{"id":3834,"date":"2013-09-25T02:49:34","date_gmt":"2013-09-25T02:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/learningaloud.com\/blog\/?p=3834"},"modified":"2013-09-25T02:49:34","modified_gmt":"2013-09-25T02:49:34","slug":"getting-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learningaloud.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/25\/getting-started\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting started"},"content":{"rendered":"

I do nearly all of my computer work online. So, to be efficient, I want to open a browser and get started. I want the browser to open to a page that organizes the options I use most. I may want information (news, weather) or to access a tool (social tool, writing tool, clipping tool, email) to accomplish some task.<\/p>\n

iGoogle was perfect for my needs. It was a web page I could use as a start page and it was easily modified with ready made widgets and feeds.<\/p>\n

\"igoogle\"<\/a>Google abandoned iGoogle in a recent attempt to become more efficient and I have been looking for a reasonable replacement since. To this point, I have found nothing I regard as equivalent. However, here is what I use as a work around.<\/p>\n

First, I use what I would describe as a “launcher” to organize the links I use most frequently. These could be links to tools or sites. The tool I use for this purpose is Symbal00<\/a>. The launcher makes use of tiles that serve as links. Many of the tiles offer clipart readily identified with an online site, but you can also generate tiles with just a title for sites Symbaloo has not associated with artwork.<\/p>\n

\"symbaloo\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As a launcher, Symbaloo works great. What Symbaloo does not do is give an immediate display of information from key sources I commonly review. My present strategy is to designate one tile within Symbaloo to launch a site that offers me quick access to the “headlines” from several RSS feeds. The site is Startme<\/a>. I use a feedreader to go through my complete collection of feeds, but StartMe offers an efficient way to get to sites and headlines I review most frequently.<\/p>\n

\"startme\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I am still waiting for my ideal start page. StartMe could get there by offering widgets for services – weather, stock quotes, a clock. Symbaloo is great for what it does, but the tile approach limits the display of information.<\/p>\n

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I do nearly all of my computer work online. So, to be efficient, I want to open a browser and get started. I want the browser to open to a page that organizes the options I use most. I may want information (news, weather) or to access a tool (social tool, writing tool, clipping tool, … Continue reading Getting started<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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