Revamped AOL News Site Hits Performance Bump
609121
AOL's significant upgrade of AOL News launched today, but some new features had to be turned off so that the site could handle a heavy flow of users.
24037
(InfoWorld) - Less than two years after its last major reorganization, AOLÂ  is again redrawing its internal business architecture to better align it with its new strategy toÂ focus on online advertisingÂ and retreat from the Internet access market. In an e-mail message to employees Wednesday, AOL Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Miller said AOL's four business units -- Access, Audience, Digital Services and Europe -- will be replaced by "smaller, nimbler product groups with more authority and greater accountability." AOL must become a global business led fully by its products, he wrote. "We made progress breaking down the matrix, but we did not, in my opinion, go far enough. Now we will go further," reads the e-mail, a copy of which was obtained by IDG News Service. While product leaders will become general managers with wide-ranging authority over product development, the ad sales operation will remain centralized, as will the legal, human resources, finance and public relations operations. Having companywide oversight and services is important, he wrote. "The recent Search data debacle is a prime example of why, even with the best of intentions, without proper oversight, costly mistakes can be made," Miller wrote, referring to the scandal that erupted last month from AOL's release of search engine records. Although the reorganization is in flux, Miller has defined several roles. Randy Boe has been entrusted with a unit dedicated to AOL's protection of consumers, and he will soon appoint AOL's first chief privacy officer. Boe's replacement as general counsel will be announced next week. There is no mention in the e-mail about what role, if any, Tatiana Platt, AOL's senior vice president of integrity assurance and chief trust officer, will play in this unit led by Boe. Boe will report to Ted Leonsis. A high-ranking AOL veteran of 13 years, Leonsis willÂ give up his day-to-day management dutiesÂ as president of the Audience business in January, while retaining his role of vice chairman, AOL announced last week. Joe Redling will be in charge of AOL's international, mobile and customer relations businesses. AOL needs to boost its international business and will announce a new international structure "soon", Miller wrote. Mobile efforts also need strengthening, because it's an area where the company hasn't had enough focus and investment, Miller wrote. Jim Bankoff will continue in charge of AOL's programming and the AIM instant messaging service, while Kevin Conroy will oversee AOL-branded products such as the AOL.com portal, Web mail service and video offerings. Mike Kelly will continue to run the ad sales operation. These four executives will provide further organizational details about their teams in coming weeks. Last month, AOL announced its intention toÂ slash as many as 5,000 jobs worldwide, or just over a quarter of its workforce, anticipating the shrinkage of its access business.
443791
AOL has rolled out software with a new look and feel, and some cool tools for broadband users looking to get the most out of their high-speed connections.
53781
AOL's got some new services they're showing off at CTIA today.
419007
AOL is once again revamping its Netscape.com Web portal, dropping a year-old "social news" component in which visitors submitted and voted on news stories and blog entries to determine how they're ranked on the site.
163670
Nielsen/NetRatings has changed the way it rates Web sites and in the process has upended the rankings of the top online destinations, vaulting AOL and Yahoo over rival Google.
657073
AOL Making Portal and Search Changes  Some big changes are in the making at AOL which will help to expand their content, channels, and advertising revenue past their paid internet service provider members and to the masses. And no, it's not the Netscape homepage! AOL is currently testing a preview of ...
259777
AOL on Wednesday plans to launch a new  version of its software that lets users access their e-mail,  instant messaging, search and media on the same screen.
421049
In a blow to Google Inc., which provides general Web search for America Online members, AOL yesterday said it has chosen Fast Search &amp; Transfer to power a revamping of its local search service.
127251
The social news site begins rolling out a number of significant changes that allow members to further customize their profiles...and the Digg experience.
504857
News and information are reaching consumers in sometimes surprising ways, pushing providers to creatively adapt their output to address online demands, Associated Press President and CEO Tom Curley said Thursday.
123976
AOL on Wednesday plans to launch a new version of its software that lets users access their e-mail, instant messaging, search and media on the same screen.
158441
America Online Inc., seeking to boost traffic to its free Web site as its paid subscriber base declines, said Thursday it is enhancing its search functions.
295288
Clicks and time they are a'changing The yardstick for how the popularity of websites is measured has changed, as analytics firms scramble to reflect how pages are now frequently updated piecemeal and "live" by the host, rather than loaded wholesale by users.â¦
573699
A little over a year after it relaunched Netscape.com to much fanfare as a social news site very similar to Digg, AOL confirmed Thursday it is pulling the plug, reverting back to a more mainstream Netscape portal. AOL will keep the Digg-like site alive, but at another currently undecided location.
579086
After spending the last few years in a whirlwind of activity that, in the end, got it just as far along as if it had been in limbo, a kick in the tail by new Time Warner CEO Bewkes has AOL back in gear, with a mobile premiere for its new ad platform.
573533
Overhauled news portal takes inspiration from clean design of blogs, adds Web 2.0 features.