Users to Netscape: We Want Our Site Back!

July 18, 2006 By

Fans of the old Netscape blast Jason Calacanis, an executive at the company, for changing Netscape into a user submitted news site.

Fans of the old Netscape blast Jason Calacanis, an executive at the company, for changing Netscape into a user submitted news site.

The once proud Netscape brand has been losing traffic numbers over the past year and something had to be done to get the portal back on its feet. But to everyone’s surprise, the executives at AOL decided to turn the news site into a viral community in which users submit their own news links and vote on the importance of each others submissions. The popular site Digg.com has grown into a net phenomenon using a model like this, so it only makes sense for Netscape to adopt the idea right? Wrong.

In a recent blog post, Netscape GM Jason Calacanis explains that the new Netscape is already growing in popularity and showing an increase in traffic of 17% between June 24th and July 15th – a fantastic jump to say the least. Jason also goes on to explain how only a small number of Netscape users are upset about the change (remember Netscape was losing traffic over the past couple years) while most people are welcoming the new Netscape.

In what can only be called a backlash from the Netscape community, Jason’s blog was barraged with user comments all reflecting their anger at the new change – probably not what the folks at Netscape want to hear. Nonetheless, the simple fact remains: Traffic to the site is up, and that’s what is important. Only time will tell whether the change will help the company in the long-run as their audience is sure to change.

Showing 8 comments

Schachin at 1:38am 24th July 2006 If I could speak to the executive at AOL I might say something like.. The comments on the site were posted in three listings that seemed to disappear.. But out of those comments left 99% were negative (and the positive 1% seemed to be posted by AOL employees - I used to work there so can see that happening), so I do not believe that this idea that only a small percentage of people were upset is anything more than spin posted in discussions groups and given out in press releases.. It is a dismal excuse for a site. Stop trying to blow sunshine up our skirts as the oldtimers would say .. you blew it .. admit it and move on.. stop trying to convince everyone that you are right Mr Calacanis ..
Elroy Jetson at 4:55pm 23rd July 2006 I think a small, but vocal, minority is complaining about what they get for free. The new Netscape is fantastic software. They took the idea of social networking, some of what worked at places like digg and rojo, and molded it into a very highly integrated user experience.

Kudos to the Netscape software team!
Ian Bell and Dan Gaul at 3:43pm 22nd July 2006 Here is my take on the whole Netscape site: http://news.digitaltrends.com/talkback126.html

It's a shame what happened.
Fernando Cassia at 2:15pm 22nd July 2006 Google calendar is proof Netscape was right
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=31363

Netscape webmail to be killed by AIM
Calacanis experiment annoys faithful Netscapers
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=33...

AOL's Calacanis offers "truce" to outraged Netscape.com fans
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=33156

But perhaps the most risible fact about Calacanis' lack of understanding of the Netscape.com brand and what it stood for comes from his own blog:

"Did you know that you could take the Firefox code and make your own Browser?! I think I want to make the "Jason Browser," anyone out there know how to do this? I'm serious, I want to put a wrapper around Firefox with a bunch of Jason-specific services. Hit me on email (jason at calacanis dot com)."
Source: http://www.calacanis.com/2006/03/06/firefox-mozill...

Gee, it seems the new head of Netscape.com isn't aware that the Netscape 8.x browser is just that! a wrapper around Firefox with a bunch of "Netscape speficic services".

I dont' remember a better example of the "Peter Principle" than Mr. Calacanis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

Just my $0.02
FC
Fernando Cassia at 2:06pm 22nd July 2006 With al respect Mr. Calacanis: Netscape was not losing hits because peopel "didn't like" the old site, but because AOL:

1. neglected the old portal:

a. around mid-2002 they promised a new version of Netscape Calendar, which never arrived
b. continued restricting Netscape branded free services more and more. ie Netscape Radio with artificial listening limits in favour of "AOL Radio". Netscape webmail restricted to 250mb vs. 2GB for AIM Mail, despite both webmail services ultimately sharing the same new DHTML interface.

2. Neglected the Netscape 7.x / 8.x browser users, who repeatedly asked for a "bundled" Browser + Mail application like the old 7.2, but based on Mozilla's latest code -which by now would be the SeaMonkey project. AOL could have easily rebranded SeaMonkey 1.0.2, and created a "Netscape Suite" product featuring an integrated e-mail client, but it didn't.

3. AOL sabotaged the Netscape brand name repeatedly -I think because it conflicted with its own plans for the AOL brand.

Examples:

Oct 2005:
HP to preload Netscape browser
http://news.com.com/HP%20to%20ship%20Netscape%20br...

This was a good move, but the effort was not repeated with other manufacturers.

And finally the HP-branded portal that ran in Netscape.com was moved to AOL.com

http://about.aol.com/faq/hp

In short:
Jason, I appreciate your guts of trying to get as much positive press coverage for your latest pet project as possible -in fact the writer of this story went to great lengths to repeat the "remember netscape.com site was losign hits" mantra - trying to portray the move as almost inevitable, while in reality it's more likely that the majority of visitors actually came from the Netscape browser's default "home page" setting.

But it doesn't obscure the fact: you did not consider the thoughts and needs of the current Netscape.com user base, and decided to destroy a great brand name and turn it into something else.

It should have been pretty simple to keep the old "traditional" portal running, and launch your new venture as "Netscape News".

FC
Tim Stevens at 2:58pm 19th July 2006 I'm interested in where the new netscape portal will grow to. What things will they change as the kinks get worked out?

Before, I never though of going to www.netscape.com, but I've gone a few times after they launched the new portal just to see what it was like.

I dont like it more then digg, but who knows what could happen in a years time.
Daniel Miller at 9:40am 19th July 2006 I was never a fan of the old Netscape, and to be honest the new one doesn't do much for me either. I visit Digg once in a while, but a lot of the articles they too are from blogs which in turn link back to the source. So I just use Google News for credible sources.

I could care less if Netscape makes it or not, right now their current site just seems like a quick way to get traffic up, its too viral and not very reputable IMO.
jason at 8:16pm 18th July 2006 important to keep things in perspective here... we are talking about a very small percentage of people who are upset with the change, and the fact is that while I respect their loyalty to the old Netscape 1/3rd of the audience which left over the past year did not like the old netscape.

you can't be all things to all people, and change is hard. however, we're in the growth business and there are plenty of options for an old school style portal for these users (AOL, MSN, etc). We're building something new and it's not for everyone... we know that.