Introducing NEW Beta Features
to Make AOL.com Your Own!
Posted Jun 18th 2007 10:43AM by Lisa Edwards
We are excited to introduce a new set of features that we released to Beta earlier this morning. Today's release addresses the majority of feedback that we received from you, our users, since our first Beta launch back in April, mainly the demand for greater customization of the homepage. The new set of features, now available for you to try, includes:
- Color Options. We know, based on your feedback, that the default homepage color does not appeal to everyone. And now you've got options! We designed new five color options, in addition to the default, for you to choose from including the familiar "AOL Blue". To change the color of your homepage, go to the color picker in the top right corner of the page and click on the color "chicklet" of choice. You're done!
- Wide / Narrow Page Layout. Think the wide body(default) layout is too cluttered? We created a narrow (two column) layout to provide an alternative homepage option for your viewing pleasure. To change your homepage layout, just click on the page icon at the top right corner (next to the color picker).
- Preview Panel Customization. Bored with the current set of Preview Panel options (Weather, Radio or Horoscopes)? Now you can choose the set of Preview Panels that you want displayed on your homepage. Just click on the arrow in the upper right corner of the Weather, Radio or Horoscopes buttons and make your selection from the dropdown menu of options. The new set of Preview Panel options include Games, Sports and AIM. And there are more to come in the near future.
- Navigation Enhancements. The AIM button is back by popular demand to provide one click access to AIM Express. We also grouped navigation to core products like Mail, myAOL and AIM with the Directory listings in the left column. Now you have one click access to the most popular and most used AOL features in one convenient location.
- Snaggable Top Stories Content ('SNAG'). The 'Snag' feature let's you add AOL Top Stories content to a personalized homepage or Feed Reader. Just click on the 'SNAG' button located in the top right corner of the rotating Top Stories module to display the following options:
- 'Add this Module to:...' Let's you add the AOL Top Stories module to a personalized homepage. Just click on the appropriate button and the Top Stories module will be added to our personalized homepage of choice (myAOL, iGoogle, Netvibes, Pageflakes) so you can stay in tune with what's happening even when you're not on the AOL Homepage.
- 'Subscribe to Feed:' Let's you subscribe to an RSS or XHTML Feed of the Top Stories module. Just copy and paste the appropriate URL into your Feed Reader of choice .
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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.
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Reader Comments (Page 5 of 6)
81. I have had this new format on my home computer for some time and could not stand it. I started bringing my lap top from work to use it at home due to the fact that it had not changed now this morning it happened and to be honest I do not like it. This reminds me of New Coke what a bust. Its not broke don't fix it. Somebody needs to lose their job. Go back to the old format. I hate!!!!! the e-mail page that stupid close bar has got to go.
Posted at 10:14AM on Jul 31st 2007 by Denny
82. Where did you put the Calender?
Posted at 10:14AM on Jul 31st 2007 by kjlong
83. What happened to originality and innovation? You guys just totally ripped off Yahoo! in almost every facet of your design. It's ridiculous, how hard is it to come up with something new? You should be ashamed of yourself. : (
Posted at 10:14AM on Jul 31st 2007 by doohikee
84. When I log in to email, eventually the following error message pops up: "We're sorry, the content you've requested is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later." Sometimes the error is delayed and pops up after I've already signed out. What it that?
Thanks
Posted at 12:31PM on Jul 31st 2007 by cllr8586
85. The new "live" AOL.com in use today 7/31/07 is NOT an improvement on the "live" version in use yesterday. Mail Preview worked yesterday, today it is a Coming Attraction! The single preview pane which had 4 tabs for News, Finance, Entertainment and Video is now strung out down the page requiring me to scroll an entire screen to see them as opposed to a simple click on the desired tab.
