MoneySavingExpert.com Google gadget: keep abreast of tips from your homepage

Former_MSE_Lawrence

What's the deal?

Rather kindly, Google asked permission to design a MoneySaving tips 'Google gadget', which allows you to keep abreast of each week's MoneySaving email highlights on your iGoogle homepage. So we said yes...

The MSE gadget

The idea of the MSE gadget is just to give you a one-glance heads up about each week's top deals & guides. Click the tip you're interested in, and it'll direct you to the right place on the site.

To add it to your page, simply go to the MSE Google Gadget page and click the button that says 'Add it now'. See below if you don't have an iGoogle page yet.

What's iGoogle?

It's Google's totally free, customisable web browser start page, where you can fill the page with all manner of useful 'gadgets': little plug-in boxes of continuously updating info, like news headlines, weather forecasts, youtube videos, facebook etc.

The idea behind iGoogle is to put a whole bunch of useful, day-to-day info on one page, which also has the obligatory Google search box at the top, so you won't go elsewhere to do your searching. Hundreds of gadgets are available, and since organising your page is a simple matter of dragging them around and dropping them wherever you want, it's really easy to set up.

How to get it

If you've a Google account, from using Gmail or any other Google product, then you've already got an iGoogle page just waiting to be set up. Log in to whatever service you use and you should see a link to 'iGoogle' on the top right of the page. Click it and you're away.

If you haven't got a Google account but you'd like to try it, you can still see what it does on the iGoogle page, though you'll need to sign up to keep any changes you make.

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r2mahara

Works great!

Is it possible to get an RSS feed with the same deals?

Swindon_Baggie

Hi

I use gmail all day long, but not igoogle.

Due to the recent labs upgrades, with gmail, you can add gadgets, directly into the gmail sidebar.

If you have the 'Add any gadget by URL' lab tool activated, you can use the link
http://money-saving-expert.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/mse.xml
to add this directley to gmail.

This technique also works with other gadgets, but the hassle involved in getting the correct link to work is a nightmare, and mostly they are too big for the gmail sidebar.

NB: I only offer this as an alternative to igoogle, it is the same information as the igoogle gadget, just viewed somewhere else. The link seems to work, but it is having a delay loading the information, and is too big for the sidebar, scroll bars are shown with the gadget so it's not too much hassle.
Unfortunately I do not have the time to offer technical assistance, and if you don't understand anything, don't worry, you can't break gmail or the internet. Play around with this, and hopefully someone will be able to provide an instruction manual for those having difficulty.

Swindon_Baggie

watch out, mse has trucated the link, make sure you 'right click, copy link' over the top of my link

Note:
Then paste into the 'Add any gadget by URL' lab, with a right click, or 'control and v'.

Swindon_Baggie

r2mahara wrote: »

Works great!

Is it possible to get an RSS feed with the same deals?

Hi

Having had a look at the xml, this isn't being fed by RSS, it seems to be a db update -
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/iGoogle

The only way to get RSS, is to get asking Martin to offer it. Don't forget though, the website is supposed to be a back up to the email, so I am not sure Martin would want to offer it, as it moves away from the original concept.

But, don't ask don't get.

isofa

I'd prefer an RSS feed too. I have and use them all the time, and it doesn't stop me visiting the original website.

garnetto5

What about an app for the iPhone?

Twosheds

It has no customise button, and why does it have to be so big?
Thanks but no thanks - I'd prefer an RSS feed too.

janaltus

"obligatory Google search box"

Thanks OP. Of course, Google isn't the obligatory search engine for all of us. If you prefer to maintain your privacy you can always opt for another search engine such as the one produced by those nice people at: www.scroogle.org

jmids

Would be nice to have a slimmer version for use in Google Apps - GoogleMail.

millionaireadventure

Alternatively you can use this igadget which scrapes deals from all of the top codes/voucher sites and displays the latest:

http://fusion.google.com/add?feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpipes.yahoo.com%2Fpipes%2Fpipe.run%3F_id%3D2OvZpwma3RGxJfW7pQt1Yg%26_render%3Drss

You can also choose to have this as RSS for those that prefer that.