Sharing on Netvibes

The last two posts have examined Netvibes as an alternative to iGoogle. Last week, Google announced iGoogle would shut down in November 2013, meaning current users need another way to organize our online lives.

In this post, we explore how to share Netvibes content with others. Sharing can happen in three ways: sharing a widget, sharing a tab, or creating a public page.

Sharing a Widget 
Suppose you want to share your entire Google Bookmarks widget with someone else. Click on the curved arrow which appears on the widget's title bar.

Share a Netvibes Widget

When the box appears, choosing the "grab a link" tab produces a URL. Give that URL to others with whom you wish to share the tab. When they visit that URL, they will be able to add the widget, with its contents, to their own Netvibes page."Send by e-mail" would accomplish the same outcome.

Share by E-Mail or "Grab a Link" (URL has been whited-out)

Sharing a Tab
Sharing an entire tab is much like sharing a widget. Beside the name of the tab, click the arrow point to reveal the option to "Share this tab."

Share a Tab

A box appears that looks exactly like the one you saw when sharing a widget. In this example, I am showing how the box appears when you "share by email." You can change the text of the message if you wish.

Share a Tab Through E-Mail

Here is how the e-mail appears to the recipient:

Here is the E-Mail They Receive

Clicking the green button will add the tab to their Netvibes page. How you could use this in your organization? One person could build a page of widgets which would be needed by everyone. Rather than everyone building the same tab, sharing it saves time and insures everyone has the same information. I am not sure if others can change the contents of the tab and those changes be applied to that tab for all who share it. If someone else has had experience in that area, I would be interested in hearing what you found.

Creating a Public Page
You have the ability to create a tab that is public. With this option, one does not need to have a Netvibes account to see the page. All they need is the URL.

To create a public page, click "Dashboards" in the upper right corner, and "Activate my public page."

Create a Public Page

 You will see a box where you will click to create your public page.

Activating Your Public Page

Click the "Enable" radio button. Choose a category and save changes. Clicking on the URL just under "My public page" (see the diagram above) takes you to your public page. You may now create content. Anyone who has the URL will be able to access the page even if they do not have a Netvibes account.

This option would be perfect for a teacher who wants to set up resources for students. The page might include the weather forecast and news feeds. It could include a list of bookmarks. It could include a Google Calendar where assignments and upcoming school events are posted.

Please realize I have been using Netvibes only a few days. On the one hand, you see that a page can be set up quickly. On the other hand, I am surely missing some tricks along the way. I welcome ideas from others who have more experience with Netvibes. I also welcome comments from those those new to the service.

If you would like to learn more about the capabilities of Netvibes, you can download a complete user guide.

Come on over and continue the Netvibes discussion on my Facebook page. Please "Like" the page and join the discussion.

Netvibes: When You Can't Find a Widget

Monday's post explored Netvibes as an alternative to iGoogle following Google's announcement that the popular start page would shut down on November 1, 2013. iGoogle users will naturally look at the "gadgets" they current have on their iGoogle pages and look for parallel "widgets" in Netvibes. What happens when you can't find a widget you need?


When You Can't Find a Widget You Need
Many of the iGoogle gadgets function within the start page, but clicking on the gadget takes you to the actually website. What happens when you can't find the parallel gadget on Netvibes?

Go to the green "Add Content" button and click "Essential widgets." Look for a widget labeled "Link module" and add it to your Netvibes page.

This widget allows you to add a title and URL for a single site. You can add as many of the "Link module" gadgets as you wish. Each one will take you to a single site.
 
For example, I have a gadget on my iGoogle page for Google Reader. To this point, I have not found a way to add that Google Reader into my page. So, I added a "Link Module" widget. Clicking on it opens a new browser tab and takes me to Google Bookmarks. It's not the same as being able to scroll through posts on the start page; however, I almost always clicked on the gadget to go straight to the page Google Bookmarks page anyway.

A Link Module is Used to Link to a Single Site

The other major void was widget for Google Bookmarks. I did find a "Bookmarks" widget. I was able to export my Google Bookmarks and import them into this widget. Because these were no longer "Google Bookmarks," clicking the "Google Bookmarks" bookmarklet would not add new items to the Bookmarks widget on the Netvibes page. For that reason, I deleted that widget. Instead, I added another "Link Module" widget for Google Bookmarks.  

On Friday, we will finish the discussion of Netvibes by exploring how you can share tabs or widgets with other people.

Who else has created a page on Netvibes? How do you like it so far?

No More iGoogle? What Will We Do?

iGoogle has been my homepage for six years. Every time my browser opens, I see my dashboard of tools. It's always the same from device to device. I can log into it from any computer. If I make a change, the change shows up on all of my devices.

Imagine my shock when I opened my browser this past Tuesday evening to see an announcement that Google is shutting down iGoogle effective November 2013. I am not alone. A post on the subject appeared on Lifehacker the same day. A poll at the bottom of that post demonstrates just how popular iGoogle is.

Yes, I know November 2013 is more than a year away and much can change in a year. Google may reconsider. Google may come up with something better. But the reality is I have shown countless people the magic of iGoogle as a way to organize all Internet resources in a single place. Starting now, I will be offering another option.

Enter Netvibes
In June 2007, Mashable published this article comparing 14 different personalized homepages. While the article is five years old, it was the most on-point resource I found. Being impressed with the description for Netvibes, I created an account and started building my page.

• To begin, go to Netvibes.com.
• Click on "Get Started" and select "Go Basic" for your account.

Get Started With Netvibes

• You are presented with a a box asking you to create a dashboard. I clicked on "Productivity" and my dashboard was built.

Creating a Dashboard

• A helpful directions box walked me through the steps to adding and managing content. The green "Add Content" button at the extreme upper left of the screen is the secret. Just like iGoogle, once a widget is added to the dashboard, you can drag it to any position or use the controls on the title bar of the widget to make modifications.

Adding Widgets is easy

• You will probably find you want to keep a number of the widgets that Netvibes automatically included. Likewise, you will want to delete others and add your own. I was pleased with the variety of widgets available.
• Just like iGoogle, you may choose from a variety of "themes."  Click the "Settings" icon in the upper right just to the left of the word "Dashboard."

Netvibes offers a wide variety of themes

• The very last step is to chose a user name and password. This action will save the dashboard you created. Look for a confirmation email from Netvibes sent to the email address you provided. You will need to respond to that e-mail.

So far, here are the widgets I have added to my page:
Productivity Apps

• Google Calendar
• ToodleDo
• Gmail
• Calculator
• Stock Portfolio
• Google Bookmarks
• Google Reader
• GoogleDocs
• Bit.ly Link Shortener
• Google/Bing Maps Search

Social Media

• Twitter
• Facebook

News

• CNN News
• Fox News
• ESPN
• People

Here is the finished product

On Wednesday, we will examine how a workaround when you cannot find a widget you need. On Friday, we will look at how you can share widgets or entire tabs with other Netvibes users.