Google News As Homepage—Why Not?
Written by Major Tom
Filed under: Computers
June 29, 2007
I have always been a Yahoo! person since I remained an Internet Explorer user despite the spread of opinions against it, and in favor of revolutionary browsers such as Mozilla Firefox (most especially) and Opera and you know whenever one opens up a an IE browser, 90% of the time Yahoo! explodes into your screen as a homepage/search site.
But one time I took fancy of making Google as my homepage for my browser at home and put on with it, using it as my default search engine and true to form and exact to what many say about it, it is not only fast-loading but searches are done in a much quicker way. I know you might interrogate me for this and quip, “Why didn’t you know about that? It had been like that ever since—Mozilla as the faster search engine?”. Somehow I knew about this fact already but I have not gotten to comparing—whether Yahoo! is much better than Google—a search is a search and I wanted to do it on my own accord, and not for anyone else to tell me what or how I am going to be searching and what I am about to search. My way or the highway.
But slower Internet connection at home now comes as a factor and you could say that I should hitting myself on the head for sentimentally sticking to Yahoo! despite that sometimes, it takes a lifetime to appear on the screen in full; what with all those heavy animated or moving advertisements that it has now almost all the time.
So now, Google is the default search engine on my home computer.
I then farther inquired on what Google could offer me especially I noticed (and why I got discourage in using it previously) that whenever the homepage comes on, one could see almost nothing; no news or info like Yahoo! does and I am a news kind of guy. Half the time, I logged to the net to scour for news and information. I am so used at opening the browser and immediately what comes on are news and information like what the Yahoo! homepage has. But it is not the case with Google.
So I delved farther into Google’s cache of services (as we all know that it got lots and lots of them) and went into the Google News page. I was a bit mesmerized when I opened such page, noticing immediately the voluminous amount of news titles included in it, from top to bottom, and guess what?—no advertisements with animated fishes ogling in front of you, swimming to and fro and huge American cars changing colors or sizes, making loading more difficult. I am not really against adds on web pages, we all got to make some dough one way or the other, but sometimes Yahoo! has become more of an advertisement page rather than a search engine. Adverts first, and then search later. Sounds like fly now and pay later. Only a rawer deal.
Google News is actually a news aggregator that looks like a news site. It is highly automated with minimal human intervention in collating the news. It headlines most recent as it comes and most important articles bannered (in accordance with an installed automated system). For a news guy like me, this is just what I wanted and I am thankful that I have gotten to this site through my tinkering. On Yahoo!, the news comes in trickle and feels like it becomes too compartmentalized with news over Iraq and Capitol Hill given most importance and headlined almost all the time.
If one might ask, “Is there a website out there that in one click, you can have all the news that you wanted?”. Of course there is no such thing but Google News comes close, too close I feel. Only problem is that it doesn’t include local Philippine news which I also dig all the time. I don’t know if by “personalizing it” (Yes, just like MyYahoo!, you can adjust it’s content and looks), local news would be headlined among the extensive global news from all corners of the world.
Right now, I am still of double-mind if I would go farther and make Google News my default homepage, having a gregarious amount of news whenever I click on the IE icon on my desktop, just like in my wet dreams my thoughts—a site full of news in just one click of the button.
Why don’t you try it and see if you want also to make it as your regular news site or even the default homepage/search engine. You can have the option of searching merely the news aggregate or the entire web for that matter. Google News collates from almost 5,000 news sources and includes search for news archives (you might want to search for the old news in your mind) and it also has a portion for “Blog Search”. That shows how Google have so much respect for humble and lowly bloggers like us. Maybe, it’s time to pay back the respect.
I am also a Yahoo person though I use Firefox. Like you, for me, a search is a search. I also want the news to be more localized… Philippines, and for me, Cambodia, as well. But thanks for this tip. I will try out Google news.
Comment by Toe — June 29, 2007 @ 12:12 pm
My homepage is set up to philstar.com. But I have to admit, I only look at the pictures on the homepage and then I go to the entertainment section right away to catch up with celebrity gossip. Sorry, I’m not much of a news person.
