I’m not sure what the ideal news aggregation services looks like but if you launch something that isn’t it, watch out.

The response to Newspond is downright critical. TechCrunch is down on how the how the service works and its grandiose marketing claims, while Tony Hung is equally unimpressed, and slaps Newspond on the wrist for describing itself as “revolutionary”.

As a news aggregator junkie, I’ve tried a bunch of them, including Newspond, which struck me as fairly interesting but not hey-this-is-amazing.

Daylife was all the rage last year when it debuted and later raised $8-million in venture capital. Blogrunner got everyone excited after its new owner, New York Times, relaunched it, while DailyMe enjoyed its day in the sun. Meanwhile, the industry heavyweights – Techmeme, Digg, Reddit and Megite continue to roll along.

The bottom line is the new aggregation market is a tough gig with a highly-demanding audience that wants it all: elegant, user-friendly design where the advertising isn’t obtrusive; a powerful aggregation engine that ranks stories quickly and properly while being inclusive of a variety of sources but recognizing that some sources are better than others; and a variety of topics covered.

Do that, and you’ll rule the world. Fail to meet those standards, and be prepared to face the wrath of the aggregation junkies.

Of all the aggregation services, Digg continues to rule the roost, although it seems vulnerable these days as it dabbles with the user-experience. Techmeme is terrific, has a world of potential and rabid following but would be wise to think seriously about expanding into even more topics to hammer down strategically, while Blogrunner is interesting, partly because of its ties to the NYT.

Technorati Tags: Newspond, Techmeme

If the Yellow Pages suddenly disappeared, how many trees would that save? And would anyone really miss those heavy phone directories that have been around since 1886?

For a growing number of people, the Yellow Pages are an anachronism – a product that no longer serves a useful purpose yet still keeps getting dropped at your door every year. It’s like that unwanted house guest who keeps showing up for breakfast despite strong hints that perhaps it’s time to move on.

In my house, the Yellow Pages (as well as the Super Pages, which, in theory, sounds like it’s superior to the Yellow Pages!) arrives, only to be immediately shoved into a drawer where it collects dust until the following year when the new one dutifully arrives. (Some more creative people find a use for Yellow Pages by enlisting them as door stops.)

As much as we like to dismiss the Yellow Pages, I suspect a lot of people are still using them – probably people who don’t live and breath on the Internet all day. Maybe it’s still easier to flick through thousands of pages as opposed to a quick online search. Maybe people still like the tactile feel of the Yellow Pages.

At the same time, there is no way Yellow Page publishers are going to give up a lucrative cash-cow until advertisers disappear. Yellow Pages Income Fund, Canada’s biggest phone directory publisher, recently posted fourth-quarter results with sweet operating profit margins of 51.9%.

Now, that’s a nice business.

Just for fun, let’s do a poll, although I suspect most people who read this blog isn’t a Yellow Page user.

Technorati Tags: puppy