Techmeme meets PopUrls: Techfuga 2.0 launches

Techfuga, a tech news aggregation site, is releasing its 2.0 version on Wednesday.

What hasn't changed in the new version is the site's blend of automatically-generated links and clustered stories, like you get on Techmeme, with a dashboard view of RSS feeds from popular tech Web sites, as on PopUrls and Alltop.

The new version has a reportedly better clustering algorithm, as well as a list of "upcoming" stories that aren't yet big enough to be listed in the main section but that are trending toward becoming big. The new site also has a strong tech-site-focused search engine that incorporates Twitter search very nicely.

I took a quick look at the update alongside Techmeme, and it compares favorably. Both sites identified the top tech stories of the moment, even though they sorted them differently. I'm to see a competitor here; I think this little market needs the competition.

The sad thing is that Techmeme is such a go-to site for tech heads that even if Techfuga is better, many people will keep relying on Techmeme as not just a source of news links but as the agenda setter. It pains me to say that because Techmeme's story selection (even with its new human editor) sometimes neglects important topics. It's not enough for Techfuga to be great; it has to somehow wean people off the good-enough Techmeme.

One way it's trying: on the updated Techfuga site, Techmeme is the first listing in the section that runs headline feeds from popular sites.