Welcoming the New Netscape: Propeller!
It has been a while since the last time I have been to Netscape. One can then, imagine the surprise I had, when I have found out that the long promised move to its new name has already taken place.
Being a loyal patron of Netscape (Navigator is now my default browser and my AIM is open 18 hours a day) I cannot wait to explore the new site. My first visit to Propeller did not show any new thing from my last Netscape visits. “I guess they just moved the whole site to the new domain name” I said to myself. When some of my friends (loyal Diggers) went on attack mode on the site, I know I had to give them something cool. I did some search and found a lot of stories on Propeller. I saw feature requests, how to’s on using the site and some promise of change in the future but felt these are not enough.
That is why on my third visit to the new site, I began digging hard to find chunks of information to show my friends. The following are some of the information I have discovered. I am pretty sure many of you know them already. Still there may still be surprises ahead, so read on.
Propeller is about people! Here is an evidence that the site is totally all about its users. Visiting the about us page of the site does not give a brochure like presentation of what the site is on, but rather a list of those who see to it that users have an enjoyable experience. Here is what the anchors have to say about its users:
“Of course, last but not least, we have our Propeller members. As a member of Propeller, you have the power to make your voice heard and to help create a diverse and effective social news experience. Despite our best efforts, we cannot keep the site as interesting and filled with life on our own as we can when you are actively participating in the Propeller experience.”
Propeller has its own browser. Cool huh! Though the link to this is still not working when I tried it, I think it is a cool idea to have a social news site incorporated in a browser. I have the latest Navigator and I am enjoying the experience of using it, a lot.
Just to make the whole news experience enjoyable, Propeller Anchors do follow up journalism on many of the stories liked by its users. They even make original videos on topics they feel that the voters will enjoy. For some articles, Anchors provide commentaries and may even recommend them personally to other users. What Iike about the guys behind Netscape is the fact that if I have something I want to say to them they are just a click away. This makes them more human and more approachable to their users. Surely, there is no bury brigade here.
Human Scouts and Anchors help clear the site from spam as well as make sure that the miccleman rule is not broken. No popularity contests for sites here.
Videos submitted on Propeller remains indefinitely. This makes it a perfect time capsule for all. Want your kids to see Britney Spears’ 2007 MTV performance?, keep the evidence here.
Propeller is like a baby on its way of learning how to walk. Navigating the site on Navigator still brings out a lot of error pages. Still, with it’s dedicated users, supportive developers and innovative ideas, it will surely live to what its name defines. Soon, it will propell high above the stereotypes and prove once and for all it never was a clone.
