Stuff to Blog About and More: Using Google Reader and the New Blog Search

Google recently impressed us all with a new way to search blogs.

It features a new homepage for Google Blog Search ,adapting some of the technology pioneered by Google News. Search results now show categories on the left side of the website and organizing the blog posts within those categories into clusters, which are groupings of posts about the same story or event. Grouping them in clusters lets you see the best posts on a story or get a variety of perspectives. When you look within a cluster, you'll find a collection of the most interesting and recent posts on the topic, along with a timeline graph that shows you how the story is gaining momentum in the blogosphere.

They have integrated this search technology to be used with the Google Reader. The Google Reader constantly checks your favorite news sites and blogs for new content. Whether a site updates daily or monthly, Google says you can be sure that you won't miss a thing.

Google Reader shows you all of your favorite sites in one convenient place. It's like a personalized inbox for the entire web. Millions of sites publish feeds with their latest updates, and our integrated feed search makes it easy to find new content that interests you.

Add Google Reader to iGoogle and you can use it anywhere by use of adding a Google Reader gadget to iGoogle to see updates at a glance.

Read on any mobile phone browser. Whether you're waiting in line or riding the train,Google Reader keeps you connected.

Google uses this example
In this example, the green "64 blogs" link takes you inside the cluster and shows you all the blog posts for a story.

Give it a try and let Google know if you have comments or suggestions.

FTC: Your Rights: Credit Reporting

The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, has prepared a brochure, Your Access to Free Credit Reports, explaining your rights under the FCRA and how to order a free annual credit report.

A credit report includes information on where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you've been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Nationwide consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

How do I order my free report?

You can order your free annual credit report online at annualcreditreport.com, by calling 1-877-322-8228, or by completing the Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

When you order, you need to provide your name, address, Social Security number, and date of birth. To verify your identity, you may need to provide some information that only you would know, like the amount of your monthly mortgage payment.

A Warning About "Imposter" Sites

The FTC advises consumers who order their free annual credit reports online to be sure to correctly spell annualcreditreport.com, or link to it from the FTC's website to avoid being misdirected to other websites that offer supposedly free reports,but only with the purchase of other products. While consumers may be offered additional products or services while on the authorized website, they are not required to make a purchase to receive their free annual credit reports.

For more information on free annual credit reports, read Your Access to Free Credit Reports.