Previous Story: Microsoft launches mobile video download service
Next Story: Supreme Court asks why cable broadband lacks regulation

Bloglines adds package tracking to its service
By Juan Carlos Perez

The Bloglines online content-aggregation service plans to let its users track from within its service package-shipping information from FedEx Corp., United Parcel Service of America Inc. (UPS) and the U.S. Postal Service, according to a company executive.

This is the first of many types of personalized online information that Bloglines will be able to gather on behalf of its users, said Mark Fletcher, Bloglines' vice president and general manager. "Bloglines is moving beyond the blog," he said. For example, Bloglines will be able to collect local weather information and stock prices.

Bloglines' core service is monitoring the content "feeds" that millions of Web sites distribute using technologies such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom. Users decide which feeds they want monitored and Bloglines aggregates the content in users' Bloglines personal Web pages.

But Bloglines wants to aggregate a broader scope of online information and become a "universal inbox" for its users, Fletcher said. "Instead of you having to go out and get all of this online information that's part of your life, Bloglines will bring this information to you," he said.

The shipping tracking feature will be available on Wednesday. To access it, users go to their Bloglines personal Web page and add the tracking number of the shipment they're interested in having Bloglines monitor. As are all existing Blogline services, it will be free, Fletcher said.

Bloglines was recently acquired by Ask Jeeves, which later was itself bought by IAC/InteractiveCorp.

Posted March 30, 2005 04:38 PM |