With the advent of dozens of customizable startpages from the likes of Google IG to Netvibes, Internet users have a big decision to make when it comes to setting their homepage. Long are the days of simply using Google or Yahoo! as your homepage. Some prefer news sites or Wikipedia while others indulge in a purely academic homepage with something like Ninja Words. The more sociable ones might opt for Twitter as their homepage.
Which homepage do you use, and why?
I use Google IG. I’ve tried just about every customizable startpage but it just isn’t the same. Google IG’s look and feel has grown on me. Fast loading, no ads, pure content.
I’m rather curious to see what people use. I’m going to go out on a limb and predict the following:
- Google – 20%
- Google IG/My Yahoo! – 35%
- Yahoo! – 15%
- Netvibes/Protopage/Webwag/Popurls/OriginalSignal… – 15%
- Digg/Techmeme – 10%
- gmail/yahoo mail – 5%
PaulStamatiou.com runs on the Thesis Theme for WordPress
Thesis is the search engine optimized WordPress theme of choice for serious online publishers. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t understand a lot of PHP, Thesis will give a ton of functionality without having to alter any code. For the advanced, Thesis has incredible customization possibilities via Thesis hooks.
With so many design options, you can use the template over and over and never have it look like the same site. The theme is robust and flexible enough not only to accommodate a site like PaulStamatiou.com, but also to enable the site to run far more efficiently than it ever has before.
Stumble This
{ 108 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s http://paulstamatiou.com/ of course! That or Gmail. I forget.
Well I use Firefox restart… bringing up the tabs I had open when I close. But technically it’s Google (firefox default).
How about a blank page. Depending on what day it is I have different collections of bookmarks that I’ll open after the blank page is up.
I didn’t even think of a blank page, that’s also definitely an option. nothing loads faster than that.
I love the simplicity of google IG (what ever IG stands for?), but I really miss the ability to share a tab so that others can see it too.
At work, it’s a blank page, because I’d get too distracted otherwise.
At home, it’s been a customized My Yahoo! for years, very mainstream news centric, but just over the last few days I’ve been looking at the usual new customizable portal candidates, because I’m up for some change.
I might even code something on my own, because I need a higher level of flexibility. I’d like to read in headlines from my IMAP server (I don’t use Gmail), grab tasks from my task tracker (I use Alex King’s Tasks) and maybe grab some stats for my blog (Mint should output summaries for use on a remote site).
Then, depending on settings or time of day, I’d have a scaled down version without personal details at work (maybe with a nice big fat image from Flickr’s ‘interesting’ pool) and more details outside of the office.
It’s BBC News I’m afraid. I’ve never heard of Google IG… I think I have found a replacement.
Ben’s Bargains, for sure.
Astronomy Picture of the Day (http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html). A little astronomical T&A to start the day never hurt anybody. :)
Another option might be one’s own website. It’s either that or the clean Google for me, and since I can just as easily google something by using the Firefox search widget, it’s the former.
I moved away from Google IG in favour of Netvibes. However, I have the following as my start ‘page’ gmail.com|netvibes.com although, my netvibes is connected to my gmail account, but it’s force of habit. I also leave those two pages up all day…
as Luke, I have my tabs reload (even though I use Tab Mix Plus instead of Firefox’s native manager) when opening Firefox. since I keep a tab with GMail open at all times, you might say that’s my homepage, even though in Firefox’s setting it is “about:mozilla”.
I use Google IG. I’ve always wondered what the “IG” stands for.
Integrated Google? haha
My current homepage is currently pointing towards Techmeme. Last week? Del.icio.us popular.
about:nada
Google IG for sure. Been using it as the homepage since it was first released. I love the look at feel, and definitely the recent updates they made to it.
Yeah, a blank page.
I used to use MSN.com. I’m really not sure why, but I did for a long time. Now, I’ve just got the Google Firefox page. I just like the simplicity now, but a blank page would probably serve me just as well.
My home page is WashingtonPost.com. I’m a news addict.
I use the following:
Camino: IG
Safari: own site
FireFox: about:blank
flock: flickr
Since I’m mostly on Camino, IG is my ‘official answer’
Technically, it’s about:blank, but if I had tabs opened when I closed Firefox, it’s that.
Google IG as well for all the same reasons.
I immediately get weather, my gmail inbox, custom feeds, quick google calculator access, etc etc etc.
I’m even working on a “GTD” tab that uses Google Notes, Google Calendar and Remember the Milk.
Google Reader. I just want my feeds and nothing else. Ig is too busy for my taste.
google IG as it has both dashboard and full-text capabilities. i use greader and yahoo mail a ton as well..
about:blank
:)
Blank.
28k does that to you. Google reader was my last real site as my homepage. I prefer the RSS over say googles start page design, and if I want to search google I just do it in firefox.
Reguards,
Miles
I change every so often between Digg, Newshutch (RSS reader of choice), and Wikipedia Random.
