Personalized Homepages

Possible Credits (Maximum 5)

Create a personalized homepage on iGoogle or another source (5 credits)

What are personalized homepages?

Personal homepages are meant to be portals to your online world. Portal creation software helps you create a personalized homepage with the features and information you want and need right at your fingertips.

Why do I care?

Hopefully, the staff technology training program has introduced you to a wide variety of tools that can help you become more productive, engaged, and up-to-date. However, as you complete the various pieces of this program, you may find it difficult to keep track of the tools you have registered for and to continue to interact with these tools. By creating a personal homepage (which you can set to be your default homepage), you can create a highly relevant, personal experience for yourself, and access the activities, tools, and information you want at your fingertips. Having all of your tools in one place helps you manage your workflow and make better use of your time. Departments within the library can set up shared personalized homepages for easy access to tools that are often used in the department.

Personalized homepage software offers tools (gadgets or widgets) that enable you to customize the look and feel of your page. Whether you are a news junkie, want easy access to your email accounts and RSS feeds, or just want to stay organized, there is a tool for you. Feel free to add a touch of fun to your homepage as well. These gadgets or widgets can be added, deleted, and moved around your page with ease.

iGoogle themes allow you to add your own personal flair to your homepage. Choose from vivid animal or nature themes, represent your favorite sports team, or showcase just how trendy you are by adding a Twilight or Gucci theme. You can even create your own theme by uploading a photo and choosing a color scheme.

How do I get credit?

  1. Start by getting a free iGoogle account. (Note if you already have a Google account for Gmail or other Google applications, you do not need to register for another Google account). - If you want, set your iGoogle page as your default homepage on your work or personal computer.
  2. Add some tools (gadgets) to your page, which could include activities that you have already completed for this program (such as Google Reader, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Doodle, Facebook)
  3. Update your theme