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May 10, 2008

Reorder iGoogle Tabs

iGoogle finally offers a way to reorder tabs: just go to google.com/ig/settings and use the arrows displayed next to each tab name in the Content section. This solution is not very elegant, compared to other services like Netvibes, where you can reorder the tabs using drag and drop.


If you're wondering how to access the settings page from iGoogle, click on the small arrow displayed next to the name of the current tab and select "Edit this tab". The settings page is also the place where you can select your location, choose to automatically open links in a new tab, change the name and the layout of a tab or backup the iGoogle page. Oh, and don't forget to click on the barely noticeable Save button every time you change the settings of a tab.

It's amazing to see how simple and intuitive Netvibes' interface can be: the tabs can be reordered using drag and drop, tab names can be changed using a simple click and switching between different tabs doesn't reload the page. iGoogle still has a lot to learn from Netvibes in terms of user friendliness.
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11 comments:

  1. tomMay 10, 2008 at 8:32 AM

    Reordering tab feature is nice; I had usually just renamed a tag and moved gadgets around. Moving gadgets around though seems to be a 'sticky' problem. They just won't budge either or linux or windows.

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  2. macbeachMay 10, 2008 at 5:26 PM

    Do any of Google interfaces support drag and drop?

    For web-mail, both AOL and Yahoo added this long ago. Problem is both systems are buggy and slow, which is my guess as to why Google has avoided it.

    If we ever reach a point where most browsers work the same way (and without unpredictably quirky point releases) maybe we can expect more drag and drop interfaces. In the mean time, I'll settle for things that just get the job done (and the option to turn off AJAX when necessary).

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  3. Alex ChituMay 10, 2008 at 5:33 PM

    You can reorder the gadgets or move them to a new tab using drag and drop. Other Google applications that use drag and drop: Google Reader, Google Maps, Google Docs.

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  4. Philipp LenssenMay 11, 2008 at 5:15 AM

    I think one problem with drag n drop is that as it's not working across all UIs on the web, users rarely expect it, and thus rarely look for it -- which makes it less discoverable. Links leading to forms, on the other hand, are more easily discovered. However, a "grip surface" can sometimes indicate draggability, and in any case, *additionally* supporting drag n drop for power users can't seem to hurt.

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  5. Lakshman PrasadMay 11, 2008 at 12:13 PM

    I'd rather suggest, Google buy Netvibes. I ve never used iG since Netvibes ginger was introduced.

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  6. czuqueOctober 17, 2008 at 6:08 PM

    The changes might have lots of features but I don't like the loss of desktop space. I hope they will give us an option as the location of the tabs.

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  7. UnknownOctober 28, 2008 at 9:39 AM

    I agree the tabs need to be moved back to the top like they were, having them on the left side uses up valuable space for no reason. PLEASE LISTEN!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousDecember 1, 2008 at 8:33 AM

    I think Google has become an evil uncaring corporation now and is following in Microsofts footsteps..

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  9. AnonymousDecember 1, 2008 at 8:34 AM

    zomg netvibes is aw3some! adios igoogle

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  10. AnonymousMarch 15, 2009 at 10:26 AM

    To place your tabs at the top, simply use this url instead: http://www.google.com/ig?gl=all

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousNovember 24, 2009 at 12:45 AM

    Or, if you want your tabsl at the top, use www.pageflakes.com

    ReplyDelete

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