25 Best Blogs 2009

The official Google blog is a self-serving site dedicated to advancing the viewpoints of a multi-billion dollar company. And guess what? It's great. That's because the company in question runs the (free) search engine that's on almost everybody's computer, and the blog is full of helpful tips on getting the most out of it. There's info on integrating headlines from Google News onto your webpage, a look at a new service that uses Google Maps to help you find local hotels, restaurants and entertainment and send the info to your mobile phone, and a description of Google Earth's stunning new service that lets users drop below the surface of the ocean and explore the nooks and crannies of the seafloor in 3D. There's even information on the occasional Google goof, like the recent glitch that mistakenly flashed the message "This site may harm your computer" beside every search result.

Sample Official Google Blog post: The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination, The Mansell Collection from London, and the entire works left to the collection from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gjon Mili, and Nina Leen. These are just some of the things you'll see in Google Image Search today.

Entry you'll never see: If a Google search query fails to return exactly what you're looking for, we suggest you give Yahoo a try.