Make a Chrome Shortcut to Launch Google Chrome in Incognito Mode

These days we are always logged into Google to get faster access to our Gmail, Picasa, Reader, etc, we stay logged into Google services. It takes too much time for us to log in each time. There are times when we want to do a search or go to a site and not have that be part of our search history. (Google Search history is erasable.) Google Chrome has an Incognito mode where you are not logged into any online services i.e. Google or Facebook. After you visit any site, cookies are deleted and there is no search history. You can get to Incognito Mode easily by launching a new Google Chrome window IN Incognito Mode. However, you might need access to Incognito Mode more often on a daily basis. You can make Incognito Mode run always by default but why would you want to log into your sites everytime you launch your Google Chrome browser. Another way to stay logged into Google and keep other searches private etc, is to launch another brand of browser completely like Safari, IE9, or Firefox and NOT be logged into Google Services. Keep in mind you will still have to clear out cookies locally if your a history neat freak.

Here's how to make a seperate Google Chrome desktop icon for Incognito Mode:

1: Make a NEW desktop shortcut to Google Chrome on your desktop. Go ahead and rename the icon.

2: Right Click the new Google Chrome desktop shortcut and select Properties.

3: In the "Target" box go to the end of the entry where it says chrome.exe and type [-incognito] without the brackets. Click on OK.

That's it! You now can easily launch Google Chrome in Incognito Mode while not messing up your normal browsing experience because you still have your original Chrome to launch. This is what you will see when launching Incognito Mode:

Verify Your Google Picasa Albums are Private

A topic came up today with a friend of mine of whether or not Picasa Web Albums that are marked as Private are indeed private! Well they are. In Picasa Web Albums, whether you upload through the website or through the Picasa application on your PC you can select to make an album Public, Private, or Anyone with a Link. The Drop Box and Instant Upload albums are Private by Default and should remain that way always. So here's how to verify for your own peace of mind that your "Private" album is visible to ONLY YOU and that the "Anyone with a Link" album does not show up in your public album listing.

1: Assuming you are signed into Google Services, go to https://picasaweb.google.com , Click the Picasa App in Chrome, or Click the Photos Tab (shown below.)

2: Under your name, you will see a link that says "photos." If you right click it and select "Copy Link Address" that will give you your actual Picasa user id link. It goes directly to your Public Picasa web page. So go ahead and copy that link, bookmark it, add it to Favorites, Star it, etc. It's good to have anyway. BTW, go ahead and click that link below when you get a chance. Yeah, that one, the one that says "New Privacy Notice."

3: Sign out of Google Services.

4: Paste that copied URL (the link you just right clicked and selected Copy Link Address) into the URL bar. Hit Return on your keyboard. You will see that the only albums that show up to the public are in fact only Public albums. If a friend or family member that you shared Albums with via "Anyone with a Link" will also see those albums as expected.

I hope this quick tuturial helped.