Building Research Tools With Google For Dummies 2005

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 knowDetermine whether what you need can actually be found through Google, and where to look if the answer is "no"Improve your research resultsPresent your findings in a way that makes senseWrite 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 syntaxRecognize Google's strengths--and limitationsTarget your search by using Google operatorsUse Google to research photos, or even an entire industryImprove the effectiveness of your results by understanding Google's comparative methodologyBuild 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!

About the Author Harold Davis is a strategic technology consultant, hands-on computer programmer, and the author of more than 20 books. In addition to his work as a writer, Harold has been a technology company executive, enterprise consultant, software developer, professional photographer, and a legal researcher. He has earned a Bachelors Degree in Computer Science and Mathematics from New York University and a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers Law School, where he was an editor of the law review. Harold lives with his wife, Phyllis Davis, who is also an author, and their three sons — Julian, Nicholas, and Mathew — in the hills of Berkeley, California. His three sons keep Harold pretty busy, but in his spare time he likes to garden, hike, and poke around the Internet looking for new and obscure research resources. The address for Harold’s personal Web site is www.bearhome.com. He is a co-founder of Braintique, a site that offers free Web content, located at www.braintique.com. TEAM