Netscape Community Backlash
I've been tracking the
release of the new Digg-style community news site Netscape.com, because there is a lot of
backlash within the Netscape community about it. A story called Netscape's
Blunder!!! was number 1 on Netscape.com for a while and the latest post on the
homepage is entitled
A Request by the Netscape Community to Bring Back Our Netscape.com. There's another
Netscape story currently on the homepage called Netscape
Reborn: Why? Why? Why?. The backlash has presumably led to this message currently on the right of the homepage, from
the Netscape team:
"Attention Netscape users Your Netscape mail hasn't gone anywhere, you can find it right here! Also, My.Netscape and your Stock Quotes are still online as well."
There appears to be a genuine feeling of betrayal by the (very large) set of users who have had Netscape.com as their homepage for some time. Indeed I've been getting comments on my own posts and even emails from Netscape users, upset about the change to the Digg style.
All of this shows how passionate people can get about their Web homepage - and they're just as much a 'community' as the Digg.com users are. It's just that they like the old-school Web homepage, not the new Digg style. Also what this tells me is that while a lot of us geeks and 2.0 types are addicted to our own technology (and our own voices, to be honest), it's pretty darn obvious that A LOT of people want to stick with the status quo. Plus I've noticed a number of comments on the above Netscape.com stories which equate Netscape (still!) with a browser.
I'm not sure what to think about this, because I really do think Jason Calacanis and his team want to do well by the Netscape community - and change can be hard to take. Even Valleywag seems to support Calacanis! The number of Netscape users seems to be rising, but even so they're encouraging users who like the old style to go to MyNetscape:
"For those of you who are missing the old Netscape format, have you tried My Netscape? You can customize your page any way you see fit."
Unfortunately there are signs that many of the existing Netscape community hate the new Digg style passionately enough that they will jump ship to other more traditional portals like MSN. So is this backlash a sign that Calacanis and his team have misjudged what 'normal' people (i.e. non-geeks) want in a homepage and they could lose their brand value with that set of users? Or is it a necessary 'bitter pill' for the Netscape community to swallow - i.e. this is the New Web, get used to it?
I'm interested in these questions because obviously it can be generalized to the broader base of web 2.0 services across the Web, which have yet to make much impact on the mainstream.
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Keep in mind (a) we're talking about a very large scale business--12M uniques a month/2-3M people a day, and (b) this is a radical concept for many folks (they've never even seen digg).
Posted by: Jason | July 1, 2006 6:23 PM
Also, the old Netscape and current AOL are basically the same (just a different logo up top), so we're sending the folks who like a "top down" or "classic" portal to AOL.
Posted by: Jason | July 1, 2006 6:23 PM
Very interesting comments in here ... and I agree with most of them. I am still using My Yahoo as my start page, haven't found any of the web 2.0 pages that actually works as good as My Yahoo for me: http://my.yahoo.com is the beginning for me.
Posted by: hombrelobo | July 2, 2006 3:26 AM
The cynical side of me feels that this was not at all a strategic move in terms of the Netscape.com product. More like a way to gain an instant (if reluctant) audience for a new idea. It seems to have been executed with little regard for the users of the "uncool" Netscape.
And try telling those users "Hey, it's better now, why should editors tell you what to read?". This assumption that you're going to get a wider, more balanced range of content than the edited online news sites has yet to be proven in my mind.
Posted by: Anson | July 3, 2006 1:02 AM
I've been following Jason & Team's launch, and visiting netscape.com often for the first time in years--I applaud the AOL folks for taking such a risk, and like all risks, it's going to have its successes and failures. I think it's a positive step forward to make netscape.com stand out. And it's not just a reincarnationi of Digg, though the comparison is legit, and the inspiration is acknowledged. I think if they can keep the human touch (their human editors and commentators) and their wider audience (Digg is definitely an early adopter Web 2 crowd only), they may prove more success in the long run if they can hold out.
There is obviously an abundance of old school readers who still have plenty of choices if that's what they want (like the old netscape at my netscape and AOL) plus a hundred other sites. If netscape is going to have any relevance they need to do something new, and that's why they hired Jason.
Maybe there is an opportunity here though to do something even bolder and appease both communities through some evolution that doesn't so much copromise as it does offer something for everyone. That opportunity could be challenging, but they do have a huge audience built-in. An option to view the page in a news style rather than a 'voted to the top' style (no easy task) might be a consideration (basically turning the voting and comments off via a preference and displaying the same content in a more static manner).