But yeah, I also find those yahoo advertisements irritating. And that car that pops up when I’m checking my inbox.
Comment by niceheart — June 29, 2007 @ 1:16 pm
Hi Major Tom
My SIL informed me last time about this Google thingy, aside from the features you mentioned, I believe you can also personalized it or something. But me, I’m not really particular about this stuff
Comment by verns — June 29, 2007 @ 3:52 pm
i use firefox too. we should all support open source and free the web.
Comment by Atticus — June 29, 2007 @ 4:56 pm
To Toe: How I wish there’s a way to put local headlines on the Google News site for anyway it’s a news aggregator. Maybe in later version, that would just be possible. When nothing seems to be impossible for the Google organization, you think it, they got it.
Comment by Major Tom — June 29, 2007 @ 6:43 pm
To niceheart: Uhmnn, I like the Phistar site too and I know the entertainment there are juicier than the rest. I think I am gonna bookmark it so I’d be reminded to dig some showbiz buzz once in a while. Too much serious stuff wouldn’t be too good.
Comment by Major Tom — June 29, 2007 @ 6:46 pm
To verns: It would be good to personalize it and perhaps have some feeds of yours displayed on it. I haven’t really tried tinkering fully with the Google News personalization but in MyYahoo!, all my feeds are displayed there whenever I log in. You should try it.
Comment by Major Tom — June 29, 2007 @ 6:50 pm
To atticus: Open source on the net is just heaven sent for me especially the free web designs; they are so useful to me.
Comment by Major Tom — June 29, 2007 @ 6:52 pm
I don’t really know what’s my default search engine, but I have a tool bar for both, and sometimes i use anyone of them. I also notice that google is faster, even with my fast IT connection. But since I don’t do much searcher, anyone will do, and i still use IE 7 for browsing and mozilla for some which the IE can not display properly.. like the PCIJ site comments section.
major tom, thanks for the best wishes for Paolo. he is our wonder boy, for he has recovered from childhood issue that some would have long ago given up and along the way, has given inspiration not only to his parents but for all who ever come to know him.
Again thank you very much….vic
Comment by victor — June 29, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
To vic: I was like that before—not really choosy about what browser this, or browser that but in times when I am surfing the net more and more, I finally realize that a faster clutter free browsers and search engines would save a lot of time and not waste energy. The differences works well in the long run.
My kids have graduated from their batches in recent years kaya lang, mga Kinder pa. But still, it became so eventful for us and as parents, it is something to be happy and proud of.
Paolo’s highschool graduation is certainly a good milestone for him and would surely lead him to a good future in the coming years. The future, as many Americans say, is wide open.
Comment by Major Tom — June 30, 2007 @ 7:53 am
For those who have gmail and blogger account, can access a lot of Google products. You can personalise your Google Hompage major tom. Last April they launched the templates which could change colour according to your time zone.
My homepage is still Yahoo but I also visit my Google Homepage.
For us with blogger account, Blogsearch is embedded in our blogs. With the new Blogger, Google video and newsreader can be embedded in ones blog. Likewise Picasa and the whole Google package is easily accessible.
Google is a search engine giant. No one can beat them as of this writing. And they are getting huge!
Comment by ipanema — June 30, 2007 @ 2:17 pm
To ipanema: And that’s good news to all of us frequent net users and like you said, Google makes surfing more convenient and worthwhile activity.
Comment by Major Tom — June 30, 2007 @ 3:15 pm
i’m not going to ask you why only now?
i don’t like the yahoo homepage. too cluttered even with the new yahoo mail.
I switched my spam-congested yahoo mail to classic again
my way
Comment by tutubi — July 4, 2007 @ 11:41 am
To tutubi: That’s the apt term…too cluttered. I should have used this adjective in this post.
Comment by Major Tom — July 5, 2007 @ 8:53 am
I’ve always used Google.com as my default home page since it’s the number one search engine on the planet, and web design-wise, it’s easy on the eye. I simply love the white space (I’m claustrophic).
My sister uses Yahoo as hers, but I told her it’s way too visually cluttered for my taste. Too much going on in just one page.
Comment by Jayred — July 5, 2007 @ 3:59 pm