Blank for me.
I’ve tried custom pages like Google, Netvibes, but quickly get frustrated when opening a browser to go to site X and having to wait on the homepage. I just stick to blank and navigate from there.
blank page, everything else adds unnecessary delay
Tried Google IG, myYahoo and the rest but I keep coming back to NetVibes.
definitely netvibes. actually gmail.com | google calendar | netvibes. and just like trovster, i leave them up all day.
http://www.yahoo.com
Love the top news and the layout of the rest of the page. I don’t really need any customizable content (RSS, etc.) since I have external programs like feed reader.
I don’t search with Yahoo though :/ Just not the same.
Megite (www.megite.com)
about:blank
It’s the best homepage and always has been. :)
+1 for Netvibes !
It took me quite a while to find the right startpage, i’ve tried them all and I finally ended up with a personal webpage that I created with my personal links to various location opening in new tabs.
I have used Bloglines for quite a long time as my startpage before
That’s what it looks like
http://www.guillaumeb.com/h
Default Firefox/Google. Your IG reasoning is interesting, Stammy, because I dropped IG when I started getting sick of the slow load time. Shrug.
I use a personal install of the rails GTD task management application Tracks as my homepage. Before that I had a personal wiki. I’m thinking about developing a hybrid and using that though (hrm, Capstone project).
@Devin – really, it’s slow for you? I can’t really tell the difference between IG and regular google.
Google.com all the way! KISS
I use the default FireFox/Google Search page. Most of the time I know where I’m headed before I even start up my browser, and when I don’t it’s usually off to Google. My most frequent visits, such as GMail and Google Reader are kept in the links toolbar for easy access.
A combination of netvibes and newshutch. Its the future, I expect evryone to be using them by the end fo the year :D
I have been using about:bookmarks but I decided to change to Wikipedia Random now to see how that works out :)
Definitely a Netvibes addict.
blank page here. I should probably create some kind of custom page using one of the services mentioned, but that would be a destination for my browser, not its homepage. For my homepage, I think it will remain blank for the foreseeable future.
Netvibes too.. it used to be about:blank but Netvibes is now my default page. It’s of course slower than my old one but much more useful
I like Google IG!
I use Google IG.
If that doesn’t work, go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/donwilson/376004224/
I used to use Google IG, then I switched my domain over to Google Apps For Your Domain and created a custom start page for myself and my family members. I was all set to go with that, and exited to have everything I needed (Gmail widget, Google reader widget, and Google Calendar widget) right on my own custom page but I found out soon after that there was one fatal flaw.
The Google Reader Widget designed for Google IG doesn’t work on GAFYD homepages. An Achilles heal, if you must. Until this compatibility is implemented by Google, I my homepage is Gmail with a Greasemonkey script that displays a section where I can read all my feeds.
about:blank
Nothing is faster than that. It was out of habit when using IE before Firefox was around.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/
I use netvibes
Google IG for me!
Definitely about:blank. The homepage of champions.
Netvibes all the way! I used to have a blank page in the pre-broadband, pre-Firefox era; still do on IE. But on Firefox, Netvibes, Google Reader, Google Calendar & Remember the Milk are permanent tabs.
Not sure what this says about me .. but my own blog is my homepage. I know that gmail will tell me if i’ve got any new comments, or action, on my websites .. but I like to see my blog when i start up.
Of course, now with tab memory, it’s whatever was in there previously.
I’m proud of my stuff, even if noone reads it, and so, part of my reasoning is .. if i can’t be proud to have it as a homepage, then why would anyone else even want to visit?
Ha ha .. +1 for personal affirmation.
Gmail
I am definitely “old school.” I use a hard coded html page that is fundamentally my popular bookmarks. For now… it works for me.
http://jj.chaconhome.com
Google.ca is my homepage just because it loads fast and I often need Google anyways.
Google IG all the way.
got to get your daily news, so mines bbc new world edition.
gmail.
but i’m giving this google ig a look.
Blank for me too.
blank.
I have always had my personal site, counterjumper as my homepage.
Apple.com, yes I’m lame :)
For the last three or so years it’s been my website. There was a period for a few months in the pre-RSS days where I had a styled local HTML with important bookmarks, but I never kept it updated so it didn’t last.
2 Tabs:
* http://www.Newsvine.com
* http://www.Newsvine.com/technology
Popurls… love it!
I use ‘Google Personalized Start Page For Your Domain’ on my iBook. It tends to lag if I have to many applications open. On my iMac it’s Google IG with a whole load of ’stuffs’.
My ‘Google Personalized Start Page For Your Domain’ has just the important gadgets, like mail, Reuters, digg, so that it loads quickly. It does the job of also highlighting any important mail and news.
I use my blog as my homepage.
blank, though I might go have a play with IG
I’m a blank page person myself. The Google search bar in Firefox makes using a homepage unnecessary.
