WELCOME to the November 2003 edition of The Pearls of Wisdom! Here is our monthly review of the best business research resources we've come across.

This month we'll focus on Google, the popular search engine. The following are 5 tips for getting the most out of Google.

• Use Google's special syntax www.google.com/help/op erators.html for more precise searching. For instance "Link:" lets you see which pages are linking to your Web page or to another page you're interested in. Try typing in the Google search box link:http://www.pearlinformation.com.
• The new calculator feature www.google.c om/help/features.html#calculator lets you do both math and a variety of conversions from the search box
• Google Groups http://groups.google.com indexes millions of messages from decades of discussion on Usenet. It's great for getting "live" commentary on products and issues you’re not familiar with.
• Google's Toolbar http://toolbar.google.com/ is a wonderful tool. However, depending on your tolerance for pop-ups, you may want to disable the pop-up stopper that is included. It stops anything that pops up, including legitimate information.
• The Google Deskbar http://toolbar.goog le.com/deskbar/index.html . Just before "going to press" a new Google tool was rolled out. Similar to the Google Toolbar, the Deskbar enables searching even when your browser isn't running. Results can be displayed in a browser preview window.
• Synonyms - Place the tilde sign ("~") immediately in front of key word to search for synonyms as well as the keyword itself.
• Google Alert Enhanced Automated Search Service http://www.googlealert.com/ tracks anything on the web by automatically running daily Google searches and sending email alerts when new results appear.
• Froogle http://froogle.google.com , indexes products from online stores, and Google Catalogs http://catalogs.google.com, features products from more 6,000 paper catalogs in a searchable index

More Resources for Google:

Tara Calishan, a noted Google expert and editor of ResearchBuzz http://www.researchbuzz.com/ wrote a recent article for PC Magazine on 20 Google secrets http://tinyurl.com/qvmy and the following great books

• Google Hacks: 100 Industrial-Strength Tips & Tools
• Google: Pocket Guide

Gary Price, another information guru, is the editor and compiler of The ResourceShelf http://www.resourceshelf.com wrote a recent article on Google searching tips. http://www.virtua lchase.com/howto/gg_tips.html

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