Welcome to the New AOL Homepage Blog!
Posted Jun 10th 2007 10:25PM by Lisa Edwards
We've made some big changes to the AOL.com homepage recently that represent the start of an evolution of the home page design. In the coming weeks, we will be introducing new features and making changes to address the feedback that we've received from you, our users, since we rolled out the beta test of our new home page back in April.
We are also happy to introduce AOL Homepage Blog as a forum to help us keep you updated on what's new and what's coming soon, and to let you tell us what you think. More importantly, unlike a survey or a "feedback form," this blog helps us establish an ongoing conversation with you. You provide us feedback and we look to respond. Having this dialogue with you is a critical element to help us build the best possible products, and we recognize that not having had one until now was a missed opportunity that we are excited to address.
So the obvious question, why are we changing AOL.com now?
The new AOL.com represents the first major change to the home page design since 2005, when we first began transitioning of all of our products from the traditional AOL "walled garden" to the open Web (Basically, when we stopped charging for subscriptions and made our content free to everyone). Admittedly, the current AOL.com design has some flaws. It represents some outdated design standards, features and thinking. We've learned a lot over the last two years and we're putting that knowledge to use to make our product better.
One of the most important things we've learned over the years is that you have choices. You make the choice to visit AOL.com and we need to work hard to keep you here. And we've spent the last year working to design a new version of AOL.com that's faster, easier to use, more relevant and more customizable to make your online experience better. We hope you think the new AOL.com hits the mark. But if you don't, that's OK too. Please let us know by using this blog. Let us know what you like, what you don't like and what you think we're missing. While we may not be able to respond to every request, we will be reading all of your feedback. And hopefully, we will shed some light on our thought process, and why we do the things we do. All we ask is that you keep your comments constructive and focused on the homepage.
So we're just getting started! We hope that you will check in with us often. We'll be here ...
Cheers,
Lisa
AOL.com Product Lead
P.S. I keep using the word "we" because running AOL.com isn't a one-person operation. There's a small team of talented and passionate people who support the home page. And I'll be introducing you to the team (my friends and colleagues) that works behind the scenes in the coming weeks.
Add your comments
Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.
When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags.
Most Commented Posts
Most Recent Comments
Blogroll
About The Team
My Name is Lisa and I'm the Product Lead for AOL.COM. In short, I lead the team that designs, builds the new versions of AOL.com and make sure that current experience run smoothly. My mission (the team's mission) is to build the best home page for you and everyone that visits AOL.com. This is definitely NOT a one person operation. It takes a village! And I'll be introducing you to the team behind the scenes in the coming weeks.
Subscribe
Subscribe to AOL Homepage News & Updates
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 38)
61. I love the new design.
Posted at 7:57PM on Jun 27th 2007 by DeViLsAdVoAcTe68
62. Leave it alone! Your last email update forced me to add firefox to my mac. I was not happy . I have both yahoo and aol I kept aol because I liked your format. I don't need the change.
Posted at 12:10AM on Jun 28th 2007 by grmka
63. love the new aol home page desighn
Posted at 1:53AM on Jun 28th 2007 by max mccune
64. Why can't you leave well enough alone. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
Posted at 6:53AM on Jun 28th 2007 by scotarl1
65. Wow, I thought I had opened the YAHOO! homepage. Could you make AOL look anymore like YAHOO?
Posted at 7:12AM on Jun 28th 2007 by GM
66. Plaudits to Lisa and the team for a much overdue face lift. Keep up the great work.
Posted at 7:55AM on Jun 28th 2007 by mschnei244
67. AOL is the worst. I am sorry that I have an AOL email address. This is the worst upgrade in the history of modern computers.
Posted at 8:19AM on Jun 28th 2007 by tom
68.
This is too busy for a web page and I know AOL can do better than thisl.
Posted at 8:26AM on Jun 28th 2007 by Jill
69. My sent file has some of the deleted emails and it does not have have some of the current emails I have sent. I feel the sent file and deleted file have become merged. I have had aol for years and this has never happened before.
Posted at 11:38AM on Jun 28th 2007 by zapo200
70. My sent and deleted emails have been merged in the sent file.....not all but some of the deleted emails are now in the sent file.
This never happen in all the years I have used aol.
Posted at 11:42AM on Jun 28th 2007 by zapo200
71. The new site is even more annoying that the last. The news pages fly by too fast to read forcing one to constantly try to set the hold button - which doesn't always work!!! When I want to go to my mail, I am still forced to click too many times to get to it. Why do you have to overlay my mail with the front page news when I was at that page to start with? Annoying, Annoying, Cumbersome, and did I say Annoying? Well it is.
Posted at 11:45AM on Jun 28th 2007 by Tom
72. As usual, AOL has managed to screw up the current system again. I can't open up any of my emails without the system freezing up. Its been two days now and I have not been able to open up one email! Great job! I'm looking forward to seeing what else you can charge me for so you can mess up things. Ever heard of testing the system before rolling out to the public? Big disappointment!
Posted at 12:38PM on Jun 28th 2007 by shamsinator
73. Although I like the mail setup as far as appearances go and functions, It seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur when it comes to loading.
Posted at 1:03PM on Jun 28th 2007 by LarrysStuff
74. Although I like the mail setup as far as appearances go and functions, It seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur when it comes to loading.
Posted at 1:05PM on Jun 28th 2007 by LarrysStuff
75. The new mail system is not working very well. It takes forever to load and then my mail will not open. Go back to old sysytem
Posted at 2:29PM on Jun 28th 2007 by mikexx00
76. Stop with the changes already - just when I am able to find everything you chaneg it all around.
Posted at 3:21PM on Jun 28th 2007 by lyn
77. I was sad when I gave up AOL for high speed Yahoo,I miss my old AOL,thank you for changing the home page I now feel more at home with AOL
Posted at 4:38PM on Jun 28th 2007 by shadowalkerone
78. I like the new home page. Can't wait!
Posted at 10:21PM on Jun 28th 2007 by Mechelle
79. I want to create a home page, without items that I am not interested in, can you help?
Posted at 2:12AM on Jun 29th 2007 by Joseph
80. The site looks like a total copy of Yahoo. Very unoriginal.
Posted at 4:17AM on Jun 29th 2007 by theurbanfire