 5.5 or later
code “OR” can help you run a search for a few possible key- • Price: Name your price range before the Google
words at the same time (e.g.,“bicycle” OR “bike”). Product Search searching begins. Another option is to use the beta (test version) Google tool-
bar available for Firefox 2.0. Mac users can use the Apple
Viewing Search Results Product Search Shopping and Wish Lists Safari browser’s built-in Google search bar.
Google Product Search will present you with a page of prod- Just because you’re not ready to enter your credit card num-
ucts that match your keywords. You’ll want to familiarize ber this instant doesn’t mean you have to lose track of the Using the Toolbar Perks
yourself with the functions and settings of the search results products you’ve discovered on Google Product Search. If you’re wondering what the buttons on your Toolbar do,
page so that you can use them to narrow down your search hover your mouse over them and read the small tags that
from thousands of potential products. Shopping List appear. Below are some of the most handy Toolbar buttons.
The shopping list helps you keep track of products that Keep in mind that Google Toolbar usually displays an intro-
List or Grid? you’re considering purchasing. ductory note the first time you use all of these functions.
• List view: A single vertical column of search results The notes remind you how to make the best use of the
that include product descriptions 1. Click on the “My Shopping List” link on the Google Toolbar functions.
• Grid view: A dense page of 20 thumbnail-sized Product Search homepage.
products that include fewer product details 2. Sign up for a free Google account if you don’t already Search Tab
have one. Once you type your keywords in the Toolbar search box,
If you’re still in the browsing stage of your online shopping 3. When you find an item of interest to you on Google you can either click on the “Search” tab to run a standard
spree, the Grid view might speed up the process. On the Product Search, click on “Add to Shopping List.” Google Web search or click on the downward arrow to the
other hand, if you’re carefully examining each suggested 4. Check back into “My Shopping List” to view right, which lets you search:
product, then the List view might work better. your shopping cart of goodies and to arrange
them comparatively. • The website you’re currently visiting
Ads • Google News
While doing research on Google Web, you probably ignore Wish List • Google Images
the Sponsored Links, or Google ads. However, it makes more The wish list lets you highlight products that you definitely • Google Groups
sense to glance over the ads on Google Product Search, want to buy—or want someone else to buy for you. • Google Product Search
seeing as you’re considering a purchase. Google Product • Google Maps
Search places paid advertisements on the right side of the 1. Weed through the items in your Shopping List to
page of your search results. pinpoint your favorites. You can add even more search buttons by visiting the
2. Check the In Wish List box below the items you want. Google Button Gallery.
How to Sort 3. Wait for Santa Claus to look up your Wish List on
There are five ways in which you can rank the products dis- Google Product Search. You can look for anyone’s Wish Pop-Up Blocker
played in your Google Product Search search results: List by entering his or her email address into the Find a The Toolbar blocks pesky pop-ups and lets you know just
Wish List field on the Shopping List page. how many it has deflected in the course of your web brows-
1. By relevance: Ranks the products according to what ing. If you want to enable pop-ups on a particular website,
Google Product Search considers most relevant to Google Catalogs simply click on the pop-up button and it will instantly read
your keywords. Unless you change the “sort by” If you prefer to conduct your online shopping one catalog at a “pop-ups okay.” You can also press the Ctrl key (or the
setting, Google Product Search automatically time, try Google Catalogs at catalogs.google.com. Compro- command key on a Mac) while clicking on a link to allow an
organizes by relevance. mised of more than 6,600 shopping catalogs, Google Cata- individual pop-up to appear.
2. By price, low to high: Ranks the least expensive logs allows you to zone in easily on your favorite merchants.
products higher. Spellcheck
3. By price, high to low: Ranks the most expensive To verify the spelling of what you’ve typed into a web field:
products higher. Though few consumers are looking to How to Use Google Toolbar
pay the highest price, this ranking will help give you a Google Toolbar tucks the capabilities of Google into a slim 1. Click on the ABC Check tab.
sense of the full range of prices. bar at the top of your browser window. With the Toolbar in 2. If Google determines that your words are spelled
4. Product rating: Ranks according to product reviews. place, you can take advantage of Google’s handy search correctly, a tiny white text box will declare, “No spelling
5. Seller rating: Ranks according to the merchants’ tricks from anywhere on the web, no matter how far you errors were identified!”
credibility and consumer ratings. wander from an official Google site. The Toolbar is perfect 3. If the Toolbar does find an error, the misspelled word
for web browsers who turn to Google for their primary web will be immediately bolded in red.
Price Range needs but don’t like having multiple browser windows or 4. To peruse the suggested spellings, click on the red
Google Product Search lets you set a price range and search tabs open at the same time. misspelled word.
within it. Just enter your lowest possible price in the left 5. Select the correct spelling and watch as the Toolbar
box, and your highest possible price in the right. Then let makes the alteration and colors it green, or select
Ignore to stick with your original spelling.
 www.quamut.com Using Google

Autolink Search History Calendar

If you come across an address in your web wanderings that You can find a list of the web pages you’ve most recently Google Calendar (www.google.com/calendar) is a handy
you’d like to view on a map: visited right beside the search box of your Toolbar. This list planning tool that allows you to insert events, keep an
will help you return to pages without getting lost in back- agenda, peruse public events on the web, and run a key-
1. Click on the Look for Map button. clicking or without keeping track of long URLs. To erase this word search within your own calendar.