However, I do prefer the new netscape, and I like it better than Digg for its breadth and its snazzier look (the new Digg is a nice step forward though as well). I still like Digg though for its tech-focus, but even there that user community is so impassioned from their tech-centric position it frequently reminds me of Slashdot: The Next Generation. I hope they can keep many of their long time devoted readers (many of whom can't seem to differentiate between netscape the browser and netscape.com, and are therefore threatening to move to IE or Firefox:) and get them excited about a new way to see the news and actually participate in the news, and the surrounding discussions.
It will be very interesting to see where their numbers go in the months to come. They have certainly made themselves relevant again, whereas I had completely forgotten about netscape, and now it's demanding attention.
Jason & Team: My vote: Go Team!
Posted by: Paul | July 3, 2006 8:34 AM
Thanks for a good post! Very interesting to see what happen when the large and dominant players try to use style/technology created by new small web 2.0 players. I believe this netscape story is an excellent example of how a large company loses flexibility due to history and existing users. It is not an easy thing to change your service, a lot of existing users will not be happy.
Posted by: Klas K. | July 3, 2006 11:36 AM
I like how Jason joins these conversations instead of shying away from the bad press. Kudos Mr.Calacanis.
It's interesting to see the backlash though. The thing with Digg is that a majority (if not all) of their users joined to become part of a democratic news society. In Netscape's case, they're pushing these features out to their users who aren't used to being actively selecting their news.
As an experiment, I wonder what would happen if there were two separate views. One with the traditional Netscape page, except that the content is selected based on what people are voting up. And the other view with all the bells & whistles of Digg.
If users wanted to participate in selecting their own news, they could.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 3, 2006 12:55 PM
I don't understand at all why it makes any sense for netscape.com to present a Digg-style news service.
Posted by: pwb | July 5, 2006 9:04 AM
Frankly, I don't care how many votes a news item receives. I hate the new Netscape and will almost certainly be making a change.
Posted by: AJ | July 5, 2006 2:39 PM
I do not like the new format of the netscape home page at all. I like the old one much better- I could see what I wanted all on the 1st page.. could we please have it back???
Posted by: Dee Edson | July 9, 2006 2:09 PM
I have been using netscape since v2.7. When netscape was bought by aol i was worried things would change for the worst. it took a while, but the worst has arrived, and i probably will find somewhere else to go. i don't think of myself as a computer geek, but i've been in computers since 1962.
Posted by: Mac | July 9, 2006 2:16 PM
I emailed netscape the first day of the change. I said if this is what it is going to be, I am changing to another homepage. I dislike the new format, too cumbersome. I want to be able to quickly peruse what is in the news, not have to search for it. I was simply trying to find the yellow pages connection that day. What a mess. If I have to format my own homepage, like doing the mynetscape thing, it is a waste of time I need for other projects.
Posted by: moushell | July 9, 2006 2:40 PM
I loathe the new Netscape. I've used Netscape as my browser for 17 years and netscape.com as my homepage for almost that long. I liked the newsy view and choices that the one-page format offered.
I do feel betrayed as a long-time user. I prefer to get my news in the old way, which was much easier. Who cares who votes on news stories? I don't. I want to be able to see what's available and see relevant pics. Now all I see are a boring list of stories and votes. Can you say dumb?
As to the alternative page, I hate that too. There's an obtrusive black frame with unreadable type at the left which obscures all the stories so that I can't read them without scrolling horizontally. When I click to close the frame, there goes the story too and I just get a blank page with an error message.
If I had wanted Digg, I would have gone there. I have nothing good to say about this new format at all. When I find a source that provides a range of news choices, such as the old netscape.com did, I'll switch. I'm still looking.
Posted by: Nancy | July 9, 2006 2:41 PM
This new Netscape SUCKS! I'm going to MSN!
Posted by: Tracy | July 9, 2006 2:49 PM
I agree with #12 comments
I dislike the new format, too cumbersome. I want to be able to quickly peruse what is in the news, not have to search for it. I was simply trying to find the yellow pages connection that day. What a mess. If I have to format my own homepage, like doing the mynetscape thing, it is a waste of time I need for other projects.
