Building Research Tools with Google For Dummies

✍ Scribed by Harold Davis

• Publisher: Wiley
• Year: 2005
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 385
• Series: For dummies
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Google—a funny name for a fabulous tool. You’ve already used it to look up all sorts of information on the Web almost instantly. Now what if you could use its amazing abilities to turbo-charge your research on a grand scale?

Building Research Tools With Google For Dummies can help you do just that. In plain English, it shows you easy ways to:

• Ask Google exactly what you want to know
• Determine whether what you need can actually be found through Google, and where to look if the answer is “no”
• Improve your research results
• Present your findings in a way that makes sense
• Write your own specialized search applications—if you want to

To get the most from Google, you need to understand Google. Building Research Tools With Google For Dummies explains how Google works and how you can build more effective queries (hint: it’s a lot more than just using the “Advanced Search” techniques!) It even shows you how to think like a researcher and how to package the results of your research so it means something to your audience. You’ll be able to:

• Understand Google research techniques and use the custom search-related syntax
• Recognize Google’s strengths—and limitations
• Target your search by using Google operators
• Use Google to research photos, or even an entire industry
• Improve the effectiveness of your results by understanding Google’s comparative methodology
• Build custom tools using WDSL and Web Services

You don’t have to become a programmer to use Google, but if you know a little about software development and want to explore new, more focused search techniques, Building Research Tools With Google For Dummies has a section just for you. It introduces you to the Google API, shows you how to download a developer key, and leads you through building a C# .Net Google application. On the companion Web site, you’ll find the source code and software discussed in the book as well as links to lots of other resources for researchers. Before you know it, you’ll be Googling your way to research success!

✦ Table of Contents

Contents at a Glance......Page 8
Table of Contents......Page 10
Introduction......Page 18
Getting Started with Google Research......Page 24
Googling the World......Page 26
Researching with Google and the Web......Page 44
Research Results......Page 56
Crafting Queries and Using the Google Research Tools......Page 68
Building Simple, Effective Queries......Page 70
Achieving Precision with Google Operators......Page 94
Using Google Answers to Learn Google Research Techniques......Page 122
Getting Help from the Google Directory......Page 136
Researching Photographs with Google......Page 152
Providing Competitive Intelligence: Researching an Industry......Page 164
Building Valuable Research Content......Page 182
Researching Like a Pro......Page 184
Using Google’s Comparative Methodology to Your Advantage......Page 202
Packaging and Delivering Research......Page 214
Building Research Tools Using the Google APIs......Page 230
From Scripting to the Google Web APIs......Page 232
Downloading a Developer Key......Page 250
Understanding WSDL and Web Services......Page 260
Building a C# Google Application......Page 274
Creating Your Own Search vWindow with the Google APIs......Page 292
Understanding and Following Trends......Page 312
The Part of Tens......Page 326
Ten (Mostly Really Useful) Google Research Resources......Page 328
Ten Tools That Use the Google APIs......Page 334
Appendixes......Page 342
Using the SDK......Page 344
Building a Research Application with Visual Basic .NET......Page 348
Using the Google APIs with Java......Page 356
Index......Page 368