Graduating From Preview
You'll see some changes on the new start page today. It's easy to miss one of the big ones, but it certainly means a lot to the portal team: after two months, we've removed the Preview label.
But what does this mean, other than a tweaked header?
Simply put, we've declared the page "ready for prime time." We feel that the start page is in good shape for you to use everyday, as a replacement for the old start page.
A few key factors went into this decision:
1. The new start page is stable. The two months of the Preview phase surfaced the major hiccups, and we've addressed them. Our expectation is that you can count on the new start page working well consistently, and that should be your expectation too. (If you do see problems, please email us to let us know).
2. We've had a good bit of time to hear from real, live, objective, opinionated users, which has helped us honestly evaluate what we've built. Many, many thanks to all of you who put the start page through its paces during the Preview phase and reported your impressions back to us. You've detailed your likes, dislikes, desires and expectations, and collectively, that feedback has been an extremely thorough report card. Keep it coming.
3. The core features are in place. There's much more coming down the pipe, but we feel that the start page has the functionality it needs to leave the Preview tag behind.
The major functionality addition that pushed us over the line was version 2 of the "News and Updates" feature. In the Preview stage, this area consisted of AP headlines from the myEarthLink news channel. In the new version, you can add local headlines, as on the classic start page, plus headlines from just about any major news source or blog you want. Check out this post to learn all about it.
We're excited to to graduate the start page from Preview, and we hope you're excited about the new tools. We are continuing to tweak the page and add features regularly, but at this point, the new page is ready for you. If you haven't already, we heartily encourage you to switch over.
You can make the switch by clicking the button that says "Click here to make the new myEarthLink your personal start page," just below the Stocks button. This will redirect the URL for your old start page, so that the new start page comes up automatically.
Comments
i love the idea of the new earthlink...and i hope all my friends will look into it for i recommend it for all
Posted by: tara g smith | May 1, 2007 9:14 PM
Personaly, I'm staying with the old page. Until you give us a way to get rid of the things we don't want and give the 2nd page back - I don't want it. The old one is much better.
Posted by: Al Michelis | May 2, 2007 7:43 AM
I like the old one but the new one would be ok too once it does TV.
Is there any time frame idea to when it will do TV listings? I am not switching until it does. That is one of the big things I use my start page for.
Posted by: Kristen | May 9, 2007 1:19 PM
I like the new Earthlink page. I especially like the weather button, reminders, and the favorites column. Will we be able to change the color of the background like we could on the previous page.
Posted by: Jean Hawks | May 11, 2007 1:54 PM
I LOVE IT
Posted by: RONNELL MONTGOMERY | May 14, 2007 7:19 AM
Kristen and Jean, we're expecting to add TV listings and customizable colors in the next few months.
Posted by: Tom Harris | May 15, 2007 2:41 PM
Here we go!!!
Posted by: James Feroz | May 15, 2007 4:08 PM
I will not switch until you give me more options like themes and adding and deleting things.
Posted by: Nat | May 15, 2007 5:17 PM
I was not given the option to deselect from the preview, so now I am stuck with it. I got stuck in preview hell.
I don't like the new page...its way too 'one size fits all...especially for those of us who eschew sports and don't like being pitched to by LL Bean and Capital One.
At least with the old page I could minimize the junk I didn't want to see. Apparently I can't go back to the start page I liked. Alas, one more thing that causes me to dislike Earthlink. Change for change sake is NOT always a good thing. The old page was perfectly fine. Shame on you.
Posted by: Grumpy | June 12, 2007 10:42 PM
I really like it
Posted by: James Doepp | June 13, 2007 6:16 PM
I like the new start page better.
Posted by: David Allen | June 26, 2007 12:12 AM
I can't stand the new start page. It's colors are bland, it only has two working features and even now, I'm not getting any news, I keep being logged out even though it is my homepage. I think I'll be going back to the old start page. The old one has more features that actually work.
Posted by: L. C. | August 13, 2007 11:20 AM
I like the new myearthlink page, except for one major complaint: I have a widescreen display, and there's so much (3" each) "dead space" on either side of the page. I plan on sticking with the "old" myearthlink start page because it just looks and acts a little bit better. Any plans on addressing this mostly cosmetic (but oh so important) issue?
Frank Boyle
Earthlink Member Since the Midspring Days
Posted by: Frank Boyle | September 11, 2007 1:15 AM
The new page loads MUCH slower on my dial-up connection. Since I live in the country, this is my only option, without going to the expense of a satellite connection. I prefer the immediate display of weather for 5 locations on the old page.
Posted by: Robert Dunlap | October 29, 2007 9:29 AM