Google has turned off it’s ability for people to create personalized pages, called iGoogle. It was retired on November 1, 2013. When the old www.iGoogle.com is entered in a browser, all you get is the Google main page. It was convenient to configure one page that I was given freely. To put as many feeds and gadgets as I wanted. From news to entertainment, the serious to the silly.
With the advent of other ways to get information on a real time basis, such as smart phone apps and various browsers with plug-ins, the need for something like iGoogle went away. I can get the latest sport scores from my favorite teams on my android phone, that I carry with me everywhere. So maybe I can still feel whole even without having my personal information page.
For those who still want the security of having your own personal startup page on the web, there are alternatives out there for you. The most painful could be to create your own page. Having the skills to write your own web pages, you could create a personal site and host it out your computer. Just create a folder for it and tell your browser where it is. If you don’t want that headache, there are other options.
Many plugins were developed to create a more personalized browsing experience. Chrome and Firefox come to mind as browsers that can be configured for the users likes. I’m sure there are others out there. Just a manner for finding them out there.
If you rather have your personal site online, there are many websites available. Yahoo is an example of site that provides an iGoogle type of experience. In fact, if you are lucky enough to have downloaded your iGoogle configuration, you can upload it into MyYahoo. Not all of your widgets and feeds may migrate over, but it’s a starting place.
If you really miss iGoogle, there is any alternative that is very close to the original. igHome is one that has a similar look and function. There are many things that you can add. It too provides a way to import your IGoogle settings.
As we conclude, there is a sense of loss. I liked having all the gadgets and feeds that I used in one place. If one fell out of favor, there were always others to take it’s place. Now I have to look for some new place. A place that can give me the same amounts of fun and news as the old one. I’m feeling a bit melancholy now.
Later…rrh