Upcoming Changes at Netscape »
Posted By JamesMarcus 1 year, 10 months ago in Science & TechnologyThere are some upcoming changes to the Netscape.com site that we hope will improve your experience. Visitors to Netscape.com will see a more traditional news experience very soon. But don't worry, the social news site isn't going away!
Read Full Story at blog.netscape.com »
265 Views Share Story 106 Comments Report
Submitted By:
JamesMarcus
James Marcus is a writer, translator, critic, and editor. He is the author of Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot-Com Juggernaut and ...
Who Also Submitted:
Other Related Articles:
Why not submit a story?
RSS Join the Discussion
+ Add CommentShowing 260 of 400 Comments (view all)
-
0%
stephen-johnson1 year, 10 months ago
It looks like the social networking site will be incrementally phased out. It didn't enhance the Netscape brand.
I don't know whether to be happy or sad.
Reply-
0%
rockman0691 year, 10 months ago
It all comes down to the bottom line. They are in business, we are here to interact. Those interests clash at some point, and the one with the dollars in his pocket trumps the majority.
Reply -
-
-
lovermanComment removed: User banned.
-
-
0%
splitrch1 year, 10 months ago
I already have Yahoo as my home page. Why do I need a Yahoo wannabe?
Reply -
0%
rockman0691 year, 10 months ago
First they make me change to social news. I start getting used to it, almost enjoying it. Now they tell me they are moving back. What IS the deal people?
Reply -
0%
humemacdonald1 year, 10 months ago
It looks Like there may be a transition time where there is no social site available. Did I read this correctly?-feedback please.
Reply-
0%
brettodactyl1 year, 10 months ago
Your interpretation is exactly the same as mine. I really don't feel good about what they're doing now. And, they say it won't affect the browser, but I thought the final version of the browser would probably come out soon, since it's in beta 3 now. I use the beta as my main browser and it works very well, but I don't like that this could result in a delay in the release of the final product. After all, a key feature is the way it interacts with the site. Netscape says nothing's changing; I say this is the beginning of everything changing, browser included.
P.S: They're saying they're gonna use the netscape.aol.com site as the main site. That site is just a reskinned AOL. Does that mean the main site will no longer be unique?
Reply -
0%
JamesMarcus1 year, 10 months ago
The answer, I'm happy to say, is no. The new version of this social news site will go live at the same time that Netscape.com starts redirecting visitors to the old-school portal page. There will be no dead zone. Details about the new URL and name will be available soon. Please do stick around--it's going to be fun!
Reply
-
-
0%
Radiofreeeuropa1 year, 10 months ago
Although I used the Netscape browser for many many years I never became interested in signing up for the portal until Netscape defined itself as:
"evolved from a portal that is programmed by us to a portal that is programmed by you รข;; the audience! All of the stories on Netscape are submitted and voted on by users. The more votes and comments a story receives, the higher it is ranked in the list of Top Stories."
Reply-
0%
Radiofreeeuropa1 year, 10 months ago
The number of users at Netscape has certainly continued to increase so much so that the infrastructure has been slowing down. One finds it hard to imagine a site with netscape's number of users not being profitable. Since there has already been an alternate portal for those who prefer the older non interactive netscape one must question why the existing one must also be changed to the older conventional type. I only remember the absolute denials from Netscape when this portal was launched that it would end the Netscape
social news network. This is truly a sad day and a defeat to the democracy that existed here temporarily.
Reply
-
-
0%
canadianrancher571 year, 10 months ago
I have always used netscape and when the change was made in 06 I was a little ticked, I have really grown to like this new format and think that most stories are the top stories around, the debate part is also a great drawing card if you ask me. The social news was been great and I hope there is not to much down time before the other site is up and running.
Reply-
0%
rockman0691 year, 10 months ago
I also keep my eye on the home page, because usually the important news DOES make it there, and usually faster than the orthodox media avenues. At the same time, you have to wade through a lot of senseless junk to find those gems. Good thing top stories can be pinned to help locate the real news.
Reply
-
-
0%
STONERS1 year, 10 months ago
These changes have me very upset-Im here because it is a social news site,if it goes then I go as well-this leads me to think that I should start looking for another social site. And I feel Ive done nothing but waist my time here if they take this from us. And now Im not sure if I want to continue this. Waiting on Netscapes actions and changes before I continue any further or continue being on this site. Im NOT pleased at all.
Reply-
0%
pagey1 year, 10 months ago
we are just moving to another domain, we will still be the same social news site, without the Netscape name. When you tell people your on Netscape they become confused because they think of the browser. A new site will be a chance to break away from that.
