Picture this….You’re researching a competitor, reading industry news, learning how to make something new, learning how to fix something that broke, or just randomly consuming content someone else created for your entertainment. Oh wait, you don’t have to picture it, you’re probably doing it right now. You use Chrome as your browser of choice, or at least use it from time to time because that’s just how it is. Here are two new features that could give you the chance to impress your manager, peers, friends, or maybe even your family. Impressing your family will be the hardest one, but if you pull it off, please make sure to let me know.
Prerequisite. Make sure your Chrome Version is 90 or higher.
Chrome Feature: Share a link and highlight your text
Don’t just share a link to a relevant article with your colleagues, friends, and family. Most of them don’t want to read the entire article. It would be better to share the link with the specific text highlighted on the page for the idea/concept/opinion you want them to see. With this Chrome feature you can highlight the text on the page you want to share so the recipient doesn’t have to spend time reading the other content. When you share the link, set the context of why you are sharing the link and why your recipient should read it.
Step 1: Highlight the text on the page you want to share.
Step 2: Right-click and select “Copy link to highlight” or “Copy link to text” option (on Android “Share” and then “Link to Highlight”)
Step 3: Paste the text now on your clipboard to your communication
If you don’t see the option, then you can force the feature by doing this:
Step 1: Type “chrome:flags” into the browser’s address/search bar
Step 2: Type “highlight” into the search box
Step 3: Enable the item labeled “Copy link to text” on the desktop or “Chrome Share text highlights on Android” on Android.
Step 4: Select the restart/relaunch button at the bottom of the page.
Here’s an example of a link to a block of text in a Wikipedia article about what makes the rash caused by touching poison ivy. It’s hiking season 🙂
Chrome Feature: Reading list
If you’ve ever been viewing pages and come across something you wanted to read but didn’t have time at the moment, then typically you would bookmark the page. A new way to do this for temporary marking is to create a reading list rather than a permanent bookmark. To manage a reading list in Chrome, follow these steps:
Step 1: Make sure the Bookmarks bar is visible. Select three vertical dots in the upper right. Then select Bookmarks. Then select “Show bookmarks bar”
Step 2: Open the page you want added to the reading list
Step 3: Select the star icon at the end of the search box/address bar
Step 4: Select “add to reading list”
You should now see a new option on the right-side of the bookmarks bar labeled “Reading List”. Select this to see and manage items in your list.
If you don’t see the option, then you can force the feature by doing this:
Step 1: Type “chrome:flags” into the browser’s address bar
Step 2: Type “reading” into the search box
Step 3: Enable the item labeled “Reading List”
Step 4: Select the restart/relaunch button at the bottom of the page
Ready set go.
PS don’t forget to let me know if you successfully impress your family. 😉
Onward and Upward!
Photo credit: Misdirex Magic by Marco Verch via Creative Commons