1. Deploy a separate Wordpress install on a subfolder, for me I called it /dashboard. With the release of Wordpress 3.0 this should become easier than ever.
2. Install the Atahualpa theme, although any theme with two sidebars one on the right, and one on the left will do.
3. Install the Lifestream plugin by Enthropia and put the short code [lifestream] on the home page of the new wordpress install. Make sure that you set this as the home page under Settings -> Reading. This will give you space to add the rss feeds of the blogs and websites that you want to pay special attention too, say your top 20.
4. Go out to Twitter and grab the list widget code, for the various lists you might want to monitor. Be sure to customize the color scheme to fit what your envisioning, and then place the widget code on the sidebars of your choice. Repeat as needed. While the java-script doing the references for the twitter list data is not the most robust situation, you now have a partially auto-updating dashboard of your rss feeds and twitter lists. The Twitter lists will update automatically. The RSS feeds are polled at 15 minute interval, refresh the page to get the updated RSS entries.
Expert tip: Grab the link this bookmarklet plugin and add a separate page. Next build a page template for your theme with roughly this code added to the wordpress loop and you can keep track of your bookmarks as well in the Wordpress database. Whats the point, when I have Google Reader? Google reader is an excellent tool for reading RSS feeds, this approach gives you a chance to monitor your RSS feeds, twitter lists, and perhaps even your bookmarks all from a page on your site, your host, and your database. That can have its own comforts. If you are concerned about privacy there is always the members only plugin.
Inspiration: Matt McGee - How to Create a Local Newswire for your Blog
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