Netscape's New Dig(g)s

AOL has transformed its also-ran Netscape portal into a Digg wannabe. I'll give them credit for leaping headlong into Web 2.0, but I'm not sure the Netscape audience is ready for it.

AOL customers like to be spoon-fed information, so getting them to take the initiative and become meta-journalists rating and commenting on stories may not be easy. The site launched today, and the early results show that users are heavy on the frothy entertainment news, which won't distinguish the site from the E or the other paparazzi-fueled junk.

The interface is a bit overwhelming with two columns featuring a clutter of images, mixed in with advertisements. Netscape emphasizes links to video content, trying to tap into a bit of the YouTube phenomenon as well.

In a democratic society, allowing the "news" channels to be controlled by the masses bypasses the media filter, but then again, it relies on the audience to make decisions at least as good as professional editors. Theoretically it is good that the idea has been copied by a mass publisher, but I'm skeptical that the strategy will vault Netscape.com back into the limelight.