Every once in a while I step back mentally and think about what I will tell the next generation about my world. The common undertone will have everything to do with the advent of the personal computer and the invention of the internet. Fast forward through all my memories since 1994 up to about 2005 when I got my first notebook PC (back then we called 'em laptops). Since then, I've had the same routine every time I catch my first curl surfing the blogosphere.
www.xkcd.com/181/
How did you get to this website? How did your internet journey begin today? What is your homepage? Our homepage is the first thing we see when we open a new browser. Mine was Google. I recently changed the homepage for the first time since I learned how to drive a computer.
I am insanely lazy, like, on a cosmic level. How lazy? So lazy that I haven't changed my homepage in over 7 years. So lazy that if I don't want to move my fingers to type a URL in the browser to do some research, then I wont be visiting that site today, especially first thing in the morning. I realized my browser situation wasn't a beneficial setup for the following reason: Google is a search bar on a white background, it is a blank slate that opens up inspirational possibilities. But first thing in the morning I am also a blank slate, a little fuzzy, and one who wants to go back to sleep.
I need some jump-off points or an interesting news story or blog post to get me motivated. I was under a rock for about a year or so before I moved out here, mostly frequenting the sites that gave me aviation weather, airport info and Facebook...so people would know what airport I was at. I've recently discovered the many changes in social media, specifically, LinkedIn. I've had a bland and stagnant LinkedIn account since college and if you aren't involved with LinkedIn, get in there. If you take the time to create and update your professional profile, you will be nurturing some of the skills needed in the working world.
To make a long story shorter, I've chosen to use LinkedIn Today // Mashable as my homepage. LinkedIn Today has a good layout with graphics and fonts that are large and make good use of white space which is easy on the eyes in the morning. There are some recommended stories based on the companies that I follow and other links I've clicked. I can share, "like" and comment on articles and even post my own just like any good social site. Before I know it, my own opinions and ideas have woken me up and I'm more prepared for the day. I even have an idea of what people might be talking about at work. I find that I can spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour reading through news and business articles. If I'm short on time, I can save articles to read later. If news and business articles sound boring to you, then you're doing it wrong. You are a consumer, read up on the companies and people that matter to you. Make your homepage something that interests you. It could be a deal-a-day site or Wunderground or even your favorite celebrity's site.
Don't feel bad for Google. Instead think of it this way: I was using Google for all the wrong reasons and now it resides in the next tab at the ready, wide open and blank for me blaze my own trail after I've received some much-needed morning inspiration.
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"Pro"tip: check out Firefox's homepage settings (Options>>General>>Startup>>Home_Page). If you type a "|" character between two or more websites, you will set those sites to open in multiple tabs whenever you open Firefox.
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