Introduction

en-cy-clo-pe-di-a noun A comprehensive reference work containing articles on a wide range of subjects or on numerous aspects of a particular field.

Goo-gle-pe-di-a noun A comprehensive reference work containing articles on numerous aspects of Google, the largest and most popular search engine on the Web.

I use Google every day. I've been using it every day since it first launchedbefore it launched, actually, when it still had the word "beta" on its home page. I use Google because it's easy to use, and because it delivers quality results.

I'm not unusual, of course. Google is the most-used search site on the Web, and most people choose it for the same reason I doease-of-use and effectiveness. That's not news.

What is news, for a lot of users, anyway, is that Google is more than just simple search. Most users don't know that they can fine-tune their search in a number of interesting ways, or that they can use Google to find pictures and news articles and compact discs, or that they can use the Google search box to perform mathematical calculations and conversions, or that Google can function as a spell checker or dictionary.

It's also news to most users that Google offers a variety of products and services that have little or nothing to with web search. Google runs the largest blogging community on the Web, hosts an archive of Usenet news articles, distributes a top-notch picture-editing program, and provides free web-based email services. You might not get all this from looking at Google's attractively austere search page, but it's there, nonetheless.

All these "hidden" features are what makes Google so interesting, at least to me, and are why I wrote this book. I wanted to show other users all the cool and useful stuff I've discovered in the Google family of sites, and to share some of the tips and tricks I've developed over the years for getting the most out of Google's various products and services.

That's what Googlepedia isa guide to everything that Google has to offer. It's not just web search (although I cover that, in much depth); Googlepedia also covers Gmail and Picasa and Blogger and every other application and service that has come out of Google's headquarters. There's plenty of how-to information, of course, but also a lot of tricks and advice that even the most experienced user will appreciate.

I should note, however, that while I know a lot about what Google does and how it works, I'm not a Google insider. I don't work for Google, and had no official contact with Google while writing this book. That means I don't always take the company line; I'll tell you, as honestly as possible, when Google gets it right, when Google needs improvement, and when Google just plain sucks. (The company isn't perfect.) I'm not obligated to put on a positive face, which means you'll get the straight poop, good or bad.