My homepage is also blank, although at work IE opens to the website I administer since I only ever open IE to test things.
For a long time, I had a custom built page with search boxes from all the essential sites right in front of me.
Now the current version has 1-click logins to many of my online accounts. The login data is stored locally and I just use that site’s logo as the button.
Here’s a screenshot: http://aurgasm.us/images/startpgscreenshot.JPG
Netvibes.com has to be the best thing I’ve found. My dash has got my gmail, mint stats from a couple of sites and a couple of to-do lists. Then I have a number of other tabs for different types of blog feeds.
I really find it excellent. Very efficient for reading feeds too.
Google IG here also for the speed, but this has brought the digg module(? widget?) to my attention as I had been in the stone age using Digg’s boring old plain feed. Very nice.
9rules of course. I thought that was rule number one: make us your homepage.
Before it was clean and simple search because I’m an information addict, but I have that in the address bar now.
I open new browser windows with a blank page, but use Google IG (“Individualized Google”?) as my home page. (Thanks to the Firefox 2 developers for giving us back the option to do this.)
I see that your Google IG page has a lot of different feed gadgets, and you use Google Reader. You might want to check out what I wrote about putting multiple Google Reader gadgets on your Google IG page:
http://jameselee.alwaysaskwhy.com/blog/2006/12/put_multiple_google_reader_gadgets_on_your_homepage.html
Major benefits:
* Syncs read/unread state with full version of Google Reader
* Manage just one set of subscriptions
30boxes.com
I love that site, really helps me keep track of my schedule at when I’m at work.
Guess! ;-)
My Yahoo! since 8 years.
how about stock exchange …
My current homepage is personalized page of Google. I don’t even need more
CNN.com
But before, I used google for the longest time but then Mozilla has that google search bar.
I’ll look at IG now : )
Apple/startpage but with all this talk on google IG I feel like I’m missing something?
I’ve tried out quite a few, including Google IG, but NetVibes does the trick for me personally. The Google interface in particular is quite clunky looking – it’s nice to get a break from the blue every now and then.
Always the default Firefox Google page for me. I never actually use it though; I’d probably be better off with a blank page, although I do like some colour.
I use a blank page. Actually I have gmail as home page, but set up Safari so that it doesn’t load.
I use http://news.google.com/ in every browser. Except iCab. I always forget.
However, I have a multi-bookmark (in my bookmarks drop-down) that opens my “regular” 8 tabs that I cannot live without.
about:blank for me.
Interesting post!
There’s no place like 127.0.0.1! =)
Less bandwidth, and more privacy. =)
At work i have our company support system starting in a tab, and in the second tab our HP server monitoring solution.
At home i have http://www.nu.nl
who said google IG is too busy? You can trim it down…
I have IG with gmail, several counters, a sunlight map, weather, and couple of other random things.
Hi
My homepage is
http://www.digg.com or sometimes http://qtcenter.org
Thats my choice.
Always Gmail, and usually I’m already logged in. Gmail is like a drug for me, and when I don’t have any new e-mails, then I don’t know what to do… usually at that point I know it’s time for me to do homework or something.
I built my own. A little PHP and MySQL and I have my own, totally personalized homepage. Not as many features as Google and others but it works.
I did a vote on this a while back on http://www.myuninstalledlife.com and got the result:
40% Google
6% Windows Live
20% Netvibes
6% Bloglines
7% Yahoo
17% none
1% betanews
2% protopage
Probably the best and most simple homepage now is http://www.persalize.com. Its got google, wikipedia, myspace, youtube, and a bunch of other stuff built right in, so it’s actually useful. Google is second best, but because persalize already has google on it, plus more stuff, i stick with Persalize.
Wow, you actually missed about:blank from that list? :D
I had a blank page for a long, long time but recently changed it to iGoogle, so I can have my Gmail inbox and Google Reader along with Google and Wikipedia search in a single page.
Currently, my homepage is Netvibes. They did a great job revamping it in their redesign. It looks great and works great too. The one thing that I like about it is that it seems to have a lot more user interaction. I believe now you can bundle up and share your custom homepage. Legit stuff.
Netvibes for me
I don’t use any personal homepage, instead I am using some firefox extensions which make my life easier.
Speed Dial
With Speed Dial, you can easily access your most used websites. To show the Speed Dial tab, use the Speed Dial button (which can be added to the toolbar), or enter “chrome://speeddial/content” in your location bar.
Morning Coffee
This extension lets you organize websites by day and open them up simultaneously as part of your daily routine. This is really handy if you read sites that update on a regular schedule (like webcomics, weekly columns, etc.).
The latest NBA scores / news of course:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba
Blank page always.
SearchFlavor.com
It’s simple like Google, yet customizable with my own pictures and videos, plus pictures and videos from my friends. You can also quickly choose your search engine. I might be biased because I created the site, but check it out! :)
I’ve tested all but using about:blank :)