Posted by: P. Ulness | July 9, 2006 2:52 PM
This may be an attempt at making a better site, but it achieved quite the opposite affect. The statement, "... geeks and 2.0 types are addicted to our own technology ..." is definitely true in this case.
I would urge Netscape to swallow the pill and go back to the old portal before they've completely alienated the Netscape community. Then, perhaps, incremental changed can be made in the new format.
The bottom line is that Netscape took a relatively easy site to navigate, and turned it to chaos. If they value the customer's, they will rethink the strategy before it's too late.
Posted by: Bryan | July 9, 2006 2:55 PM
I would suggest that everyone that is unhappy with this change, start going to the Compuserve site instead. Perhaps the traffic will send a clear message. The URL is:
http://webcenters.netscape.compuserve.com/menu/default.jsp
Posted by: Bryan | July 9, 2006 3:02 PM
The new layout just sucks... On the brightside you might need to spend less to accomidate for reduced bandwidth. If you're smart you'll have a seperate news page that kept things like they were before. People don't like change & loss, but change by itself is much easier to deal with.
Posted by: someone | July 9, 2006 3:09 PM
I was indeed shocked when you changed to this abomination that you so cheerfully claim as something new. This is my second attempt to tell you that even though you tout your "My Netscape" as a "traditional" alternative to the new Site's page, it is not even close to being it's equal in content or usefulness or sofistication for that matter; it seems to me that you are simply patting us on the head as you tell to quietly go away with our sniveling complaints. Concider the fact that we are the reason for your existence rather than simply children to feed what ever pablum you chose to spoon into our open mouths. IF you must continue with this miasma, then trully give us traditiona users the format that we are seeking as our many letters have shown that we wish to continue useing.
B.A.Peterson
Posted by: B. A. Peterson | July 9, 2006 3:53 PM
I just changed to MSN after many years at Netscape. The new format sucks big time and a lot of us seniors will prove it by moving our dollars away from your advertisers. WHAT were you thinking?
Posted by: M.J. Madison | July 9, 2006 3:56 PM
Another strategic blunder by AOL. Even when you get past the fact that netscape is just a blatent copy of digg (great imagination, aol), this site is a great example of why AOL continues to fail.
1. Technical problems. In addition to being painfully slow, the site suffers from some extremely basic technical issues such as double posting and losing count of the number of votes.
2. Brand problems. Why would they turn netscape, a site that is a portal into a news site? They would have been better off creating a whole new brand.
3. Market research. Did they talk do their current customers? From the numerous posts, it doesn't seem like it.
Of course there are a number of more problems, which are too numerous to number. These problems are reflected in the equally large number of failed AOL ventures such as Webcrawler, GNN, and PrimeHost.
Posted by: nathan | July 9, 2006 4:08 PM
This new netscape sucks big time!!! Can not find anything like I did before. As for the news where the hell is it?? All I have seen is people bitching.
So am I this was a bone head move for netscape.
Hey netscape did you ask monkeys what they liked instead of asking people that actually use netscape?
Posted by: Collette | July 9, 2006 4:22 PM
I'm sorry but I like instant gratification, and this new format is not it. Before I had everything at my finger tips now netscape is actually asking me to work for the information I want......... your kidding right? Please change it back.
Posted by: Lazy | July 9, 2006 5:04 PM
WOW!!! Netscape just lost me, cause it just became nearly impossible to find some of the things I used regularly. I won't completely give it up, but change for the sake of change has always tended to turn me off, especially when it totally screws up something that was good! AOL is so restrictive that I couldn't access sites that had control of access, so I became a regular user of Netscape 4 years ago again after a few years away. The format that was in use up to sometime last week suited me just fine, I liked it!
I liked Netscape because to me it was easy to use and it was easy to find things. Now I can find only the things that I had bookmarked, before whatever was done to screw it up! You have made things difficult that were simple!
`
Posted by: thamesde | July 9, 2006 5:11 PM
Boy!! You really figured out how to let the world operating system dictator and his pre kindergarden
IE be better than you!!!!
Your first mistake was selling out to AOL, and now this!!
Come on guys and gals, are you going to just give up
and be little whipped pups??????????????????????
Posted by: wayne | July 9, 2006 5:41 PM
I am one of those who think the children of the inmates are running the jail. Netscape.com WAS a very well organized front page that allowed readers to sample current events and other newsworthy items and drill down as they wanted to for more or similar information. The new Netscape format is more like "reality TV" -- contrived junk where sponsors and producers alike can pander to the audience and participants can be "voted off the island". How unreal!
