However, I think Netscape is going about it in the worst possible direction. They should be poising themselves as a major news portal – not a nerdy tech niche site like Digg. The one thing they have going for them with this design is familiarity and ease-of-use. I like that it’s easy to vote up stories – that clear labeling drives the functionality of the site home to new users.

I moaned when you guys made the vote button smaller, and although I’ve become accustomed to the interface (more news, less clutter), the small button doesn’t communicate the social aspect of the site to the new user. And no amount of marketing copy/ intro text can replace that communication.

You guys have it 100% right with presentation. The polish of the site not only legitimizes it, but also raises the bar for authors – leading to more quality journalistic content from users. Again, the only niggle I have is with the vote button (and how the conversation tracker is displayed when not logged in – I understand the need to ‘tease’ it, but it might just confuse and clutter the uninitiated – So that’s two things :) )

Netscape, however, is laughable competition at worst, and at best they’re widening the market for everyone.

I agree with your sentiment that this shouldn’t be just another techie site, and I’ll note further that Jason seems to be carrying his “concentrate on revenue from day one” mentality to a place where it’s probably not necessary to do so. They’ve got ads all over the place already and judging from the comments I’ve been reading on Netscape threads, it’s pissing people off in a big way. We’ve been extremely disciplined in our placement of ads so far and we need the revenue 1000 times more than AOL does!

By the way, I also agree with you that we need to figure out better ways to communicate how interactive the site is. Subtlety is good, but only when you’re already familiar with how to use things.

I’m not going to call them copycats as many others will…

So the big question everyone’s going to be asking is, how does this affect Newsvine, Digg, or any of the other sites in this same general movement to modernize the news? If you ask me, I’d say it helps and helps a lot. …

its that type of reaction to competition that puts you at the forefront of everthing that is good about the internet right now Mike. bravo.

They’ve got ads all over the place already and judging from the comments I’ve been reading on Netscape threads, it’s pissing people off in a big way.

I couldn’t help but notice the same thing. The ads are mind blowing and anytime there are multiple pop-up’s, I instantly think “cheap”. I went there, I saw and I left. Netscape has a lot to learn about news sites and from what I can tell, “web 2.0″ technique.

jd

User-powered-news is still a relatively new movement, but it’s catching on quickly. Many people have become disenchanted with the major media trying to force their own agenda on the people. A free thinking person can only sit and listen to the talking heads on TV and radio for so long until they twist off and stop caring. I’m in Oklahoma, and I’m lucky enough to live in an area that has talk radio shows that I enjoy listening to. I share a common viewpoint with most of the shows carried here, and they generally talk about the things I want to hear about. I’m not so lucky on the TV side. In an effort to be “edgy and cool” like the national media, many of the local TV stations here subscribe to the “if it bleeds, it leads” theory.

Here’s my impression of my local TV news:
“Today on the other side of the world, twenty-seven babies died today when a drunk driver swerved off the road and hit a telephone pole causing a live power line to fall into a pool where the children were swimming.”

Ok, yes that’s weird, but when I tune into local news, I want LOCAL news! I’m in Oklahoma! Freakin’ eff! I’m also tired of hearing one despressing story after another. Why doesn’t anyone report on good things anymore? The large news outlets make you want to go strangle puppies. Major media will fall victim to it’s own agenda. As the world becomes more interactive and tech-based, people will regain their control over things big business soaked up long ago.

Anyway, I’ll likely stick to Digg for my tech news. Netscape’s site looks like they took Digg and merged it with MySpace’s ad database. MySpace’s ads are why I’ve grown cold the social networking site. I’m a Newsvine newcomer, but I like the site. I’ve even replaced Google’s RSS news feed with the Newsvine feeds on my Google homepage.

..not until they *really* dig in do they find out they can write, seed, and influence the news mix by interacting with it.

And what Jon just said, with regards to the local news …

when I tune into local news, I want LOCAL news!

I think these same sentiments were reflected recently with Jeff Croft’s statements on journalism when he writes

Perhaps the second most important thing you can do (after reporting the news, of course), is create a community around the news … Local readers matter so much more, because they’re there to comment, discuss, submit and otherwise actively participate in your news.

Don’t be afraid of user-submitted content. It can often every bit as worthwhile as your staff’s. If a user submits a photo, for example, that tells the story better than the photos your staff got, print the damn thing! That the story gets told is more important than making sure you’re the one telling it.

This is where local news sites, that have taken this type of thinking into consideration, have started to flourish in both print and digital media. As you know, Jeff is among those who will quickly point to the award winning World Company as an innovator in this area in Lawrence, KS.

While it’s good to See AOL and Netscape taking an active role in promoting this type of “community involvement”, their user experience doesn’t feel redy for prime time. I could never find a particular video that everyone one was talking about – even doing “find” on the video page it was linked to didn’t bring about any success. The ads feel a bit overwhelming, as does their large “What are People Saying About…” graphic. I didn’t mind the “related stories” at the top, but felt it a bit distracting when it transitions from one story to another.

I’m not someone who visits “Digg” or “Newsvine” as much as others, but they are the first place I often go, because of their community and uncluttered UI experience.

Agreed, though, that social news is the new Kool-Aid. I mean that in a good way.

“thinking the rest of the world is even 50% as tech-savvy as you are, but the reality is the exact opposite.”

Which would be thinking that 50% isn’t as tech-savvy as you? ;)

But yes, you’re right. This’ll provide a major boost in visibility (of the idea) for such sites. One catch is (that as far as I know) most netscape.com visitors are U.S. guys and galls, so it won’t help as much with global awareness.

(Editor’s Note: Correct me if I’m wrong but I think my grammar is actually correct on that one. I didn’t say “50% of people” I said “50% as tech savvy” which means “most of the world is less tech savvy than you”… or maybe you’re just being sarcastic… in that case, haha! :) )

I didn’t say “50% of people” I said “50% as tech savvy” which means “most of the world is less tech savvy than you”…

Sure, and the exact opposite of that is…50%.

or maybe you’re just being sarcastic… in that case, haha!

Me? Sarcastic?

Such a statement does not strike me as cromulent!

1. we took down a bunch of the ads.
2. we cleaned up the design a bunch
3. we fixed some of the server problems
4. we made the Navigator (the frame) a user option… so you can turn it off with one click and never see it again. We also made it really narrow so it is not as obtrusive.

We’re getting there… this is a real beta!