You've got gadget mail
Posted by by Sophia Brueckner, Software Engineer, iGoogle — For a while now, we Googlers have used a bit of shorthand to refer to the Personalized Homepage — a name that connotes interactivity, the Internet, and personalization all at once.
Context & Ripple Effects
Google had already been turning its Personalized Homepage into a more configurable surface, adding a Google Talk gadget and allowing users to change the page's visual skin. The iGoogle name gives those pieces a single product identity.
Same-day coverage also framed the rollout around localization and a Gadget Maker, positioning the homepage as a place where Google and outside creators can supply small, user-selected modules.
First-order effects
- Google replaces the generic Personalized Homepage label with iGoogle, making its customization features easier to present as one product.
- Gadget Maker gives prospective iGoogle publishers a more direct path to create modules for the homepage, while users gain a broader set of configurable content blocks.
Second-order effects
- Google Talk and other existing gadgets gain a clearer distribution surface inside iGoogle, increasing the value of being available as a homepage module.
- Publishers seeking homepage visibility must compete for placement within a user-configured page rather than relying only on a destination site.
Third-order effects
- If Google keeps pairing personalization with creator tools, the homepage model shifts from a fixed portal toward a modular interface whose usefulness depends on its gadget ecosystem.
The trend: Consumer web portals are evolving into customizable work surfaces that assemble communication, content, and third-party utilities around the user.