Posted at 2:30PM on Jul 31st 2007 by Ewoodward
86. Is It Just me or does it look exactly like yahoo.
Posted at 4:20PM on Jul 31st 2007 by Tommy
87. Your new Beta AOL is horrible. It takes forever to get an article to load. I have tried several different areas and refresh,etc. This is totally unacceptable and if you are going to change something that works for something that doesn't you will lose a lot more customers and I will be one of them. I have been with AOL a long time, but you have gotten really bad, and I think you better do some major repairs if you want to your customers happy.
Posted at 4:41PM on Jul 31st 2007 by joan
88. I hate the new aol - All of it - If I wanted to use Internet Explorer I would have.
You were unique and easy to use - now you are just like all the rest and just a jumble of popups and ads
Posted at 5:05PM on Jul 31st 2007 by DCrow12
89. Your new Beta AOL is horrible. It takes forever to get an article to load. I have tried several different areas and refresh,etc. This is totally unacceptable and if you are going to change something that works for something that doesn't you will lose a lot more customers and I will be one of them. I have been with AOL a long time, but you have gotten really bad, and I think you better do some major repairs if you want to your customers happy.
Posted at 6:31PM on Jul 31st 2007 by joan
90. Change it back! You screwed up a good thing! Different is NOT better!
Posted at 7:57PM on Jul 31st 2007 by kruceskouple
91. I have had AOL for 10 years. I HATE this new format. The screen is WAY too busy with too much junk put on it. Now I am going to find a friendlier homepage ... it is just going to take a while to send out email address changes after 10 years with the same address. I am outta here.
Posted at 8:13PM on Jul 31st 2007 by mcpuck86
92. I don't like this new format. But then, I've had problems with the old, too. I use FireFox on a Mac (10.4.10), and the QuickTIme never shows up right.
But more to the point, what HAVE you done with the Message Boards? They're a favorite feature, and they've been getting harder and harder to find and now, they seem to have disappeared altogether.
Bah!
Posted at 8:49PM on Jul 31st 2007 by PatJBell
93. WAY TOO SLOW. DOES NOT LOAD ANYTHING IMMEDIATELY. I WILL GIVE IT ONE WEEK AND THEN ADIOS AOL.
Posted at 8:59PM on Jul 31st 2007 by joan
94. MUCH TOO SLOW. DOES NOT LOAD FAST ENOUGH. I WILL GIVE IT ONE MORE WEEK AND THEN SAY GOODBYE TO AOL IF IT IS NOT CORRECTED AND SPEEDED UP.
Posted at 9:00PM on Jul 31st 2007 by joan
95. For some reason, this website reminds me of old verison of yahoo! website.
Posted at 12:54AM on Aug 1st 2007 by sweethips1
96. that look so great. i love the new look it looks great.
Posted at 10:03AM on Aug 1st 2007 by AARON STACEY
97. Looks good, but is very slow (and I have a high speed acble connection) and doesn't matter if I click icons or headings. Sometimes I can get in by clicking one or the other, but it is a crap shoot. Often neither works.
Posted at 1:42PM on Aug 1st 2007 by M
98. I know you were trying to improve but you did not follow that old simple saying: "If it's not broken, why should you fix it?" and that it's exactly what happened. It is hard to navigate, you can't go back to the page before, and you have to go trough everything at least twice in order to get where you need to go. I belong to the few "paying customers" you still have and I believe I would have to move. I do not like your new system at all!
Posted at 2:37PM on Aug 1st 2007 by Aladames
99. With every so-called improvement, AOL gets ever worse. I tried customizing things, without success. Half the links do not work. My computer has frozen three times in the last three attempts to get to my e-mail. The new pages are so filled with garbage that nothing is available or emphasized. Please change back. My last comment is that I am glad that I stopped paying for this service, as now it is really not worth it.
Posted at 5:25PM on Aug 1st 2007 by bob baska
100. One of the things I use most is the toolbar where I can click on the icon of my most often used sites. I don't see this on the new version and won't switch unless it is there. I don't need the AOL page tabs.
Posted at 9:36PM on Aug 1st 2007 by metamerist