Is iGoogle the next SharePoint?

Could iGoogle be used as an effective alternative for the Microsoft collaboration tool SharePoint?  Let me qualify that by saying, I don’t mean today - but rather in the not so distant future.  SharePoint is a pretty powerful application.  Still, if you look at what Google is trying to accomplish with web based applications and cloud computing, ask yourself “could iGoogle be developed into a fairly robust collaboration tool.”  It already allows for customization of content, and there are numerous gadgets that deliver everything from email and calendar to ToDo lists and games.  You can also share individual tabs with others - allowing for a shared workspace for small teams.  I have been pondering this for some time, and thought I would put it out there for discussion.  While I think it is a long way from being something that could be rolled out in a large firm, small businesses could absolutely utilize this free tool to communicate with customers and employees alike.  Also, the fact that SharePoint is one of Microsoft’s hottest products, must make it a huge target for companies like Google and others.  You have to think that the people at Google have at least pondered this notion.  So, what do you think?  Could you use iGoogle as an effective collaboration tool?

The Wiggles and The Beastie Boys: Together at Last

Two of my daughter’s favorite bands are The Wiggles and The Beastie Boys. She is 4. We try to carefully monitor how much and what of both bands is appropriate. Of course, I try to steer her towards the Beastie’s, like any good father would. (Please don’t call Children’s Services. We don’t let her listen to all of their songs). Anyway, I always thought that my home would be the only place where I might find these two musical acts living side by side until today that is. Along comes Google with yet another fun surprise - Artist Themes for iGoogle.

Quick note: iGoogle allows you to customize the Google home page by adding content from around the web. Very cool tool, and something that I have integrated into my daily life. Totally worth checking out if this is a new to you. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

iGoogle launched customized themes several months back. These range from scenes of the beach, to an animated bus stop, to a zen garden and so on. This empowered the user to easily change the look and feel of Google. More fun than function, but interesting none the less.

Well, today I discovered something new in Artist Themes for iGoogle. These themes were designed by folks like Todd Oldham, Michael Graves, Coldplay, John Maeda, Jackie Chan, Lance Armstrong and yes… The Beastie Boys and The Wiggles. There are many to choose from, and each has special little surprises within them. Activating them is as easy as finding the one you want and clicking. Done.

Another really fun aspect of this is that iGoogle allows users to create tabs within the home page - each of which can be customized with a different theme. So, for example, I have a page that is my normal home page. When I type in google, it is where I land. It has my gmail, calendar, and other regularly accessed information all in one spot. I have now decorated it with The Beastie Boys. I then have a page titled News. It has headlines from a wide swath of sources giving me the latest and greatest from around the world. It is adorned with “The Wiggles” - reminding me of my daughter. All in all there are 6 pages, each displaying different information, and each with a distinct look and feel.

From search results delivered by Elmer Fudd to the Wiggles and Beastie Boys, Google continues to make it more fun for me to use their products.

iGoogle Artist Themes