A good dashboard has a series of "widgets" or blocks of information, each of which is configurable by the end-user.
Nothing is handier than having the information that you need to get through the day available on a single, organized screen on your computer or tablet. Conventional software, like Microsoft Office and QuickBooks, has been offering this "dashboard" view for a long time. But now, thanks to the "cloud," you can build your own dashboard to consolidate all kinds of information—from your calendar, email, and to-do lists to weather and news from the Internet. Having it all on one screen can save you hours of surfing to different websites and blogs to find what you're looking for.
For years I relied on iGoogle to help contractors create their personal dashboards. Unfortunately, Google discontinued the free service last November, leaving us scrambling. I've located a half-dozen good alternatives that do pretty much the same things in pretty much the same way iGoogle did. But there are subtle differences (like the ability to share a page with your clients or subs, for example) that may make you choose one over the others.
A Good DashBoard
I looked for iGoogle replacements that had most, if not all, of the following features:
- Free service (usually ad-supported) and an optional paid version without ads
- Multiple pages or tabs—such as Productivity, Business, and Personal—organized however you want
- Multiple ways to display information on the same page (for example, gadgets, widgets, and older-style RSS feeds)
- Customizable look and feel (user can change colors and fonts, and the size and location of the gadgets or widgets)
- At least near-real-time information that automatically refreshes as new information becomes available
- Ability to work in all major browsers, including those on phones and tablets
- Ability to make some pages public (for sharing with clients or subs), while keeping others behind a password
NETVIBES
This dashboard is a spin-off from the company's core reputation-management business. Instead of creating pages one widget at at time, you simply type in the topic you want to follow and Netvibes does the rest, scouring the Internet for whatever information it can locate and organize on that particular topic (see screen shots on previous page). From there, you can edit your pages, changing the content, theme, and layout to your heart's content. Netvibes also has extensive options for sharing your pages by email or on social media. Free; $3.50/month with "VIP support." Premium version ($499/month) manages all social media and other Web activity.
MY YAHOO
The simplest of the free-with-ads options, MyYahoo is geared toward people who are already using Yahoo mail, address book, or calendar. There is no paid version, so you're always stuck with an ad in the upper right-hand corner of your page (which even the best ad-blockers would not nuke). Yahoo makes it easy to create additional tabs and organize feeds any way you like, but the "Add Content" button limits you to categories Yahoo makes available. My Yahoo is strictly private—there's no way to share content unless you give up your password (bad idea). Free with ads; no paid version.
STARTME
In addition to using dedicated one-topic widgets, StartMe also lets you add widgets containing RSS feeds or URL Lists, then reorganize everything on the page. The drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to create public or private pages, each of which can hold different content. For example, you could set up a page with links to your preferred product manufacturers and make that available to clients and prospects. But you can also create a private page to hold your personal email and social media accounts. StartMe also lets you add productivity widgets, such as your calendar and to-do list. Free; no paid version.
PROTOPAGE
This dashboard is my current favorite, mostly because it's so configurable. It's the only service in this bunch that allows you to change not only the location of a specific widget, but also its width. If you need something wider so you can read more of it without scrolling (your email, for example), it's no problem. Unlike with the other services mentioned here, you're not locked into pre-set columns—widgets and gadgets spanning multiple columns can intermix with single-column versions anywhere on the page. Free with ads; $2.49/month without ads.
BlueG
Like Netvibes, BlueG helps you out by setting up your initial pages for you based on some selections you make when you first sign up. BlueG is free, but you'll have to put up with at least one shopping gadget (Amazon, for example) on each page. BlueG maintains a gadget library, including a "By Google" category that claims to have all your old, favorite iGoogle gadgets waiting for you. BlueG hints (but never outright admits) that the "Google" gadgets were created by the old team of Google gadget developers. Free (shopping gadget can be deleted). No paid version (but donations encouraged).
igHome
This dashboard, whose name stands for "iGoogle–Home," was created by Mike Sutton, an iGoogle gadget developer who wanted to re-create the iGoogle experience for himself and others. The service is free, but there is a link for a PayPal donation at the bottom of the page. In the same way that My Yahoo is geared toward Yahoo users, igHome is geared toward Google Drive/Apps users, with links to most popular Google services (Gmail, Drive, YouTube) available across the top of the interface. Not surprisingly, of the dashboards in this article, igHome is closest to the old iGoogle in terms of features and functionality. For those of you who want to replicate your old iGoogle pages exactly or just need more help organizing your igHome setup, there is a comprehensive set-up guide independently maintained at saveigoogle.org/going-home-ighome. Free with persistent PayPal donation link.
