Netscape Then and Now

Netscape was one of the first Internet portals, and as a result, from 1994 to 2006, it built up a large following of people who weren't interested in moving their e-mail or setting up a new profile on more modern portal websites such as Yahoo! or Google. As a result, during the extensive overhaul of the aging website during the summer of 2006, many long-time users lost their e-mails, their profiles, and their familiar site. The first comments regarding the change of Netscape into a Digg.com-type format were not pleasant.

Throughout the late summer and fall of 2006, mere weeks after the introduction of the new format, the political infighting grew into a spectacle to behold. If you were to dig up some of the more politically charged articles from that time period, you would be treated to abhorrent comments coming from both the Left and the Right. No one was talking, they were all screaming. If you are a political junkie, this was the equivalent of Anna Nicole's life - a train wreck from beginning to end. Sadly, you couldn't help but watch.

However, since the 2006 November mid-term elections, Netscape has undergone yet another incarnation. These days, there are fewer political articles and the comments have toned down considerably. Netscape has gone out of its way to help ensure that there is at least a pretense of being far and balanced with regards to political stories presented. Lately, however, politics has reverted to being just one segment of the Netscape website, as it should be.

While Netscape will never be the respected news source it once was (it used to pull articles from CNN.com and BBC News), it has found a new niche. Now that it ceases to be as politically charged as Digg.com, Netscape has become a hodgepodge of interesting articles from all over the Internet. While it might be true that Netscape continues to rely too heavily on blog entries of virtual unknowns, it is now possible to find intriguing articles on Netscape that aren't politically charged or slanted one way or another. There are articles that you would be hard pressed to find on your own and that raise some very good questions.

Netscape may have been a guilty pleasure for political junkies in the run up to the 2007 elections, but at least for now, there is a break in the political coverage. As Netscape continues to develop in its new format, it will be interesting to see just how it treats the 2008 Presidential election. For its own sake, and the sake of its investors, Netscape should work hard to cultivate a friendly political climate in which all points of view are respected. If not, Netscape is in danger of alienating a large percentage of their users.

Several users predicted the end of Netscape when it transitioned to the new Digg.com format, but there is no doubt that after 14 years, Netscape did need an overall. Netscape has experienced many bumps in the road on its way to adapting to Web 2.0, but it is slowly working out its issues. That, in and of itself, provides hope that we as a country can bridge our own political differences and bring the country together.