Reply -
0%
david_nwpa1 year, 10 months ago
I agree with STONERS. Has it been all one big waste of time? No! I think we have added to the dialog, and that some people have come away changed as a result of the social aspect of Netscape. If it shifts further toward being a traditional news service, with minimal interaction from users, then it will not serve a valid purpose for me. I can get the same stories from other sources, such as Yahoo and CNN. I get international news from BBC and Deutsche Welle. What would be the point of coming back to Netscape?
If the social aspect disappears, so do I.
Reply -
0%
humemacdonald1 year, 10 months ago
Hi Stoners, If it looks like there is going to be a period without a social site, perhaps a whole bunch of us should move to a new site. I love coming to see what everyone has posted or submitted, and it would not be the same if all of the people I have met here were not there. I really hope that they can transition without any down time.
Reply -
-
0%
Digidave1 year, 10 months ago
I'm going to echo Pagey above. If anything I think this is a good opportunity for this community to get a new name, a new image of itself. The social news site isn't going to disapear -- just move to a new domain, with a new name.
This way when you tell people what social news site you belong to, they won't give you a blank stare and ask "isn't that a web browser from the 90's? -- This, in the long haul, will be good for us.
Reply -
0%
TimeBuster1 year, 10 months ago
You arent paying for it so you have no say....problably spend all your money on dope anyway....another D from Florida likely....We will miss you SOOOoo much....try the DNC web site...they will love having all ya leachers there....there ARE socialist after all...
Reply
-
-
0%
brettodactyl1 year, 10 months ago
It's amazing how Netscape has managed to unify it's members like this. We may not agree on much, but I would say most of us are not feeling real positive about this.
If Netscape social goes away, I'm probably done with social news. Netscape introduced me to the concept when they forced the new site on us, but I ended up liking it. I checked out Digg when people were claiming in the early days that Netscape was a Digg clone, and I didn't like that site at all. Everybody just runs each other down, and there's no sense to anything. It seemed very meanspirited, and I just don't have a desire to participate in that kind of community.
Reply-
0%
Searchbeam1 year, 10 months ago
That's how revolutions begin!
There has to be a mean king,(AOL?)
There has to be a heavy burden of unreasonable taxes (Like taxing our patience)
There must be a strong community willing to take to arms (Keyboards, in our case)
There must be a sort of Boston Tea Party (In our cases, our messages getting dumped into cyber-landfill)
So, all we need is a spark to light up the charge!
STONERS is already on the horse, ready with "No Surrender" flag!
Now, all we can do is wait into this dark night!
LOL!
Reply
-
-
0%
brettodactyl1 year, 10 months ago
Ok, I accidentally got my comment on here twice. So, I've erased the second one.
Reply -
-
0%
Neophile1 year, 10 months ago
That is a rumor that TechCrunch put forward last week. I haven't seen anyone corroborate it though.
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/08/31/update-on-...
Reply -
-
-
0%
JamesMarcus1 year, 10 months ago
More details will be forthcoming over the next couple of weeks, but the point to stress now is that the social news site is not disappearing. Yes, we will be moving to a new URL, and we will have a new name. But the accumulation of stories, tags, and comment threads will follow us to the new location. And of course we hope that many of our members will do the same. In the end it's not the name that matters--it's the community that makes or breaks a social news site.
Reply -
0%
1-2-Oscar1 year, 10 months ago
Jason Calacanis ran a sweet con on the stiffs at AOL and waltzed off with his loot before they figured out what he had done. Those same stiffs have been sitting around for the past year trying to figure out how they can reclaim portal-level traffic and still save face.
Finally, they've realized there's no face-saving formula. They traded a portal that attracted millions of users for a chat-fest that was dominated by a few hundred. They just couldn't make that sound sweet. And they couldn't sell that to their advertisers. So they've got to go back to what works, and to what makes money.
Reply-
-
AlphaGnosisComment removed: User banned.9 Replies
-
-
0%
orgham221 year, 10 months ago
It has been a long time coming. The old Netscape was good as a homepage, with links to many useful sites. I agree this has been dominated by a few people that want to exist in an echo chamber of their own positions. Most are unable to be involved in civil debate or discussion. Anyone who disagrees is mocked or belittled or at the very least made to feel unwelcome. Obviously this does not help viewership to the site. It is no surprise if their numbers ($) are down. I will welcome the new site as my homepage again.
Reply -
-
0%
STONERS1 year, 10 months ago
Im still not very happy about this but as long as the social part stays then I wont worry to much - change can be good but we've been told in the past that certain things was on a trial basis and they stayed the same. I guess we will just have to wait this one out.
