They’re clearly taking it seriously because there is a link to them right from the front page of the search engine, and usually there is not a whole lot of change going on there aside from the occasional doodle.

In all, there are 25 different themes for causes. A post from the Official Google Blog says:

Our partners in iGoogle Themes for Causes span a variety of areas including the environment, international development, education, health, civil rights, and disaster relief. They include organizations like Heifer International, Oxfam America, Ashoka, Doctors without Borders, Save the Children, charity:water, and Conservation International — just to name a few. We’re honored to help these organizations increase their reach by making their themes available to the millions of iGoogle users around the world who care about the great work they’re doing.

The intent of these themes is to raise awareness as well as donations. Each theme has a "Donate" link that appears in the upper right-hand corner to make your holiday donations easier. We also encourage you to share your favorite Theme for a Cause with your family and friends.

I’m a little surprised to see that they’re not calling for feedback suggesting more causes, but just because I don’t see it doesn’t mean they’re not open to others. I’m sure that if there is a cause that you feel passionate about, but is not included, you could comment on their blog post, and it would at least be seen, and who knows, maybe accepted.

• Solar System theme,
• Autumn theme,
• Hong Kong theme,
• JR The Monster theme, and
• Aja Tiger theme.

To add one of these themes to the active tab, visit iGoogle and type in the address bar the following JavaScript code:

javascript:_dlsetp(‘preview_skin=skins/planets.xml’);

In place of "planets.xml", other XML filename that can be used for different themes are:

• Aja Tiger: tiger.xml
• Autumn: autumn.xml
• Hong Kong: hongkong.xml
• JR: jr.xml
• Solar System: planets.xml

Then click on "Save". With the help of these simple steps, you can select the theme of your choice. The theme Solar System changes daily, while the rest of them change as per the time of the day.

Have a look at the other screenshots below:

To some extent, this can also be an indication of the launch of the iGoogle Themes Directory.

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