Hi folks -- so a bunch of sites broke the news last night that the new Netscape Beta site launched as a kind of Web 2.0 social links/news site:There are several different kinds of social link sites; all are centered around users submitting links; in editor/moderator models (like Fark or Slashdot), editors associated with the site select items that are featured.
In the user-moderated models (like digg.com, more on that in a second), users vote on submissions, and the higher-voted or more popular items percolate up to the top.
What's going on in the Netscape Beta is kind of a blended model, with "anchors" editorially picking user-selected and -voted stories to highlight in a "Recommended" section. (Anchors will also add follow-up content, participate in round-the-clock live chats and more.)
I won't pretend to try to capture all the thoughts about this floating around the Web, other than to pick out a few items.
TechCrunch (a blog that follows Web 2.0 stuff) called it a "Digg-killer," to which I would say "Don't believe the hype."
If you're a regular reader, you'll know that I reference Digg.com a lot -- it's pretty useful when it comes to surfacing links.
And of course, the comparisons of the new Netscape Beta to Digg are inevitable -- it was very obviously inspired (many might say "stolen") from Digg.
Digg users are going pretty ape[stuff] over this in the Digg comment thread [content warning] -- I think they may be taking the "Digg-killer" thing way too literally.
Honestly, it's a big Internet out there, and there's plenty of room for all kinds of social link sites. For example, Digg is very tech-focused (though not in the same way that Slashdot is), and it also has a reputation, fair or not, of not having the most-useful discussion threads.
Blogger, writer and TV & movie personality Wil Wheaton shows up early in the Digg comment thread; he says "This isn't a zero-sum situation...."
No one's going to force anyone to use the new Netscape, and I wouldn't expect a lot of crossover between the Netscape audience and the Digg audience. Diversity is good; competition spurs innovation, and to complete the cliché trifecta, a rising tide lifts all boats -- in other words, this exposes a lot more people to social link sites.
[Bonus tidbit: Mr. Wheaton also writes for the Weblogs, Inc. blog Card Squad -- that almost makes us cow-orkers.]
Mike Davidson of social news site Newsvine expresses this sentiment a lot better than I in a post on the Newsvine blog -- raising awareness of new developments in social media is a good thing.
For other takes on this around the Web, see Jason Calacanis's blog, the Slashdot thread... oh, heck, here are some search results on "Netscape":Anyway, I've created a profile on the Netscape Beta (their registration is independent of any AOL or other screen names), though I haven't done anything with it yet. I will have to play around.
If you play with the Netscape Beta, feel free to leave a comment here, or over at the Netscape Beta Feedback Form.
Thanks -- Joe
Tags: Netscape, Social Link Sharing, Digg, Wil Wheaton, Slashdot, Newsvine
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
lol guess this might be more exciting if I understood some of it, lol, (deer in the headlight look here)but I'm thinking this doesn't effect my life at all, lol.
~Julie
It's not your fault, as you obviously make it as simple as possible and everything.... but with the exception of "Thanks -- Joe," there wasn't one paragraph where you didn't refer to something that I was like absolutely totally ignorant of.
Taken on a "time spent online" vs "amount of technical computer knowledge learned and retained" basis of merit, I may actually be the stupidest person currently using AOL (or at least the stupidest person visiting Magic Smoke regularly).
Folks -- don't let all the "user/editor moderation model stuff" fool you -- with social link sites, it's pretty simple:
1. All users can submit links to Web sites they like, hot news articles, etc.
2. All users (or in some cases, a select group of moderators) can give submissions they like a vote or "thumbs-up"
3. The submissions that get the most votes get pushed up higher (like to the front page or top spot).
4. Repeat.
Each submitted item also has a comments area -- in most cases, users can also vote on other people's comments (again, with some variation of the "thumbs up/thumbs down")
It's a different way to gather content -- it depends on lots of people submitting stories and voting on them, instead of just a few people at the top.
Go to fark.com, slashdot.org, digg.com, or the www.beta.netscape.com to see this in action (each uses a slightly different angle on this, but it's all about the links)
Thanks -- Joe
Post a Comment