Chapter 1. Start Here

Was the Internet searchable before there was Google?

Sometimes it seems as if it wasn't. True, there were other search sites, such as www.altavista.com, www.askjeeves.com, and www.yahoo.com. But anyone who used those sites remembers that, although they made it easy to search for something, they made it very difficult to actually find anything.

Then Google came along, and suddenly the world changed. It applied its "special sauce" to searching, and the rest is history. Put simply, no search site on the planet comes near to Google in the speed and accuracy of its searches.

But if you think searching is all that Google is about, you're missing a lot. Google offers loads of services in addition to searching, such as maps, email, personalized home pages, free blogging, image-editing software…the list is long and getting longer every day.

This book will help you get the most out of using Google and all of its tools. Whether you want to blog, send and receive mail, take a virtual trip around the world, find a long-lost high school sweetheart, get a great deal online, or a lot more, you've come to the right place.