Google Tools Revisited

The search engine features tutorials to help users

Google has become such a great phenomenon of recent times that some people equate it to "all-knowing, all-seeing, everywhere at once'' deity(http://www.thechurchofgoogle.org/).Though ascribing Google the status of God may be a highly far-fetched idea, its potential in solving our problems is indisputable.

Besides the search service, Google features several on-line applications such as Google news, Google video, and so on. The Google News Archives (http://news.google.com/archivesearch), a recent addition to Google service pack, is gaining much attention from news analysts and researchers. The service helps you dig out several-years-old news stories from news sources such as BBC news, Time magazine and the like.

If you find any difficulty in remembering the multitude of Google services/search operators, services like Gseek (http://www.gseek.com/), created for helping you access various Google tools from a single interface may come in handy.

In this Net-ridden World, having appropriate searching skills (especially on a popular service like Google) is increasingly becoming essential. Though Google wields enormous popularity and almost all netizens use it daily, only a very few can use it efficiently. Some people take hours to spot a resource that can be unearthed in a couple of minutes (if right Google commands are used).

Google games

To equip its users with necessary skills/tools, Google itself features many tutorials and other information products. The Google Librarian Centre (http://www.google.com/librariancenter/index.html), meant for helping Librarians exploit the Google services effectively, is one such tool worth exploring. Here, you can subscribe to the Google Librarian Newsletter that regularly updates on Google related tips/information.

Likewise, Google Webmasters Central (http://www.google.com/webmasters/) is yet another resource worth a look (especially if you make web sites). Also, reading Google related blogs such as Webmaster Central could improve your Googling skills.

Now, to test your Google proficiency many services are available. These services (also known as Google games) are generally based on the reverse search concept, where you have to guess the key-word(s) for a given Google search output. One such game, which has gained much popularity of late, is Gwigle (http://gwigle.varten.net/). In this multi-level game, with each level, you will be presented with a Google 'results' page and you have to guess the search string by scrutinising it. By and large, the game is enjoyable and worth a shot for testing your Google skills, though some of the levels require extra skills (like maths). The game 'What did I search For' (http://www.gamesforthebrain.com/game/whatsearch/) is yet another one of this kind. For a comprehensive list of a variety of Google based games, check out: http://blog.outer-court .com/ archive/2006-08-13-n15. html.

Another Google related resource worth a visit is the freely downloadable book '55 ways to have fun with Google' (http://www.55fun.com/). The book features different Google services, several tips/tricks and numerous Google based games.

This information packed book can either be downloaded from the site or read on-line at: http://www.googlified.com/55.php

Free software on a wide range of subjects that include word processors, mathematics, science, statistics, econometrics, graphics and so on are available. Though the Net is abundant with free, open-source programs, meant for a variety of requirements, finding/downloading the right ones may be cumbersome. To ease your burden, many free software aggregators are in place. Such services collect the various free programs available across the Net, organise them into meaningful categories and make them downloadable from a single interface. Generally, these services keep a CD image of all the compiled programs for free download. Some such services (likethe OpenCD-http://www.theopencd.org/,)GNUWIN-(http://gnuwin.epfl.ch/en/index.html) have already been featured in this column. TTS OSSWIN-CD (http://www.ttcsweb.org/osswin-cd/) is yet another one of this kind encountered by this author recently.

Article source:-http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=2006092501081500.htm&date=2006/09/25/&prd=th&