Reply-
0%
BronxBomber1 year, 10 months ago
Hey I'm with Stoners! Maybe it's "all ado about nothing," pagey, but the day Netscape stops being a slash - social part website, then I'm gonna make like a banana and split too.
BTW Thanks for the links Blargg...
Reply -
0%
Searchbeam1 year, 10 months ago
STONERS<
I have a feeling that one of the reasons for this divorce is the lack of support for site improvements from the AOL's "Jabba the HUT"s.
The new batch at the wheel of the community site feel that they can do it alone and do a good job doing it!
If this is indeed the case, I feel that we should support the change. No sense living in the hell of a bad marriage!
Reply
-
-
-
0%
tehranchik1 year, 10 months ago
We need to have a big fat going away party! Invite everyone and meet at a certain time and post to say what ever we want to everyone!
Reply -
0%
AnnieGUN1 year, 10 months ago
Here I agree with you RFE 100%. I was not all keen on it at first, but like mold, it grows on you. ;^)
This is the first nail in the coffin.
Reply -
0%
Cityslicker1 year, 10 months ago
Alright , social news is gone .
People should not have abused the site just to get their name to the top of a list .
Socially if you can't have both sides to an issue then there is no need for it , it only severs those that are on the side that are dominant .
People will pick a topic and just repeat that topic over and over just to gain a status in the social news scene , no news just dominant sides dominating the issues and topics , get a group of people to back you and post what ever you want the group will vote it in .
Reply -
0%
meoknet1 year, 10 months ago
I use this site because it's NETSCAPE, not because it;s a social news site.
Bottom line for me is that Netscape is an irratic operation and I'm wondering if it's worth my time. You just rolled out a THIRD Beta of Navigator 9 boasting social integration. the big selling point of the browser was the social integration. NOW, you;re telling me the social site is NOT Netscape anymore, therefore your new browser serves NO purpose, and all that development (which we had to wait MONTHS for) has been a waste of time and money.
Navigator 9 is hinged sooooo much on the social site, that it doesn't really have any WOW features as a browser. If you take away the social Netscape, Navigator 9 is noting more than Forefox 2 with a skin. ALl my hours of beta testing and feedback have gone down the drain forever.
Reply-
-
0%
brettodactyl1 year, 10 months ago
I'm glad somebody else understands. I feel just like you; I've used each beta version of the browser and given feedback, and all that good stuff. I'd like to know how the browser team is reacting to this development in the ever-changing saga.
Reply
-
-
0%
justgotmarried1 year, 10 months ago
As a former spammer of netscape I can say that the spammers will more then likely disappear. The new site, if it is on wow.com, is only a pr5 site so not a whole lot of link love versus the current netscape which is a pr9. Something tells me that AOL was warned that netscape pr ranking was about to drop because of all the spam links on the site.
Just a thought built on no evidence what so ever, but it is plausible.
Reply -
0%
justgotmarried1 year, 10 months ago
My other thought is AOL seriously going to pay the scouts a $1000.00 a month to post links when the new site will not have as much traffic, so less clickage of ads, and a lower pr to rank in the search engines. Something tells me that quite a few of the scouts will be going bye-bye in the next year or so.
I could be wrong though!
Reply-
0%
pagey1 year, 10 months ago
I hope you are, but who knows, we are here because we like doing this, if the program goes, we will still be here. Were not going anywhere.
Reply
-
-
-
0%
p0ison_m1nd1 year, 10 months ago
So now netscape will become a parrot of the Associated Press, rehashing all the corporate media. It was nice to have an actual exhange of information for a while. Ah, well, guess it's time to dump NS.
Reply -
0%
doppich1 year, 10 months ago
Although I initially missed the news portal, I am now using - and prefer - RSS feeds to look over headlines and read news. I don't see myself going back, and wonder why Netscape would see a future in a news portal.
Reply -
0%
jdhatl1 year, 10 months ago
The new site is boring. What's the fun of reading about how messed up the world is without arguing with the lunatics who defend the irresponsible path we've been set upon through the sheer power of making History too boring for people so that they don't know it at all, or worse, actually did pay attention in history class and learned the propaganda line by heart? Oh well, big companies always ruin things with their mindless need for "growth". And AOL is so annoying that seeing their name makes me want to click away for fear that I will somehow get sucked into some kind of ISP service I don't need. That's the kind of decisions corporate dividends will make for ya
Reply
Add a Comment
Sign In With Your Propeller Account
Please keep your comments relevant to this story.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.