OPML version of Tinfinger directory reading lists

Tinfinger now includes a link on each category news page to the OPML reading list of news sites and blog feeds which are classified into that category. The directory as a whole is a bit bare at the moment, but here are a few populated files: Cricket, AFL, NFL, Australian Politics. Each category's reading list also links to each subcategory's OPML file, so that if you're using an OPML reader and looking at the top of our directory, the Human reading list, you can drill down as far as the directory goes without leaving the reader.

I notice Michael Arrington took a swipe at directory structures in his demolition job on Gather.com the other day:

Fourth, Gather encourages tagging of news items and yet has a rigid directory taxonomy (meaning at the end of the day that they do not trust tags to create their directory). Bad idea. Go with the tags, drop the taxonomy and see what develops.

I think a combined approach of tags plus directory is the best approach, because then you give users choice to pick from the best of both worlds. Gather, who is one of our competitors, got this one right (as did Squidoo and Etsy, according to Tongue Trip) and we're doing the same thing... and were doing so before Gather got any press, in case you think we're copying! Plus, dropping rigid directories would discard some very useful functions such as those OPML enables.