In the new Netscape format, news articles can be submitted by the unitiated "journalist" without verification of facts and sources. These articles are "voted on" emotionally, without necessarily any knowledge of the topic. And in some instances, one can see who voted for particular articles or stories (how like a juvenile can you get?). And, as a reward, if you submit repeated articles, that get voted well, you are then a featured source. That's nuts! That's more like gossip than news. Who's minding the Netscape store? Someone at Netscape is asleep at the switch! You can call it a Digg format if you want to. I say dig a hole and bury it. Go back to a professional format.
Posted by: spbruttig | July 9, 2006 6:01 PM
You blew it big time, Netscape. Your new site is garbage, trashy, cumbersome, about as UNuseful as it could get. But as I have no expectation that any of you people even give a shit, I'll now switch my homepage. Goodbye you pack of losers.
Posted by: Bobo | July 9, 2006 6:12 PM
This new netscape is GARBAGE !!!! Not my homepage anymore...Goodbye !!!
Posted by: Ginette | July 9, 2006 6:14 PM
Excellent comments, thanks all! I wonder if someone can explain to me a bit more about the history of the netscape.com community? When did you all first sign up to netscape.com and what kind of community was it, before the digg-style changes?
Richard
ReadWriteWeb.com
Posted by: Richard MacManus | July 9, 2006 6:18 PM
Wow - Netscape goes from one of the classiest pages out there to pure trash. What is WRONG with you people ?
Are you that intent on pissing off everyone you can ?
I've given it a chance, but it's just too burdensome when we the users have to work to try to get at the stuff we need. Too many other sites out there have kept their focus to give the users what they want in a useful format - not at all the garbage you've put together on your garbage site.
Posted by: Martin X | July 9, 2006 6:18 PM
I HATE the new Netscape. It takes longer to load. I don't give a hoot about who posted the story or who pinned it or how many people have voted for it. I can't find what I want to see and am bombarded by stupid stories instead of real news. It's a total waste of time and a real lowering of standards. This is NOT progress -- it's like a bad reality TV show, with gossip and tabloid-type stories masquerading as news. As soon as I find someplace else that works better for me, I'll be saying goodbye and good riddance!
Posted by: Claudette | July 9, 2006 6:18 PM
Once again, aol gets their hands on something and turns it to crap. Time to move
Posted by: rck | July 9, 2006 6:19 PM
I HATE IT.GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL.
Posted by: JUDITH SPECHT | July 9, 2006 6:21 PM
Can the Digg format be inserted into the area where Headlines normally appear in the upper left corner? Continuous incremental improvement is generally more palatable than pradigm shifts (with some exceptions of course).
Posted by: orbit | July 9, 2006 6:24 PM
I decided to use Firefox until all the falderal subsided, but they have the same deal there - same web page. AOL is infecting everything we do. Their software is necessary to run so many things, they've got their fingers in every pie- - - -seems like. Why can't i have my old Netscape back? I will try "My Netscape". (i can't stand this nonsense) (but i will deal with it) (no one owes me a dadblamed thing).
Posted by: Wales | July 9, 2006 7:01 PM
If I put what I really think about the 'new' Netscape, they would just delete my post! So I'll be nice!
I think they really messed up! This new format is confusing to a not so computer saavy person such as myself. I've been using Netscape for several years and I'm used to the old format.
I started losing my faith in Netscape when I clicked on a link for a Netscape video, only to be told that I must be using Internet explorer to view it. What's up with that? You mean that I need to close my browser,open another browser and log onto... I think not!
I'll probably hang out for a short time to see if they reconsider and return to the old format. And if I end up going, I'll never return either!
Posted by: ledhed | July 9, 2006 7:21 PM
This new format is too confusing for someone who is not very computer literate. I hate this new format. BRING BACK THE OLD FORMAT so I can find the important national stories that were on the very first page.Dar
Posted by: DARLENE | July 9, 2006 7:49 PM
I also have been a long time netscaper.NOT ANYMORE.
This is beyond belief.what happend to fast simple clean
and easy.Why would anyone want to click your heels three times to get to a story?Its not news if you have to vote on it.And just so you know what bussiness
tells their customers to go some where else?My netscape
is a joke.
