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Internet

16 Chrome Extensions Every Student Should Use

Thomas Frank Internet

Want to know a great way to amp your productivity, keep your computer safe, and become a badass?

Stop using Internet Explorer.

Of course, for most of you, this statement doesn’t really apply. According to my analytics data, most CIG readers use Google Chrome – which is awesome. Chrome is my absolute favorite web browser, and for good reason – its combination of speed, clean interface, and awesome features make it hard to beat.

My favorite thing about Chrome, though, is the zillions of apps and extensions available for it. True, Firefox also has lots of extensions (maybe more) – however, Chrome doesn’t make you restart the browser every time you install one. For that reason, I put it ahead of Firefox in the add-ons department.

Anyone can make a Chrome extension (heck, I built one), so there are plenty of new ones showing up every day. This is a double edged sword: one one hand, this means that there are lots of great ones coming out, but it also means that there’s lots of crap to sift through.

I’d like to spare you the time it takes to sift through all that crap. Here are 16 superb Chrome extensions that I think every student can benefit from. Of course, these aren’t the only good ones, so if you use one that I haven’t listed here and think we should hear about it, leave a comment! Read More →

The Ultimate Guide To Building A Personal Website

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Thomas Frank Internet, The Best Stuff

The Ultimate Guide To Building A Personal Website

This guide was originally published in March 2012. Since then, hundreds of students (and even non-students!) have created their own personal websites using it. As it is one of the most-viewed articles on College Info Geek, I keep this guide very up-to-date.

What’s the #1 networking tool you can have in your arsenal as a student? I’ll tell you this right now: it isn’t your resume.

Resumes are boring. Career experts tell you to make your resume a one-page, size 11 Time New Roman document printed with black ink with no pictures. Seriously? How are you supposed to represent – and differentiate - yourself with that?

Plus, your resume becomes static and outdated the moment you hand it to someone. You can’t update resumes you’ve already given out – you have to make new copies.

That’s why you need a personal website.

A website is the complete opposite of a resume. Everything bad about resumes can be fixed simply by having a website. I’d go as far as to say that not having a website is like shooting yourself in the foot – it’s that useful. Read More →

Next Level Browsing With Vimium

Thomas Frank Internet

Quick, what’s your favorite browser?

That’s right, it’s Chrome. Actually, I’m not just saying that; looking at my analytics, over 35% of you guys use it when you come to this site. That’s more than any other browser. Well, congrats on being friggin’ smart.

One of the things I love most about Chrome is its extensive library of apps and extensions. There are a ton of great ones out there, and they’ll probably be able to fulfill just about any browser-based need you may have.

So, a while ago I decided that my then-current set of browser hacks wasn’t enough. I decided one of my browser-based needs was not having to use a mouse. Seriously – using the trackpad on a laptop gets annoying after a while, even if it’s the one on a MacBook Pro. So, I went looking for an extension to solve my problem… and found Vimium.

Lost in a Sea of Accounts: Managing Your Internet Presence

Martin Boehme Internet

Quick: how many accounts do you have online? One? Ten? Fifty? Who knows, right? This is just how things are now. Whether you want to buy something online, watch a video, or do your school work, you have to have an account. This is fine and all, but it can start to become quite discomforting when you realize you’ve forgotten your password, username, or that you even have an account for that website all together. I, as of right now, have at least 58 accounts in my name floating around the internet, and I guarantee you I could not name them all from memory alone.

To help the students of the world keep their collective sanity, not to mention security, here are a couple ways to manage your internet presence.

Use Omegle For Learning Languages

Thomas Frank Internet

Back in June, Martin posted an excellent article on learning languages that covered most of the bases for getting started on the path to fluency. I’d definitely recommend reading through it if you’re interested in learning a new language, or want to improve one you’re currently learning. Once you’ve gotten those down, it’s time to actually start conversing with people. While there are plenty of apps and websites out there that are specifically dedicated to helping you do this, I’d like to offer up Omegle as a valid option for learning languages as well. Read More →

Guest Post: On The Usefulness Of Google+

Bill Riley Internet

This is a guest post by Bill Riley.

I recently had someone comment on one of my Facebook posts, saying:

“So I have a Google Plus account and really like the ease of use. However, either there are not a lot of people using it or I just don’t have enough friends. What’s your take on it?”

Google is incredibly smart (we’ve heard this before). What they lack in a user base, they make up for in what they offer, and how they create those services/platforms. They offer a lot of things that just aren’t present on Facebook. Read More →

Improve Twitter With The Power Twitter Extension

Thomas Frank Internet

Desktop clients and mobile apps make up a large percentage of the avenues that people use to access Twitter, but the actual Twitter website is still a fine way to use the service. Even though I love HootSuite to death, there are times that I just like to use the actual website.

If you’re a Chrome, Firefox, or Safari user, you can make the Twitter website even better by using the Power Twitter extension. Read More →