Note: AnglerTech is a feature that will highlight technology assets for anglers, and will feature guest bloggers on subjects of their expertise.
How to use virtual desktops to take all the best parts of the web with you, wherever you login.
Net who? R what? It seems to be modern technology’s way to give everything a cryptic acronym, but really these are simple, easy to use technologies that are super helpful to people who tend to be on the road a lot. Like, say, anglers.
So what is it? NetVibes is a website that lets you customize a webpage, using easy, drag-and-drop modules to make up a super personalized virtual web desktop. One of the main components of NetVibes is that it is an RSS Feed Aggregator. RSS (short for “Real Simple Syndication”), is a way to get headlines from your favorite news websites or blogs all in one place.
NetVibes is only one of several virtual desktops, but I really like how easy it is to use, and some of the other components (called “widgets”) that you can add to your page. Widgets range from weather reports you can customize by city, to to-do lists, web searches or more specialized services, like eBay keyword searches.
Why is this so helpful to anglers? Well, knowing that you can read your favorite BassMaster headlines, see all of your favorite web bookmarks, or find a weather forecast for the lake you are heading to next from on the road - whether on a laptop, or at a hotel or cafe PC - adds a little touch of the modern home on the road.
This, like a lot of things on the web, is easier to understand when you see it, which is why I have set up a shared NetVibes page you can all log into and play with. If you like what you see, then you can set up your own account.
Check it out:
Go to www.netvibes.com, look for the ‘sign in’ link at the upper right
Login: bassorific@gmail.com
Password: wiredangler
Feel free to mess around, add feeds, share links, etc. I’ll pop in there from time to time and make sure that havoc has not broken completely loose.
Some special features to pay attention to:
To add new feeds or widgets, click on the “add content” link on the upper right.
To rearrange content on the page, mouse over any module, and you can drag and drop it anywhere on the page you want
A whole new page can be added at the top by clicking on the grey text that reads “New Tab”
I encourage you to add your favorite websites to the bookmarks, leave notes for fellow visitors, or add RSS feeds you may know about. Have fun.
-A. Black
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