AOL launches new blog-like news site

Filed under: Internet, News, Web services, AOL

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?

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