Another AOL rip-off

They call Ron Grant, recently returned to run the operations of AOL, the "human computer". Which bodes poorly for creativity at the Time Warner internet unit, where it is desperately needed. The new beta of its front door looks almost exactly like that of Yahoo, one of its biggest competitors. There's still time to add a few original flourishes. But, in India, the Time Warner internet unit's search page — no beta, this — is not merely "enhanced" by Google, as a note on the logo boasts. Everything about the page is Google, from the search engine, through to the smallest detail of design.

7:00 AM on Thu May 3 2007
By Nick Denton
4,595 views
5 comments

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Sean Ness at 07:28 AM on 05/03/07
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Google owns 5% of AOL, so is this a big deal?

http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/twaol_expanded.html

stupindus at 08:04 AM on 05/03/07
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I don't see this as a rip off so much this time, but as further evidence that AOL's "human computer," and associated "system," excels at the science of poor algorithmic selection:

aol> echo "creativity" > /dev/null
Whocares at 10:32 AM on 05/03/07
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AOL == Cockroach
WillCode4Coffee at 03:49 PM on 05/03/07
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After sitting through today's "AOL Management Update" and discussing it with the folks in my pod farm I am left with the following thoughts -

- Randy will be as relevant to AOL's future as he has been in the last 6 months. I am sure Mary is really looking forward to that new child care facility.

- Randy & Ron think every AOL product or initiative is shit and that they are in the process of "turning it around".

- Ron insults everything and everyone. I doubt he even knows he is doing it (Want proof? I will splice together a "best of" from the video of today's meeting).

- "Baseline" or "level set" is Randy's way of saying copy Yahoo! or copy Google. Ron just says "copy Yahoo!" or "copy Google".

- AOL does have some talent in the senior ranks. The rest, past and present, are megalomaniacs as discussed in previous VW posts.

- Nisha seemed competent and sincere.

- Kevin now knows that lying to an audience makes your mouth dry. I am surprised that Ron didn't warn you.

- Wilson is a freak, but if you put all the AOL execs in thunderdome he alone would emerge victorious.

- I must be as stupid as Ron thinks all AOL employees are if I continue to stick around.

And lastly,

- Ron reads VW, Hi!
soxiam at 07:47 PM on 05/03/07
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There's no difference in implementation I notice between this execution and millions of other AdSense for Search design I see. And I wouldn't be surprised if Google actually direct their enterprise customers to model the look & feel of their SERPs after Google's own - something that's proven to be highly tuned for monetization. I hear AOL's search deal with Google has proven to be very successful and they're making healthy contribution to their bottom line so it must be working as intended.