2. Google will scan the page for a U.S. address, highlight record and start fresh, click on the Google icon on the far
the address in light blue, then look for a corresponding left of the page and select Clear Search History. Gmail
map on Google Maps. Gmail (mail.google.com) is Google’s free webmail service.
3. If you click on the downward arrow on the right of the The main perk of Gmail is that you can search through your
Toolbar Map button, you can find out whether Google Other Google Services email using Google’s search engine and instantly locate old
has located a map. Google continually adds new tools, archives, gadgets, and email messages. Other perks include:
4. Clicking on this suggested map will automatically open services. The best way to keep abreast of the latest offer-
a new browser window or tab to display it. ings is to click on the “More” link on the Google homepage. • More than 2.5 gigabytes of email storage per account
This will take you to a complete list of Google products, • Organizing labels that allow you to file an email under
You can also use Autolink on a book’s ISBN, a car’s VIN including the search engines and products that Google con- multiple categories at once
number, or a postal tracking number. siders “beta,” or still under testing. The following are some • Grouping of emails by conversation
of the most popular of Google’s other services: • Chatting capability within your Gmail interface
Autofill
If it annoys you to type your name, address, and phone Google Web History Picasa
number every time you register on a new site or make an Web History (www.google.com/history) is a special Google A free program that helps you collect photos from your hard
online purchase, the Autofill feature will be a lifesaver. To search engine that: drive, organize them into albums, and edit them, Picasa also
set up Autofill: allows you to print your photos, email them, post them on
• Takes into account your previous Google browsing (e.g., your blog, and much more. Visit picasa.google.com.
1. Go to Toolbar Settings. Click on Options and then on what keywords you’ve entered, what search results
Autofill Settings. you’ve actually clicked) in order to gather more relevant Talk
2. Enter your personal information into the fields, keeping search results Google’s version of instant messenger, Talk (www.google.
in mind that whatever you store in Autofill can be • Lets you view a summary of your past Google searches com/talk) allows you to send messages from anywhere on
viewed by whoever else uses your computer. and shows you trends in your search activity—by the web. The service is free but requires a Gmail account.
3. If you want to store your credit card number, set a month, day, and hour—as well as a list of your top
password. (Note: If you’re concerned about identity searches, top clicks, top sites, and more Translate
theft, it’s not a good idea to enter your credit card • Enables you to bookmark the pages in your search This tool instantly translates the English text of any web
number into Autofill.) history that interest you and to access them from page into the foreign language of your choice. The Google
4. When you visit a website with blank forms, Autofill will any computer Language Tools website also allows you to visit doz-
highlight what it can fill (in yellow). ens of Google sites in foreign domains, and browse for
5. To command Autofill to go ahead and enter your Google Directory search results in a foreign language. Visit www.google.com/
information, click the Autofill button. The Directory (directory.google.com) is Google’s attempt to language_tools?hl=en.
organize its web archives into browser-friendly categories:
Toggle Highlighting Google Mobile
Though the Google engine is ingenious at finding web pages • Arts • Recreation Google now offers access to Gmail from your mobile device,
that correspond with your keywords, sometimes it’s hard to • Business • Reference assuming that your mobile device has a web-browsing
locate your keywords within the text of a given web page. • Computers • Regional capability. Google Mobile (www.google.com/mobile) lets
If you want to see where Google located your keyword in • Games • Science you open attachments and PDF files from your mobile de-
the text, the Toggle Highlighter will highlight every instance • Health • Shopping vice, and allows you to reply to a Gmail message by phone.
of these terms in bright colors. You can even use this Toggle • Home • Society
function without running a Google search. • Kids & Teens • Sports Google Labs
• News • World If you’re curious to know what Google will come up with
1. Type the words that you want highlighted in the Toolbar next, take a peek at its latest inventions at Google Labs
search box. Each of these categories contains dozens of subcategories (labs.google.com). Newer Google products include:
2. Click on the highlight button instead of the to choose from. Selecting a category and searching within
search button. this category is a quick way to narrow your web search. • Google Book Search (books.google.com): An archive
3. Each keyword will be instantly highlighted in pastel— that allows you to search the full text of books
a different color for each word. Google Desktop • Google Earth (earth.google.com): A 3-D interface that
If you want to use Google’s searching capacity offline— gives you access to satellite imagery and world maps
Word Find to comb through your own hard drive or to locate an old
Whereas the Toggle button highlights every instance of email—Google Desktop (desktop.google.com) will enable
a keyword or phrase, Word Find helps guide you from you to do this and much more. Once you install the Desktop
instance to instance of a particular word. Just like the Toggle program, Google can search through your files, music, pho-
highlighting function, Word Find doesn’t require that you tos, email, chats, and even web search history.
run a Google search. This function is especially helpful in
leading your eye along a crowded page or through a lengthy Communication Tools
body of text. You can use Google to correspond with others, organize
personal information, and plan your days. You will need a
1. Type your keywords into the Toolbar search field. Google account to use most of these features.
2. Rather than press Search, look over to the right of the
Toggle button to find a button that corresponds with Blogger
each of the keywords you typed. Google offers a free blogging server called Blogger (www.
3. Press the button of the keyword you want to track blogger.com/start) where you can post daily messages and
through the text. photos in a public forum. You can also run searches and
4. Word Find will leap to the first (then second, third, and advanced searches of Blogger and other blogs at blog-
so on) instance of your keyword and highlight its letters search.google.com.
in white against a blue background.