Become a Google Power Searcher with a New Interactive Online Course

Google Search, for all its simplicity, is a powerful tool, provided you know how to use it. Granted, Google seems to be abandoning power users recently, a very useful feature that enabled users to use their keyboard for navigation was shut down not long after it was launched, but Google is still interested in those that make the most of what its search engine has to offer.

Or at least, that's what it claims, so it is now showcasing some of the ways you can accomplish some very complex searches using the tools already at your disposal.

"Today, we’ve opened registration for Power Searching with Google, a free, online, community-based course showcasing these techniques and how you can use them to solve everyday problems. Our course is aimed at empowering you to find what you need faster, no matter how you currently use search," Google wrote.

What's interesting about Google's approach is that it's doing everything as a "course," an interactive learning experience, rather than a static help page or YouTube video.

There will be more than tutorial; participants will be able to add their contributions, connect with others and find out more details on the subjects they're interested in.

Google is throwing everything but the kitchen sink on this one; it will make use of Google Groups, Moderator and Google+, including Hangouts on Air, the public broadcasting feature.

Google has already been using Hangouts on Air quite a lot to showcase new features or ways of accomplishing something with various Google products.

"Lessons will be released daily starting on July 10, 2012, and you can take them according to your own schedule during a two-week window, alongside a worldwide community," Google explained.

"Power Searching with Google blends the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) learning format pioneered by Stanford and MIT with our social and communication tools to create what we hope is a true community learning experience," it added.