Home pages like Google's new "iGoogle" are getting a bit more personal. According to a MediaPost article, analysts predict portals could eventually become completely personalized. Yesterday, Google launched iGoogle, with a new set of customization tools for news, weather, personal calendars and searches. Users can log in to Google's personalized home page, where they create gadgets displaying their personal photos, favorite YouTube videos and writings, and then feature those gadgets on their iGoogle pages.

As more users log in to iGoogle, Google will be able to design their ads and search results with specific behavioral data in mind, such as search queries and websites users tend to view. But tracking users' behavioral data has raised some privacy concerns--not that these concerns appear to be affecting Google's traffic. In March, comScore Media Matrix said the site had 528 million visitors compared to Microsoft's 527 million, giving Google the title of the world's most trafficked web property.

The virtual world and the world of professional basketball collided yesterday when NBA announced the launch of NBA Headquarters in Second Life. Fans can play games like H.O.R.S.E., chat about b-ball with other avatars and sit in a virtual basketball court to watch a real-time diagram of NBA games. They can also purchase apparel with NBA logos in an online replica of a Manhattan shop. InformationWeek points out that the difference between NBA and other corporate areas of Second Life is that the association has the potential to bring fans back for repeat business. NBA commissioner David Stern said the organization is looking to recruit fans already in the online community, in addition to generating new fans, particularly Hispanics and women. The new headquarters is part of NBA's desire to become involved in new media, including sites like Yahoo!, Facebook and YouTube.