iGoogle

Last night I gave a presentation and the question came up about iGoogle. Why use it was the questions? Why not? was my answer.

iGoogle is a neat tool that allows you to create your own iGoogle homepage.Think of it as a daily newspaper with the "frontpage" customized to what tools you use in one location. It places everything you need at one spot instead of hunting down the icon on your toolbar or trying to remember the webpage address.

I have several tabs on my iGoogle. One tab hosts my genealogy links. It is like a "frontpage" newspaper for all of my genealogy links. From this page I can search Footnote.com and read Eastman's newsletter. It makes it easier for me to have my links together on a webpage than tucked into my favorites/bookmark list. It also allows me to access my iGoogle page from any computer anywhere in the world. ( It even worked when I was in Ireland last year!)

Each feature on iGoogle is called a gadget. It is easy to place them on your page and to move around. Using the calendar gadget allows you to list important dates in your family history or to keep track of your busy genealogy schedule. The notepad gadget can help you list your notes for your genealogy research. In a library in CT and forgot to print out you "to do" list for genealogy? You can access your iGoogle page from a library computer and print out your list. Want to collaborate your findings with your fellow researchers or cousins? You can note your findings on your iGoogle page and share it! Better yet, you can even access your iGoogle page through your phone! Which is easier to carry- a laptop or a phone? And best of all, it is free!

Please take a look at the online videos through Youtube.com or Googling "igoogle."

Try it, you might like it!