Posted by: worker | July 9, 2006 7:50 PM
I don't like the new format so I set up My Netscape page and the the sports teams that I set up on my scoreboard never show up, and when I tried to report the bug that didn't work either. I would expect better from your website.
Posted by: Wendell | July 9, 2006 8:02 PM
I have used Netscape in its various versions until this one. Now I am heading for Internet Explorer. Let me know if you recover your senses.
Posted by: aturrentine | July 9, 2006 8:07 PM
Longtime Netscape user that hates this new format!
Not my type of homepage! Guess I'll have to find another homepage!
Posted by: Jeff | July 9, 2006 8:09 PM
This setup is the worst. I cannot quickly find the news that was once easily accessable. I do not care about who voted for an article. This site is no longer easy on the eyes for a busy person like myself.
Posted by: MIller | July 9, 2006 8:14 PM
Yes 100% agree with those folks who dislike the new Netscape. In addition to other problems noted, for some reason when I haved tried to visit website links to headlines noted on the site my dial up service to the internet gets disconnected. It's been a royal pain ever since the switch. Unfortunately, the situation with Netscape is an example of an all to common problem where an out of touch corporate or government entity thinks they know whats best for others and in the process just screws everything up. Will be moving my email account to yahoo and switching to their homepage as soon as I can.
Posted by: Ward Clem | July 9, 2006 8:24 PM
Have used Netscape for years instead of Internet Explorer because it loaded and ran faster and had FEWER bells and whistles. No longer. I HATE the new format and am looking at switching to IE or maybe Firefox. Why did you have to mess it up so bad?
Posted by: Steve | July 9, 2006 8:38 PM
The new netscape.com SUCKS! Bring back the old site. Whoever is in charge did not do their due diligence!
Posted by: skip logan | July 9, 2006 8:56 PM
I don't get it. The response to this abysmal change has overwhelmingly been negative and most users are begging to see it change back to the old format, yet we continue to have this crammed up our arses. I've only ever seen one 'positive' comment made, but I am sure that was a new user who didn't know the old Netscape. I did find it humorous that no matter how many comments were made the to "Netscape Blunder" story, it came down. Weren't comments and votes supposed to represent the TOP stories? Yeah, that was a blunder alright.
I don't like this new format, in fact, I hate it. I don't want "fluff" stories, I want news, verifiable facts, real, timely news about interesting events. The world is at war, the hurricane season is upon us, gas and energy prices are up around the world, and we get stories about Pam Anderson taking a nude photo. Well, ain't that something? If I wanted to see pictures of nude women, I wouldn't have to look any farther than my spam blocked email.
But if Netscape wants to continue with this garbage, I say we let them. I've moved already and only flip over here to add my continous insults to the comments of the rest of my old community. If they want to ruin a good thing, that's fine. I don't own any of their stock in the first place.
Posted by: Kilroy | July 9, 2006 9:11 PM
AOL and this new netscape belong in the same garbage can.
Posted by: Bob | July 9, 2006 9:16 PM
Yes, it is funny to see that some people (like the poster who left comment #44) still get the home page mixed up with the browser. Part of Netscape's problem here is something they have no control over: the fact that there are a lot of stupid people who have no idea what they are talking about. Pardon me for being blunt, but switching to IE or Firefox has no relevance whatsoever to the issue Netscape changing the look of their home page. You could still have netscape.com set as your homepage with either of those broswers.
I am also surprised to see that there are so many people who are opinionated about the matter. Until this ruckus started I thought I was the only person who knew Netscape still existed.
While I don't think Netscape needs to pander to people who don't know the difference between the home page and the Netscape browser I still think the new design is a little bit too much of a free-for-all. Isn't it just flat out cheap when one of the top news stories is "Random Pictures of Beautiful Women"?
Posted by: Christian | July 9, 2006 9:17 PM
I am with Lazy; if I wanted to set it up myself, I would just use bookmarks. I want it in front of me, concise, familiar and easy to use. THE OLD NETSCAPE!. I always have been a netscape user and fan. Do I have to move on??
I am now off to CNN to get some news. Gee, thanks
Posted by: Regas | July 9, 2006 9:17 PM
I've converted many to netscape.We are all disappointed!!..........and now say goodbye.HELLO FIREFOX!
Posted by: racer | July 9, 2006 9:19 PM
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