iGoogle

I knew that iGoogle was just another portal, a home page that one can customise with their own information feeds from elsewhere on the web. It isn't a new concept, but it makes sense for a lot of users who like to have their own home page with the things they are interested in all in one place. It has been a popular value-add for businesses by fostering loyalty in their members, which in turn drives traffic to the portals where the business can place advertising in front of their users which grows their own brand, or gains them revenue from other advertisers. Think of the ISPs, Yahoo, Google and other smaller niche players.

I don't really need a personalised portal, I know how to bookmark, use delicious for things I want to bookmark between work and home computers, and have my own hosting. I did find the iGoogle portal impressive, it seems to offer a great deal more than other sites, and with Google's reach they can bring even more content to your page. The customisation and themes are very slick, and one can add elements provided by third-party developers, which makes more customisation possible.