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Technology Tips: Create a Google Personalized Homepage

For this week's assignment, you will create a personalized Google homepage - also known as iGoogle.

When you have a personalized iGoogle homepage, it means that when you go to google.com, instead of seeing a basically blank screen, you will see a screen that has various information, services, games and entertainment of your choice. For example, here is a personalized iGoogle homepage that shows the Calendar/Day/Time, a daily Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, and a Babelfish Translation service box.

To complete this assignment, you need to complete a two-step process. If you already have a Google account or a gmail account, you can proceed immediately to Step Two. If you already have a personalized Google homepage, you can take credit for the assignment now! (See the note at the bottom of this page for what you need to do to take credit for the assignment.)

Step One: Create Google Account. If you do not already have a Google account, you will need to create one. To create a Google account, you just need an email address (any email address will do - you do not need a Google gmail address). Go to the Google New Accounts page, and then fill in the information requested: the email address, and a password (you can choose any password you want at least 6 characters in length).

Then you will have to complete a "captcha" form, which prevents computer robots from getting Google accounts. Just type the letters/numbers that you see. Then make sure you click the I accept. Creation my account. button. Your request will not be processed until you click the Accept button.

After you submit your request, a confirmation email will be sent to the address that you provided. You have to open your email, and click on the verification link in that email. After you click on the verification link, you will be taken to a Google confirmation screen:

Step Two. Now you are ready to create your personalized Google homepage! Just go to google.com. If you are not already signed in, click on the Sign In button and sign in with your Google account.

You can also choose iGoogle from the list of available Google services:

Then click on the iGoogle link, and and you will be greeted with a default personalized iGoogle homepage. If you are already logged in after having verified your new account, this is the page you will be taken to automatically when you go to google.com:

You will see a whole range of little boxes you can click to turn content on/off, or you can click to browse the entire collection, with hundreds more options available to you. When you are done, just click Show My Page.

You can view your Google homepage on any computer. Whenever you go to Google.com, if you are not logged on, you will see this screen:

Just click on the Sign in button in order to sign in using the email address you have registered with Google. Then, click on iGoogle (or Personalized Home) in the upper right-hand corner and you will see your Google homepage.

You are done with the assignment! To get credit, take a screenshot showing your Google homepage (see instructions for screenshots if you are not sure how to do that), and send the screenshot as an attachment in the email to the instructor.

If you are in the Myth-Folklore class, use the Subject Line Myth-Folklore iGoogle; if you are in Indian Epics, Indian Epics iGoogle; or for World Literature, World Lit iGoogle.

When you have sent in the email, you can do the Gradebook Declaration for Extra Credit.