AOL is breathing new life into Netscape.com with a revamped design -- still in beta -- that takes a page from the strategy playbook of user-driven sites such as Digg.com and Del.icio.us.
Andrew Weinstein, a spokesperson for AOL, said the new offering is designed to build on the popularity of such sites, but with a new twist.
In a tip of the hat to MySpace and other social-networking  sites, Netscape.com users will be able to submit stories, blogs, video clips, or other information to the site, with the content ranked by the number of votes received from users, the number of comments it generates, and other factors.
The content drawing the most attention gets top billing on the page, Weinstein explained, with the listings continuously updated.
Editorial Oversight
To ensure the accuracy and relevance of what is being posted on the site, a team of eight "anchors" will review all entries, add their two cents to some stories, and pull up items that they consider deserving of priority.
Sites like Digg.com have had problems with posting inaccurate or incomplete information -- most recently with lead stories on the firing of Sun CEO Scott McNealy -- but Netscape's anchors would be able to prevent such mistakes from appearing on the site, Weinstein said.
"The anchors also can dive deeper into the pool of available stories and pull them to the top based on their expertise in a specific area or the timeliness of an item," he added. "They will provide context as well, providing insights that other people don't have."
Web Community
Netscape.com users will be able to contribute blog entries, video clips, and other content to any of the 30 content areas, including music, politics, money, art, food, family, careers, and fitness.
And, much like social-networking sites, Netscape.com will let people set up their own pages and establish a friends list for sharing what is on the site and who is voting for any particular entry.
"You can look over the shoulder of a friend as he or she looks over the content," said Weinstein.
AOL is planning to launch the new portal on July 1. Those interested in taking a peek at what the new design will look like can visit www.beta.netscape.com.
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