Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Choosing a Homepage

      A "homepage" is the page that is displayed when you first connect to the internet.  It is usually set by the internet provider, but can easily be changed to a page that you ordinarily visit frequently, or want to be reminded of.   I have talked with several people who said they didn't know how to set a different "homepage" for their internet browser.   I'm sure most people know more about this than I do, but if you don't know it could be helpful to have it explained,  so I thought I would post an explanation here.

       After connecting to the internet, click on the browser name at the top of the page.  A menu will pull down. On the menu, choose "preferences".  On Safari, which I use most of the time, about half way down it says "Homepage".  There will be an internet address typed into this which is the address your computer opens to when you connect to the internet.  To change that, type in the new address of any page you want to have as your "homepage."  I have my blog set as the "homepage" so I can check it every time I open the browser.  Some people like to have the weather channel as their opening page, because they check it often, or Google, so they can begin "surfing" immediately.
     Another alternative is to go to the page on the internet that you want to set as your home page.  After you are on this page click on the browser name in the tool bar across the top of the page, then choose "preferences" and click on "Set to Current Page" instead of typing in the address. 
      I checked Firefox and the procedure is the same except you may have to first choose "Main" after you have chosen "preferences" and then type in the new address in the "homepage" box.

      You might want to try different pages until you get one that seems just right for you.  Having a website address that you look at often as your "homepage" can actually save you a little extra time.  Since everyone is so busy these days, even a few minutes saved can be helpful.

No comments: