PERSONAL START PAGE (FAQs)

What is this site?

Think of the Start Page as your own digital newsstand. It's a customizable, one-stop destination where you'll see the information that matters most to you. You can tailor the Start Page to be as elaborate or as plain as you need it to be. Your Start Page unlocks a vast catalog of information that collects and displays only the news, blogs, podcasts, video feeds, and photo feeds that you want delivered to you.

Browsing the web can be a time-consuming and clutter-filled task. Why go through the routine of checking the same websites over and over again, when we can essentially do that for you? By using your Start Page, you will greatly reduce the time you spend visiting your favorite websites, seeking the information you desire, and managing your bookmarks each day. Never before has the limitless information found on the web been organized so manageably and efficiently.

How do I begin exploring my Start Page?

Before you begin customizing your Start Page, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the pages. We've organized some pre-selected news feeds and major publishers that we feel may be relevant to you. Go ahead and click the tabs to being exploring. Of course, you can add, delete, rename, and move the tabs on the Start Page, but, first, click the tabs and one or two of the headlines on the Start Page to get a feel for how it works. When you click the headline, a new window containing the related story will open. Finally, we encourage you to watch our short “Welcome” video on the right side of your screen.

Why should I sign up?

By signing up, you'll create a username and password that will remember your customized settings and allow you to log in to your Start Page if you happen to be on a different computer, say, while traveling. And when we introduce our mobile application in the near future, you'll be able to log in to your Start Page on your mobile phone.

How do I choose my themes for my Start Page?

To change your themes, mouse over the options button, next to the directory button, and select “Choose Theme.” A menu of graphic designs and color schemes will appear. Select your favorite theme, and your Start Page will automatically adopt that design. Click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the prompt to close it.

How do I customize my tabs?

You can add and delete tabs, and rename and move your tabs quickly and easily.

Moving your tabs is a simple drag-and-drop function: Click a tab you want to move and, using your mouse, slide it left or right to where you want it.

To add a tab, mouse over the options button and select on “Edit Tabs” in the drop-down menu. In the prompt that appears, click “+ New Tab.” Type in the name of your new tab and use the prompt's drop-down menu to place the new tab where you want it. Click the “Save” button. Click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the prompt to close it. Your tab now appears next to the existing tabs. Now, you are ready to add content.

To delete one or more tabs, mouse over the options button and click “Edit Tabs” in the drop-down menu. In the prompt that appears, click the “X” to the far right of the existing tab name you want deleted. You will be asked whether you are sure you want to delete the tab. If you are sure, click “Delete.” Click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the prompt to close it. You will notice that your tab has been removed.

To rename a tab, mouse over the options button and click “Edit Tabs” in the drop-down menu. In the prompt that appears, click the pencil icon to the right of the existing tab name you want renamed. A new prompt will let you type in the new name of your tab. Click “Save” and then click the “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the prompt to close it. You will notice that your tab has been renamed.

How do I customize my “buckets”?

Like tabs, buckets can be added, deleted, renamed, and moved. And with our easy-to-organize bucket system, you can control the number of feeds and the number of publishers that appear in each bucket.

Moving a bucket within a tab is a simple drag-and-drop function: Mouse over the bucket header; when the hand tool appears, click and drag your bucket to anywhere on your start page.

To delete a bucket, click the “X” in the bucket header. A prompt will ask you whether you're sure you want to delete it. If you are sure, click “Delete” and your bucket will no longer appear.

To rename bucket, click the word “Options” in the bucket footer. A prompt featuring several customization options will appear. Here is where you may enter a new name for the bucket. Click “Save” to update your bucket's name.

What other options are available when customizing a bucket?

You can change the size of the type that appears on your screen, customize the number of up-to-date headlines displayed in your bucket, and change the way those stories are displayed in your bucket. You can also delete a feed from within a bucket.

To change the size of the type that appears on your screen, click the word “Options” in the bucket footer, and then click one of the three sizes of “A” in the prompt that appears. Click “Save” to apply the changes to your bucket. You will see that your type size has been changed.

To change the number of headlines displayed in a bucket, click the word “Options” in the bucket footer. In the prompt that appears, you are able to set the length of your own “news cycle” and edit the number of headlines that will appear in your bucket. Click “Save” to apply the changes to your bucket.

To change the way your news stories are displayed, click the word “Options” in the bucket footer. In the prompt that appears, you can choose among the “Thumbnail” and “Abstract” options. Turning off both options will display only a headline. Using the “Thumbnail” option will display a small photo with the headline. Using the “Abstract” option will provide a brief description of the story along with the headline. Click “Save” to apply the changes to your bucket.

If you have placed more than one publisher's feeds in the same bucket, you'll notice that the bucket segregates the feeds by publisher. To view additional stories from a particular publisher's feed, click the “+” to the right of the stories. To see a single streaming view of the most up-to-date stories from multiple publishers, click “Force Stream Bucket View.”

How do I add a bucket?

To learn about adding buckets, please see the “Directory” section of this tutorial.

Why can't I move the “My Life at Home” bucket?

This bucket will always appear on your Start Page — and for good reason: This is where you'll find up-to-minute announcements from your “My Life at Home” provider.

THE DIRECTORY (FAQs)

What is the Directory?

The Directory is where you connect directly into the vast catalog of information — up-to-date headlines, video feeds, podcasts, photos, and more — on the Web and, in a few simple steps, have it delivered instantly to your Start Page. Using the Directory will save you time that you would've spent on searching and browsing the countless websites that contain the information you're looking for. In short, it's where we “organize the web” for you.

Never before has there been a place to go on the web that gives you the ability to choose from such a broad array of information — more than 50,000 feeds from more than 6,000 publishers in 17 languages — that is collected, delivered, and displayed in your Start Page's buckets.

How do I subscribe to news feeds using the Directory?

You can find and subscribe to feeds via categories (such as business, arts, and technology) and specific publishers (such as major news magazines, blogs, and newspapers). When subscribing to a feed, you can place it in an existing bucket or create a bucket within a tab on your Start Page.

Subscribing to feeds via the Directory's “Categories” menu.

Finding feeds using the “Categories” menu allows you to browse the feeds we've made available if you don't know exactly what you're looking for.

Example: Let's say you're looking for an unspecified news, video, or blog feed about a particular topic. First, click the “Directory” button. In the Directory menu, click the category under which your topic might appear. A more specific list of relevant subcategories will appear. You may continue to home in on the particular topic you're looking for by clicking on the further relevant subcategories that appear with each click. At this point, a window containing the various feeds available will appear. The feeds are catalogued within various tabs. To preview one of the feeds, mouse over the name of a feed to see a sampling of its most recent headlines. If you would like to add this feed to your start page, click the “+” sign to subscribe. In the following prompt, designate under which tab you'd like your new feeds to appear, and then click “Save.” The most up-to-date posts will appear in a bucket on your Start Page.

Subscribing to feeds via the Directory's “Publishers” menu.

If you'd like to browse the feeds of a specific publisher, use the “Publishers” menu to find feeds you like. “Publishers” refers to the more than 6,000 newspapers, TV stations, bloggers, podcasters, magazines, and Web sites with feeds available.

On the right side of the “Publishers” page is the list of sources that are currently delivering feeds to your page. To find more publishers, use the alphabet to browse the extensive list of publishers available or use the search function to look for a specific publisher.

Example: Let's say you already know which publisher's feeds you'd like to subscribe to. Enter the name of the publisher in the “Search” window. A list of the publisher's various feeds will appear in on your screen. To preview a feed, mouse over the name of the feed to see a sampling of its most recent headlines. If you would like to add this feed to your start page, click the “+” sign to subscribe. You can click the “+” next to the name of any or all of the available feeds to you wish to subscribe to. You will asked under which tab on your Start Page you'd like the feed to appear. Click “Save” to subscribe to the feed.

To unsubscribe to a news feed, click the list of publishers on the right side of the “Publishers” page. Click the “My Feeds” tab in the window to find the publisher you're looking for. Then, simply click the “-” button next to the feed. Or, on your Start Page, find the bucket containing the feed you no longer want and click the “X” in the bucket header. If you have more than one publisher in a bucket, click “Options” in the bucket footer. In the prompt that follows, delete one or more of the “newsfeeds” showing, and then click “Save” to apply your changes.

THE TOOLBAR (FAQs)

What is the Toolbar?

While your Start Page is like a digital newsstand that delivers up-to-date feeds from your favorite publishers, your Toolbar is displayed on your browser and contains an ever-present set of easily accessed instant links to some of the most commonly used sites on the web.

You can be visiting sites anywhere on the web and still have instant access to sites that let you pay your utility bills, use online banking, book airline flights and hotel rooms, check sports scores, purchase tickets to movies and cultural events, stay abreast of gas prices in your area, monitor traffic times in your region, follow the happenings of schools in your area, and shop online.

Using the Toolbar saves you time while seeking these online services and reduces the clutter and confusion that often comes with maintaining a seemingly endless collection of bookmarked Web sites.

Oh, by the way . . . We have bundled a pre-selected group of links to popular and safe Web sites for children. When your child uses the toolbar, you can rest assured they will have access to only the best and most popular sites for kids without having to search the Web and unwittingly stumble upon content you may feel is inappropriate for children.

How do I modify the Toolbar's appearance?

You may change the color of the Toolbar by clicking the “tools” icon on the far right side of the Toolbar. In the drop-down menu that appears, click “Preferences” and follow the prompt to change the color of your Toolbar.

You may also move any of the icons in the Toolbar except the “home” icon. Go to the “tools” icon on the far right side of the Toolbar. In the drop-down menu that appears, click “Modify.” At this point, you may click any icon except “home” to rearrange the order in which the icons appear in the Toolbar. Click “Save” to apply your changes to the Toolbar.

What is the “My Life at Home” button?

Clicking this button will return you to your Start Page.

Can I modify the ticker?

Yes, you can alter the number of headlines that appear in the ticker, and you can also change the way in which they appear. To change the number of headlines that appear, click the “tools” icon on the far right side of the Toolbar. Click “Preferences” in the drop-down menu that will appear. We've set the default number of headlines to be 30, but you can make the number as small or large as you want. After entering a number, click “Reload Toolbar” to apply your changes.

To change the way headlines appear in the ticker, click the arrow immediately to the left of the “home” icon. A drop-down menu will allow you to control the speed an which the headlines scroll through the ticker box, as well as how they scroll (from left to right or from top to bottom). Also in the drop-down menu, you can choose to show or hide icons, which denote topics, to accompany the scrolling headlines.

How do I hide a Toolbar icon?

Any of the Toolbar icons except “home” can be hidden from view. Click the “tools” icon on the far right side of the Toolbar. In the drop-down menu that appears, click “Preferences.” Then, uncheck any of the categories that you would like hidden. Click “Reload Toolbar” to apply your changes to the Toolbar.

How do I update the sports icon?

We have pre-selected websites that feature bundled links of information on the area's major sports teams, but you can add your favorite teams by clicking on the “sports” icon. In the drop-down menu that appears, click “Edit Teams.” In the window that appears, you can delete any or all of the pre-selected teams by clicking on the “X” next to their names. To find your team, click a sport listed and follow the prompts until your favorite team appears. Click “Add” and close the window.

How do I add my favorite radio stations to the Toolbar?

Click the radio player to reveal a drop-down menu that shows the stations that are currently loaded in the radio player. Click “Add radio link” at the bottom of the drop-down menu to begin adding stations from among a list of hundreds of local, national, and international radio stations and podcasts. Once you've found the station or stations you'd like to hear, click the “Add” button next to the station's name. To delete a station from your list, click the “X” next to the station's name.

How do I use the weather icon?

Click the weather icon to open a more detailed weather forecast. You may track the weather of up to eight cities worldwide by clicking on “Change or add location,” then entering the name of a city in the “Search” field. Your changes will be applied immediately.

How do I uninstall the Toolbar?

You may uninstall the Toolbar by clicking on the “tools” icon on the right side of the Toolbar. In the drop-down menu that appears, click “Uninstall,” then follow the prompts.