* Tidbits & Morsels .. for any of you 'googlin' Googlers *

Behind Googles' deceptively simple homepage > http://www.google.com/ .. is a big world of Google tools and services. Here's an outline of some neat tricks & timesaving tips.

Conduct a simple search
Some basic tips are included here along with recently added search features. These tips refer to the search box on Google's homepage.


.. Quotations ..
Put quotation marks around the phrase: "SEC study". Don't worry about capitalization: "sec sTuDy" will return the same results as "SEC study"

.. Tracking ..
Need to track your shipment from a major shipping company like UPS or USPS? Simply type in the tracking number in the search box. Do the same for tracking a flight: enter the airline followed by the flight number.
Dictionary. Find the definition of a word by typing define: ethics

.. Calculator ..
That's right. Type in a math problem and Google will spit out the answer. Try this: (256-96)/96

.. Directions/Maps ..
Many Web sites offer maps and driving directions. Now Google does too. Type in an address in the box and the results will return a street map and a satellite image. From here, type in from/to driving directions.

.. Explore 'more' ..
From the Google homepage, click on "More" and you're in Google heaven.

.. Toolbar ..
If you use Google often, download the Google toolbar to your Web browser. Not only do you have instant Google access, you can block pop-ups and auto fill your personal information into Web forms.

.. News ..
With Google News, access news stories from a myriad of sources, from The New York Times to Christian Science Monitor to PC World. When you search in Google News, you get results of how that word or phrase appeared in periodicals within the last 30 days. This feature saves you from having to visit several different news sites for the same story or topic.

.. Local ..
Find local businesses and services with a map pointing to the exact physical position. Traveling to Seattle for a conference and need to find the nearest Westin hotel? Type in Seattle Westin.

.. Special Searches ..
When looking for a specific government document, search .gov Web sites only. Other special search options include Public Service Search, University Search, and Microsoft Search.

.. Alerts ..
Are you following a particular company in the news? Customize an Alert and you'll be notified via email when Google finds that topic. A practical application would be to monitor your company, industry, or competitors.

This is just a small helping of what Google has to offer. In addition to the search capabilities .. Google has email, a photo editor, satellite imaging, a Web blog tool, a language translator, instant messaging, and a mobile-device tool (all free).

To further your Google knowledge .. be sure to see the Help page, which provides tips for basic and advanced searching.


. . . MORE . . .

View company financials (BETA)
Google has a new addition to its family, Google Finance. The beta was launched on March 21. Google Finance culls company data from Reuters, Hoovers and EDGAR Online.

To launch Google Finance, you can either type in a stock symbol into the main Google homepage, or you can go directly to the Finance page at > http://finance.google.com/finance . A simplistic user interface .. with easy navigation and uncluttered pages.

When you type a stock ticker into the Google Finance box it spits out company facts, summary and financials (note that the quotes are delayed by about 15 minutes).

Google Finance still has some kinks that need to be worked out, and it faces tough competition from the well-established Yahoo! Finance, but you may feel that it's worth your time to take a peek.

.. Search a single site ..
A major complaint of Web users is the inability to search within a single site .. because the particular organization, has a lousy internal search engine. Google will search a single site for you.

.. Get images ..
From the Google homepage, click on the Images link (above the search box). Here in Image Search, type your query. Your search will result in several photos, caricatures, graphs, charts and more. Need a map of your state? Want to view an aerial photo of the college your son will be attending? Looking for a photo of someone? Images may have what you need.

.. Feeling lucky? ..
Type in your search query into the Google box and click the I'm Feeling Lucky button. Google will take you to the site that appears at the top of its list - useful when you're looking for a specific organization's site but don't know its exact URL and are pretty certain your query will take you straight there. In other words, you're feeling lucky.

.. Search in books ..
Like many other Google features, Book Search is in beta. Somewhat of a controversial offering due to copyright issues, but it's there for your use, in the meantime. Publishers and libraries have allowed Google to digitally scan books. Publishers want to market their books, and libraries want to make it easy for you to find what they offer.

Views vary by book, and include 'snippets', sample pages, and full books. If you need to find a book on a certain topic, this may be a good option.

.. Search from your desktop ..
Personalize Google with the free Desktop service. A short download process installs a desktop search application on your computer. Search your files, photos, chats, email and more. The sidebar feature eliminates having to open a browser when you need to find something on the Web -- get weather, news, stock info and more in the sidebar.

.. Narrow the search ..
Advanced Search is great for many reasons. Here's one: from the Google Advanced Search > http://www.google.com/advanced_search .. use the Date dropdown and choose from four options: 'anytime', 'past 3 months', 'past 6 months', or 'past year'.

.. Help ..
Tis said, that the best part about Google is that it's not secretive; that you don't have to wade through pages and pages to learn what you can do with Google search. Check out the Google Service and Tools > http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/ .. and the Google Help Center > http://www.google.com/support .. pages to learn more.