Things 1 and 2 involved setting up a Google account and customising an iGoogle page. This was quite straightforward, although, like Rach, I spent far too long searching for useful gadgets; the search function could really be improved for this.
I'd read what Phil Bradley has to say about the advantages of using a start page (Bradley, 2007), and have to admit I've become quite attached to mine. It really does seem to be a great time-saver, since by using it I avoid trawling through my list of bookmarks, which, though well-organized, is rather long. Unlike a browser's bookmarks, a start page can, of course, be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
My iGoogle page has now become my personal homepage. I've found it useful to have news feeds sent directly to this site, and have added a number of other gadgets to encourage me to do all the things I should do but never get round to ... like learning German proverbs and checking out the weather forecast. I also love the Edinburgh-themed image that is displayed across the top.
I can see start pages could have a place in the library. Both staff and students can benefit from a single, customisable homepage that links to frequently used sites. COPAC offers a gadget that can be added to an iGoogle page, as do some university libraries for their WebOPACs. The Open University's gadget allows you to search their Voyager catalogue by keyword, while clicking on the gadget's title opens up the WebOPAC's welcome screen in a new tab. Useful gadgets for library and information professionals include several news feeds from LIS-related sites and feeds that focus on technology and education.
I am yet to set up a start page for work, however. For it to be really useful, it would need to link to several different college sites (including our intranet), various catalogues and suppliers' websites. At present I manage fine with my bookmarks. As I only have one workstation, the lack of a start page has not (yet!) proved to be a shortcoming.
Cited work:
Bradley P (2007) How to use Web 2.0 in your library. London: Facet, pp. 67-78
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Hello!
ReplyDeleteCool blog. Have you tried Chrome, the new browser by Google? I think it's a bit better than Firefox (it's a bit quicker), and if you have a Google account it saves all your bookmarks for you. So you can retrieve bookmarks at another computer just by signing in to Google. Also, in Chrome you don't have to go to the Google page to search for something, you just type your search straight into the address bar (from any page) and it performs a search. Quite handy! I don't use a start page myself - haven't ever needed one.
I haven't got very far on the job front yet, but I've made progress on my design portfolio this week, which will be going up at mikebutcher.com when it's done. And then I'm planning to just write to as many design studios as I can asking for work experience or a job. That's the plan!
Sorry for the long comment.
Mike
Hi Mike,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and don't apologise!
Chrome does sound interesting: I'll have to try it out.
Good luck with the portfolio and everything. I'm looking forward to seeing the finished website!
Karen