Between Netvibes, Pageflakes, and Google Reader most people are probably pretty squared away when it comes to picking their news snippets in an orderly fashion. Then there's those pesky metagator sites, such as Original Signal, and Popurls that pick out the sites for you. It's the editorial side of the game that still has some art to it. Not to be left out, Guy Kawaski (creator of Truemors) has entered the fray this morning with Alltop.
The site shares a lot in common with Popurls (from which it was inspired), forgoing a few sites in each category to list as much as possible on a single page (up to 30 different sites in some cases). There are nine categories to choose from, including politics, science, gaming, and my personal favorite "egos" which includes the likes of Robert Scoble, Fake Steve Jobs, and Gawker Media's Nick Denton. Notably missing is any sort of technology or Web 2.0 section, a move I applaud since clearly we've already got a pair of those that do the job just fine.
There are no ads on any of the Alltop pages (yet), however, from the site's FAQ it looks like they're on the way soon. Users are also encouraged to send in their own topics and favorite sites, which can and will be reordered later on using user voting.
I'm definitely bookmarking Alltop for the growing catalog of categories and sites. Although like Rafe, I'm pretty used to using Netvibes to keep track of my favorite feeds. Your mileage may vary, but give it a look.
[via Brian Solis over at bub.bilicio.us--one of the featured egos on Alltop]
2/11 Update: There are now 12 categories, including a "tech" one, although it simply links to PopUrls.com.
Tired of Web 2.0 stuff? Alltop's got you covered with several other categories like celebrity gossip (we know you secretly read TMZ--it's okay, we're not judging you.)
(Credit: CNET Networks)
SportSnipe is a new single-page aggregator the likes of Original Signal, PopUrls, and others, although it's focused specifically on sports feeds from all over the world. Users can browse through headlines and video thumbnails for various leagues, genres, and teams. Like Original Signal, SportSnipe has the option to hover over any headline to read the first few lines of the story, along with a comment button that lets registered users add their own commentary to the story--separate of the parent site.
The service claims to pull its headlines from over 1,300 different sports feeds. It also doubles as a regular old build-it-yourself feed aggregator similar to Netvibes and PageFlakes, albeit a little less flashy. Users can add RSS feeds as either text or video feeds. The video feed catcher is especially cool and gives you a little thumbnail for each clip. If you do this with a text feed, you won't get anything but a black box.
SportSnipe has a few ways to sort and share content. You can bookmark pages you'd like to share with others through a variety of social bookmarking sites. You can also turn off comments and hover over previews. With a quick toggle you can rearrange the feed boxes and extend the feeds to see more than just a few headlines. There are also embed codes for putting your feeds on a blog, Web site, or social networking profile (which I've done to the right.)
In many ways, SportSnipe isn't very original as a single-page aggregator. Pageflakes and Netvibes do a much better job with their presentation, and the resemblance to Popurls and Original Signal is unquestionable. However, SportSnipe has a really great directory of sports feeds that aggregate quickly and are far more comprehensive than what Original Signal offers. The video feed implementation is a nice touch as well.
More screens after the jump.
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- Original Signal rolls out meme tracker. The single-page aggregation service has added a new front page to their Web section. The page displays the top 10 most popular stories at any given time. The new service uses an algorithm that decides when a story is worthy of being on the front page without any additional user interaction required beyond browsing the site. Something similar was done with Spotplex, which we checked out last month.
- eJamming launches. The virtual garage for musicians to 'jam' in different geographical locations launched their AUDiiO service this morning. The app has versions for both Windows and Mac OS X, and is free during the testing period. Previous coverage here.
- Google updates mobile search. Google has simplified and optimized search results for fewer clicks while using the mobile version of the search engine. They've also added location memory, so you don't need to reenter what area you're searching in. What may be the neatest addition is a personalized version of Google's mobile homepage, which can be set up with your favorite tools or services.
- Museum takes a cue from Flickr. Web services such as Flickr and Gmail have pioneered the use of tagging, making it easier to sort through large collections of pictures and words. Taking a cue from this movement, museums are beginning to add tags to pieces of art with description-based words. Steve, a collaborative research project, offers free open-source software for them to get started. The goal is to make collections easier to sort through for people who can't remember the name or creator of a work of art. (CNET News.com)
- Adobe Remix goes live. Adobe's free Web-based video-editing tool is now available to all Photobucket users. The tool, which we covered last month, lets Photobucket users string together and edit video clips taken from their digital cameras. Since our hands-on, Photobucket teamed up with PumpAudio to provide more music tracks to add to videos. The company also redesigned their front door earlier in the month, placing more emphasis on user photos.
Single page aggregators, also known as personalized home pages, can be a helpful way to keep tabs on your favorite Web content without having to visit each site. With nearly all of them able to display content from popular Web sites, choosing one comes down personal taste. We've run down some of the most popular aggregators, citing what works and what doesn't.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
My.Netscape relaunched today, providing users with an Ajax-driven drag-and-drop interface to add and customize newsfeeds. There are about a hundred premade feeds to choose from. If you want to add a site that's not on there, you can plug in the site's RSS feed. See also Google Personalized Home Page and My Yahoo, which offer nearly identical functionality.
What works: No ads, quick loading content modules, simple to use.
What doesn't: A limited selection of add-ons, lack of visual customization.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
YourMinis is a page aggregator that feels a little bit like Mac OS X's Dashboard with tons of customizable widgets that are both beautiful and useful. YourMinis lets you create several different pages full of content, which can be navigated using tabs or by viewing each page in a live thumbnail preview. You can also share your customized page with other people, who can then rank and comment on it. Previous coverage here.
What works: Gorgeous design, easy to use, tons of widgets to choose from.
What doesn't: The pretty widgets can't be popped out on the desktop.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Netvibes is the most popular single page aggregator. With its popularity comes easy availability of modules for any site you're likely to be looking for. Like YourMinis, the look of your Netvibes page can be fully customized, even down to how wide you want each column of modules to be.
What works: A large catalog of sites to choose from, simple and slick design.
What doesn't: Sometimes slow to load.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Pageflakes provides similar functionality to Netvibes and YourMinis, but places more emphasis on community-created pages. These are pages with preset modules that can be added as new tabs on your Pageflakes interface. They provide similar utility to what you would get using meta-aggregator sites like Original Signal and Popurls. Watch our interview with Pageflakes CEO Dan Cohen here.
What works: Fast-loading and dead simple to use.
What doesn't: Some of the community content could be sorted better. Foreign language items are mixed, and there's not a way to browse by genre, which can lead to confusion.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
I'd like to welcome to the site any first time Webware visitors that have made their way here from Original Signal. Webware is now on the front page of Original Signal, and all of us here would like to say that we're honored.
If this is your first time here, be sure to check our About section, which will let you know who we are and what we're trying to do. There's also a contact link to submit your site for coverage.
Many of us here at Webware use Original Signal and check it throughout the day to see what's going on around the Web, and now there's some added incentive for us post more content.
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