When will Google give Google Catalogs a fraction of the attention lavished on Froogle? Google operates two shopping portals, but Froogle is definitely the favored sibling. They were both under-recognized for a long time, and now that Froogle has bumped the Directory off the main lineup, it's time to bring some awareness to Google Catalogs. This NY Times article about browsing mail-order catalogs online doesn't breathe a whisper about Google's keyword-searchable, zooming-enabled warehouse of shopping catalogs. The piece's author is only partly to blame for the oversight; Google itself practically hides the Catalogs index from view.

Participating in Google Catalogs is much easier than preparing a data feed for Froogle. Mail-order operations simply add a Google address to their mailing lists. In fact, anyone can mail in a catalog they'd like to see added. Google does all the scanning, indexing, and archiving when the catalogs start arriving. Whose job is that? And how neglected must that person feel?