Adjusting Browser Settings to Improve Performance and to Meet Needs

In Google Chrome, you can use add ons to customize your browser to optimise the experience to your needs. I use an add on called "Fastest Fox". When you highlight a word, you are given a definition for it by Wikipedia in a pop-up bubble. You are also presented with the option to search the highlighted word on Google, Wikipedia, Bing or DuckDuckGo.

Another function of this add on is that when you search Google, a box appears on the results page that gives you all the possible meanings of the word, this is shown below because it is hard to explain:

This box also lets you search the word on DuckDuckGo. On DuckDuckGo the word is given a page that displays disambiguation of the word, this is also shown below:

I can make the text size larger by using Ctrl and +, or I can make it smaller by using Ctrl and -. By using plugins, I have access to applications more easily. An example of this is a video down loader.

The video down loader plugin makes it easier to download media from websites. The video files it can download include:

• .mp4
• .3gp
• .flv
• .mov
• .avi
• .wmv
• .asf
• .swf
• .webm

The range of video files available to download makes the plugin versatile  and consequently very useful.

Using Browser Tools to Aid Navigation

The browser that I use is Google Chrome. This is because, using my Google email, I can use an identical browser, with all of my bookmarks, apps and most visited websites are all saved. Google Chrome also has useful add-ons and plugins that aid navigation by making it quicker to access applications like Google Translate, the plugin is shown  in action below:

http://screenr.com/juwH

 A setting that can be changed to aid navigation are application shortcuts. They can be setup through the tools menu. This can make it your favourite websites can be pinned to the task bar of the computer, making it easier and quicker to get there. You can also set the shortcut to your start menu or desktop if you would prefer.Another setting that can be altered is the pages that open on starting up Google Chrome. instead of just the new page tab launching I have set it to open my account on the ingots website also. This is useful because I visit this site often so it will save me time. Below is a video of me changing the start-up page settings.

http://screenr.com/KtwH
http://screenr.com/OtwH

This video shows the bookmarks toolbar in Chrome. It currently shows my most recent bookmarks however it can be altered to show whatever bookmarks you want, such as your most visited. This aids navigation as it makes it quicker to access sites I visit often.

http://screenr.com/GtwH

This recording shows the buttons located at the top right of the browser. They are called: Minimize, Restore Down and Close. "Minimize" reduces the window to the task bar, creating more space on the screen. This is used when you don't want to use the internet anymore but might want to go back to it soon. "Restore Down" reduces the size of the window. "Close" closes the window, shutting down the program (like the web browser). This is used when you are finished with the browser.

http://screenr.com/LtwH

This video shows the "back" and "forward"  buttons on Google Chrome. You can use the "back" button to go back to the last page you visited on that tab. You can use this if you accidentally clicked a link and were taken to a different page, and you want to back to the 1st page. You can use the "forward" button to go to the page you just went back from. This is useful when you realise  that you wanted to stay on the page but you have already clicked the "back" button.

http://screenr.com/JuwH

Different Blogging Platforms Research

This screenshot shows that I used keywords to help me with my search. By using only a few words I can find lots of relevant information about "blog" "platforms". If I used too many key words then my search would be too narrow and I wouldn't find the websites that I had. 

This screenshot shows that I used the "open in new tab" feature. I used this to open the first three results on the page whilst keeping the results page open. This means that I can view multiple sites at once and go back to the results page if I could not find any relevant information on the websites.

This screenshot shows the result page that I received using my keywords put into Google. This shows that the information is useful because the sites are either comparing blogging platforms or listing a top ten, both useful for deciding on which is right for me.

This screenshot shows the three websites that I opened in new tabs. I start off with 3 tabs open and if the website does not have any useful information I close it and replace it with another site from the results page which is also still open.

I can tell if a website has the information I am looking for by searching for key words within the text. For this research i was looking for pros, cons and a conclusion. The screenshot below is from the first website. It featured pros, cons and a verdict for each blogging platform covered. This would help me to make an informed decision about the right blogging platform to use to suit my needs.

Connecting to the Internet-Using a Mobile Device

This is a screenshot form the WiFi setting in my mobile phone. My phone has already scanned for local signals and has connected to "linksys two", the WiFi connection set up for our mobiles. It is locked as I am yet to enter the password to access it.

This screen shows me entering the password to access "linksys two"

This screen shows my phone connected to the WiFi. This is because I have entered the correct password and I am in range of the signal, you can see the strength of the connection in the top right hand corner. I will now be able to access the internet on my phone.