Most people that I know keep up with the news by passively watching their local news station, CNN, or perhaps the Today show in the morning while they are getting ready for their day. But if you’re like me, you probably want a little more in-depth information on various business and personal-interest topics (I like to read information on technology and gadgets). But there is simply too much information on the internet to be easily consumed, especially when you are pressed for time. As a professional writer and consultant, time that I waste navigating between different websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook etc. means less time that I can spend on client work or searching for new business.
That is why I am happy to have discovered iGoogle, Google Reader, and tabbed browsing through Internet Explorer 8. I don’t advocate using one homepage over another (there are many to choose from through Yahoo, MSN, or even your local internet provider) or RSS feed reader, or even browser (Google Chrome and Firefox are other alternatives), it is merely my preference for how easy it is to set up the iGoogle homepage with various widgets that provide the information that I need instantly. I particularly like the ability to use the Twitter Gadget to keep up on the activities of people that I follow, as well as the Facebook widget. You can choose from a variety of applets from your favorite publications, as well like Time, USAToday, and CNN. Many of you may have also used RSS feeds to consolidate all the information from the various websites and blogs you may follow, but have you thought of the idea of creating a shortcut to this reader on your homepage tabs? Popular browsers these days have the ability to save and open multiple tabs at once when you initially open up the application. Tabbed browsing allows for very easy navigation between multiple tabs and allows you the flexibility of having up to 8 tabs open at once. In addition, it is very easy to save your favorite sites on the Bookmarks bar for quick reference.