Google Earth For Dummies

Got the information I was looking for

If you weren't born in the current century, you can still learn to use Google Earth. "Google Earth for Dummies" has the step by step basics, and some advanced techniques, for using it. This particular edition dates from 2007, which means its information is slightly dated, but it should still be a useful guide for beginners. Recommended to that audience.

I thoroughly love the "Dummie" books because they are in layman terms and not "Techy" terms. The older I get the more I enjoy reading on my level and not that of a Tech. Granted I know a lot about the computer and it's functions, but the new apps are easier for me to understand and follow when it's written for "Dummies".THANK YOU !!!!!!!!

I've been struggling trying to figure out how to create custom routes in Google Earth (or Google Maps) that I can then share with friends, family, other members of my motorcycle club, etc. I finally broke down and bought this book because it promised to explain all of that.After reading through the first 116 pages (it was actually well written and I learned a lot about how to use features of Google Earth I was not getting the most out of), I got to this exciting bit of news at the end of Chapter 7; "If you want to share your tours with other Google Earth users, check out Chapter 8 to see how it's done."YESSSS!! Finally; the holy grail! I read Chapter 8 ('Mingling With the Community') with great interest, got to the end without a shred of advice on how to "share your tours with other Google Earth users", re-read it and read it again. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.The rest of the book delved deeply into arcane technical subjects and some interesting stuff that I might find useful in personalizing Google Earth, but for my purposes, if I can't share what I've done with others, it's of no use. And nothing in this book explains how to share (unless the author expects me to wade through the archives of Google Earth Community forums to try to figure it out).So, I'm very disappointed in this book because it did not answer the one question I need to have answered; is there a way to share my custom views of the world with others (other than in a forum)?It would also help to have a discussion about the difference between Google Maps and Google Earth and how they are related and when to use each.

I have to disagree with the other two reviewers. This book is badly and confusingly written. The chapter on .KML files is almost unreadable and certainly offers no information on the shortcut ways to mark up an image and send it on.The pictures are awful.My copy is going back to Amazon.

The book is very helpful for a dummy to gain confidence in delving into the wide scope of Google Earth. Even just the plethora of additional resources quoted makes the book a bargain. It provides a springboard from which to dive deeper into KML and the features of Google Earth.

I found this worth buying, as it has good explanations and useful links. It helped me in making maps for several projects, used along with The KML Handbook. With even the free version of Google Earth, and/or map-making tools at maps.google.com, one can assemble, test and make available useful, interactive maps.

The book was great for a general overview but I was looking for more information on how to crest KMZ files and better use of the tools.