iGoogle the home page from Google and Netvibes' biggest competitor announcing big changes

iGoogle, the personalized home page from Google and the biggest competitor for Netvibes is announcing some changes to come:

1) Google will allow Widget (gadgets) Developers to insert Ads in their Widgets:
"... but there will be some restrictions. Ads will be limited to the canvas view only and certain types of ads will not be allowed. Developers are free to use any ad provider to place ads in their gadget. However, we strive to maintain the best user experience, and as such, we plan on surveying users to determine how ads impact user satisfaction. Poor user ratings and reviews may impact a gadget's viral features, ranking, and directory listing.

Ads cannot move across the page or expand beyond their initial bounds - they must hold a persistent location. No pop-up windows are allowed. Audio ads cannot be initiated without user action."

2) IGoogle will become social and create Friends
Users will have full control over who their friends are and will be able to easily modify their list of friends. Expected to roll out this summer.

3) other improvements include: Notifiactions/Messages, Widget invitations and permissions...

Strangely enough, iGoogle has not its own url meaning by that that it is just a part of the Google main Search web site ?

Some "fresh" data from iGoogle:

iGoogle Users:

• Tens of millions (??!!) worldwide, 50% US and 50% outside
• One of Google's fastest growing products the past two years
• 42 languages, 73 domains

Top Gadgets:

• Weather
• Date & Time
• CNN.com
• Movies

Interesting comment by Steve Rubel, here.

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Position of Netvibes in the Starting Pages market

Hi,

here is a comment I posted in the ReadWriteWeb post about the position of Netvibes in the market of Starting Pages:

"Netvibes is not the pioneer of startpages, but if you consider WEB 2.0 market for startpages, Netvibes is, at the moment, the leading competitor in terms of:
1) independence from MegaGroups,
2) collaborative creation of content,
3) overall quality,
4) international openess,
5) general compatibility (IE, FF..; PC-MAC, PC-mobile,)...

In my point of view what is missing is the attractiveness for the BIG AUDIENCE.

In my analysis, Netvibes and the other starting pages are used mainly used for Feed reading.

All the other possible practical uses are yet to be publicised (or discovered).

But CONTENT is always the key for success. It must not be Netvibes OWN content but a starting page has to give you the content you need (even if you do not know it already). "

10 things I want from my HOMEPAGE (update 070418)

Hi,

here in BOLD, the Updates I made after the new Universe Upgrade (see point 10) and the new Coriander Version.
Have any suggestion ?

I wanted to list here what I really want from my PERSONALIZED HOMEPAGE and I will rate how my Netvibes Home page complies today April 18 2007 (from 10= perfect to 0=not at all). Let's go: I WANT MY PERSONALIZED HOME PAGE TO...

1. CHARGE FAST MY DIFFERENT PAGES (TABS) (Netvibes = 7 )
2. SHOW THE NEWS FEEDS I choose with details or not, with pics or not, with direct links or not, with immediate preview, mixing different feeds, in a small space (Netvibes =10)
3. SHOW MY CALENDAR DIRECLTY with the choice of a Montly, Weekly and daily view, and the possibility to present multiple calendars in just one space with different colours. (Netvibes= 4 , I need to embed the Google Calendar, but I have to login in first to see it on my Netvibes. Problems with colours and sizes).
4. TAKE NOTES with a choice with Font sizes, Style and Coulours. Http links should open directly in an external page. (Netvibes =7 with the webnote module, ok for links, some new editing choice, but only for all note. I would prefer a WYSIWYG text editor .)
5. SEARCH every Search Engine available. Ideal would be possibility to integrate the results in just one space . (Netvibes =9 almost every thing is there)
6. SHOW JUST THE PIECE I WANT OF ANOTHER WAB PAGE that is not possible to import (like a webcam, a personalized Ebay search,... (Netvibes =3, with external modules, I am only able to have the Upper Left corner of a web page and I have to navigate. Protopage with their "Web Page Widget" has a module that rates 10).
7. CHOOSE MY COLOURS, MY N° OF COLUMNS, MY SIZES, MY FONTS, MY BACKGROUND PICTURE (Netvibes =8, a lot of improvement. Backgroung Image still missing)
8. IMPORT EASILY TESTED API (Netvibes =5, good choice of API but no test before submitting them to users)
9. SHARE ALL OR SOME PART OF MY PAGE with friends, family, colleaugues (Netvibes=7 as now I can share feeds, notes, tabs... 10 will come with the My personal Universe page )
10. BE SECURE and RELIABLE . Secure from external attacks and reliable in time and space, with no service interruptions, full availability and backup possibilities (Netvibes=5 , nothing changed).

Those are the ten points that at the moment I can think are the most important for me and Netvibes rates 65 points over 100 ! An Improvement of 15 points in a month !! +30% !!

ENOUGH TO BE MY ONLY PERSONALIZED HOME PAGE.

Future improvements are needed on the "professional side: calendars, notes,..." as they will increase productivity.

All that to say that I stick to Netvibes.

Netvibes is Charging the new NETVIBES UNIVERSES

Hi,

Since April 17, 2007 at 01:29 AM, Netvibes is charging their new: NETVIBES UNIVERSES and thet is what I see on my Netvibes page:
"We are currently upgrading our server infrastructure to serve you better, please come back later.
Check the blog for more details"

In their Blog, Tariq Krim, the CEO, is announcing many new improvements even after the Coriander version: the NETVIBES UNIVERSE concept.

"Soon, every single Netvibes user will be able to create a personal Netvibes Universe, that is, a Netvibes page that you can build using the content and widgets that you want -- and make it available to the world at large."

That will give you:

1) The possibility to Share a Netvibes page with others (as I was asking in my 10 things I want from my home page)
Netvibes users will soon have two pages for every account: a private page, where you subscribe to all the content for your personal, everyday use, and a public page, where you can allow others to access your favorite content -- everything that you love on the web.

2) Access a selection new Branded Universes
More than a hundred special Netvibes Universe pages will be available trough partnership with leading content publishers to create official Universes for some of your favorite musicians and media outlets.
Other Universes are on the way, and Netvibes asks for your advice.

Well let's wait and see...

NETVIBES Competitors: Unique Users Data

Hi,
I resume here, from TECHCRUNCH, the Numbers of the Uniques Users(*) of PERSONAL HOME PAGES as tracked by COMSCORE in their January 2007 worldwide report.

My Yahoo : 50.2 millions Unique Users (Among Visitors Age 15+)
My MSN : 11.9
Google IG : 7.1
My AOL : 2.1
My Netscape : 0.7

There is only one big winner : My Yahoo !

The 50 millions Users of My Yahoo compared with the estimated worldwide audience of 747 millions credits this service of an impressive penetrationn rate of ...7% when the aggregate 72 millions of the Big 5 personal Home pages gives them a 10% rate.

The other Big Netvibes' Competitors are really far away... Even Google!

And Netvibes ? Too small audience to be selected by COMSCORE...

(*) For more details on ComScore methodology.

Home pages comparison_Part 1

Hi,

I am trying to start an Home Pages comparison.

In the mean time check this one on WebWorkerDaily. It refers to Ajax Start Pages:

1) Google’s Personalized Home Page

2) Netvibes

3) Pageflakes

4) Protopage

5) Yourminis

For each there are pro e con but the general conclusion is not yet a positive one :

"That "All those home pages" have a ways to go before they provide the informational richness and immediate action that this web worker needs. "