Filed under: Internet, News, Web services, AOL
AOL launches new blog-like news site
AOL has relaunched AOL News. And it looks like Download Squad's parent company has taken a cue from blogs. The new design lays out news in an blog-like fashion, with excerpts of all the day's main stories laid out chronologically from top to bottom.
Breaking news from wire services shows up in a box on the right column. Popular stories, comments, and a blog tag are on the left column. Each story also has Reddit-like thumbs up and down buttons, letting readers vote on stories. Presumably the top ranked articles wind up in the popular stories box.
AOL's sports page will unveil a new design with a similar look later this week.
This raise an interesting question though. The simple layout of most blogs works because blogs are dedicated to a relatively small number of topics, such as software (Download Squad) or gadgets (Engadget). Does it make sense to present mainstream news on hundreds of diverse topics in this fashion?
After spending the better part of an hour on 