Filters and discovery

The notion of media fragmentation is well established. That means more choices for consumers, but it also means we have so much choice that it can be hard to keep up. Feed readers are a great way to do so, but there are still a lot of mainstream users who opt for more of a programmed experience. I think there is a great role for sites like popurls.com and Guy Kawasaki’s alltop.com, because they are alternatives for the user who wants “programmed discovery.” Alltop sums up the role they play:

Q. Couldn’t I build my own custom aggregation using customizable home pages, Netvibes, etc?

A. Yes, you could- knock yourself out. While you’re at it, you could backup your hard disk, bake your own bread, iron your own shirts, floss daily, tune your own car, and bike to work.

For those that don’t want to bake their own bread, it’s worth a look.