After tossing out a number of Netscape staffers, AOL could relaunch the site as a user-generated content destination built like the popular tech news website Digg.com.
Sources commenting to Rafat Ali at PaidContent.org claim the rumors of Jason Calacanis’ ascension through the AOL ranks are true. Ali noted that a new version of Netscape.com is in the offing:
The storied Netscape.com will be revived again by AOL, and will relaunch soon as a Digg-like user-driven news/aggregation site with Jason Calacanis at the helm, sources have told paidContent.org.
The new Netscape.com will be headed by Calacanis, who came in through AOL’s acquisition of Weblogs Inc. Not clear what role Weblogs, Inc.’s blogs would play but both divisions would report in Calacanis, according to the sources. He already reports to Jim Bankoff, executive VP of Programming & Products, who would also oversee the Netscape.com changes.
Ali said it isn’t clear whether the new Netscape would be a tech news aggregator or a more general content approach, but thinks the latter is more likely.
AOL has put a lot more emphasis on the Internet since last July, when the company shifted virtually all of its walled-garden of content to the web in an “audience-driven” model.
They have a lot of content and providers as resources for such a site, but there would be a danger of overwhelming the minimalist appeal of a Digg-style site with too many extras beyond solid functionality, though.
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David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business.
