Getting Personal with Google
One of my new year's resolutions is to work smarter not harder. Yes it is the old BT slogan, but if I am able to save a bit of time (and stress) during the day, that has to be a good thing, right?
Basically my morning routine (30 minutes before the kids get up) goes something like this:
Now that's quite a few websites to visit isn't it? A surf session that is pretty much impossible to keep inside of 30 minutes. So wouldn't it be great if you could view all this information together on one web page without the need to go anywhere else?
I have been researching this over the Christmas period and basically you can. Google has got pretty sophisticated over the last couple of years: Not only has their search got sophisticated, including separate searches for video and image, but now with iGoogle you can keep all your favourites on one page.
First of all, you need to sign up for an account if you haven't already. Registration is free and surprisingly easy.
Once you are signed up and logged in, you can start adding widgets under the "Add Stuff" link. Well talk about a kid in a sweetshop! In this long list you can opt for the latest news headlines, eBay search, horoscopes. There is also games, jokes pictures and favourite Bush-isms. However rather than sift through the endless list, use the search function to narrow the list down. I am embarrassed to admit that I've looked, but there are also porn gizmos!
Now I have everything I listed earlier at a glance, along with a calendar and clock (not digital - one with hands), a widget that lists the latest scores and news for Norwich City (my team!) and a link to access my Google Analytics account. All it needs to do now is make the coffee and take the kids to school and that will be my mornings taken care of!
There is also a feature where you can ditch the familiar and very plain Google look altogether and opt for a new skin. At the moment there are about 13 skins under "Select Theme". There is however a downside as the box is constantly visible and cannot be moved or hidden.
However there is a workaround: iGoogle Skins v2.0 (Kudos to Bob Walsh at Web Worker Daily)is another little gizmo that can be added to your iGoogle page. It currently has about 50 custom skins and is growing. I say it growing because, there is also an option where users can create their own skins and share them with the rest of the community. As this is a widget, it can be reduced to save space.
I've opted for the Feeling Lucky option which changes skins every time you log into it
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to make their work/personal life a lot easier. I was surprised that Google was allowed to get away with calling their facility iGoogle. A bit cheeky that – and surprisingly lenient of Apple Inc.
Basically my morning routine (30 minutes before the kids get up) goes something like this:
- Check my diary for the next couple of days
- Check out emails at Hotmail
- Look at Sky News for latest news headlines, and weather
- Check my Starsign for the day (paper or online)
- Read through my RSS feeds at Bloglines
- Brief check of MySpace for messages
Now that's quite a few websites to visit isn't it? A surf session that is pretty much impossible to keep inside of 30 minutes. So wouldn't it be great if you could view all this information together on one web page without the need to go anywhere else?
I have been researching this over the Christmas period and basically you can. Google has got pretty sophisticated over the last couple of years: Not only has their search got sophisticated, including separate searches for video and image, but now with iGoogle you can keep all your favourites on one page.
First of all, you need to sign up for an account if you haven't already. Registration is free and surprisingly easy.
Once you are signed up and logged in, you can start adding widgets under the "Add Stuff" link. Well talk about a kid in a sweetshop! In this long list you can opt for the latest news headlines, eBay search, horoscopes. There is also games, jokes pictures and favourite Bush-isms. However rather than sift through the endless list, use the search function to narrow the list down. I am embarrassed to admit that I've looked, but there are also porn gizmos!
Now I have everything I listed earlier at a glance, along with a calendar and clock (not digital - one with hands), a widget that lists the latest scores and news for Norwich City (my team!) and a link to access my Google Analytics account. All it needs to do now is make the coffee and take the kids to school and that will be my mornings taken care of!
There is also a feature where you can ditch the familiar and very plain Google look altogether and opt for a new skin. At the moment there are about 13 skins under "Select Theme". There is however a downside as the box is constantly visible and cannot be moved or hidden.
However there is a workaround: iGoogle Skins v2.0 (Kudos to Bob Walsh at Web Worker Daily)is another little gizmo that can be added to your iGoogle page. It currently has about 50 custom skins and is growing. I say it growing because, there is also an option where users can create their own skins and share them with the rest of the community. As this is a widget, it can be reduced to save space.
I've opted for the Feeling Lucky option which changes skins every time you log into it
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to make their work/personal life a lot easier. I was surprised that Google was allowed to get away with calling their facility iGoogle. A bit cheeky that – and surprisingly lenient of Apple Inc.
Labels: iGoogle, working at home
Posted: 11 January 2008
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