In some ways it reminds me of a left wing version of Free Republic, but with more celebrities, more humor and somewhat better overall production values. That said, the overall design of the site isn't that exciting. It's very straightforward and newsletter-like. The simplicity of this format makes it relatively accessible, but it's not exactly a feast for the eyes. I will say this, though - it has one extraordinarily neat feature that I haven't seen in use anywhere else, though I should have. The news section on the right-hand side of the main page actually refreshes itself periodically as new news arrives, without requiring the viewer to reload the page. Not a super advanced web design trick, but one which I've never seen used on a blog or news site before, and it helps create a real feeling of immediacy.
I think the long term viability of The Huffington Post will largely depend on whether they can keep the contributors producing at anything like the level they have in the first couple of days while increasing the quality and substance of the submissions. I get the feeling that it took some weeks to gather all the material the site debuted with, and that future contributions by celebrities are likely to come in dribs and drabs, and that the overall freshness of the material will be hard to maintain. It's also a problem - characteristic of many left wing blogs - that they don't allow any kind of comment or response from readers even on their 'The Blog' section. If the New York Times and CNN can feature user response areas on their web outlets, it seems bizarre for a news and opinion vehicle specifically designed for the web to shut out user response. That suggests an elitist attitude and an unfamiliarity with the medium which may alienate some potential readers.
Dave
Article comments
1 - Marc
"articulate celebrities"
Isn't that an oxymoron?
"I don't know if they'll be able to keep all these contributors, especially the celebrities"
Sure they will, ever here if publicists and ghost writers?
You heard it here first, it will be gone by Christmas.
2 - gonzo marx
heh
ok kiddies, yer gonna hear it here first, from yer humble Narrator himself..
you wonder why folks "listen" to celebrities, athletes, actors, comedians etc...?
you wonder why their blather is paid any attention to as opposed to any other variety of blather?
didn't any of yas learn the Lesson from the film, Gladiator?
no..not that lesson...tsk tsk to all the females that thought it was that Russel Crowe looked great with bare legs in a tunic...
no..it is that if you give the populace no substance, but distract them with "bread and circuses"...
they will forget their "masters" and begin to listen to the "clowns"
"contemplate that, upon the Tree of Woe"
Thulsa Doom
nuff said?
Excelsior!
3 - Dave Nalle
LOL. You quoted Thulsa Doom. Isn't he going to be Al Gore's campaign strategy advisor in 08?
But you do have a point on style over substance. The problem is that the design of HuffyPost is too serious looking. It needs to look glitzy as well as having celebrities - something more A Current Affair like would be good.
Dave
4 - Nicolette Rivers
Marc--
Oxymoron? You're saying that not one celebrity has ever been articulate? I find that hard to believe.
5 - Dave Nalle
I hate to admit it, but Alec Baldwin is actually quite articulate, despite being rather confused on key issues. Plus, who can argue that Ron Silver or James Woods is anything but sharp as a tack?
Dave
6 - RJ
The main problem with this site is this: Famous people say things all the time. And when those things are deemed to be interesting, they wind up on the TV, and over the Radio, and in the newspapers. So lots of people see/hear/read them from these sources.
But on the Web, you have a million choices, not just a few dozen radio stations, or a few score channels, or a couple local/national newspapers.
So, these celebs and their barely-lucid online rants will be competing with MILLIONS of other online writers, who are equally accessible to all online, and who are just as good, if not better, at writing.
Look, I can't get on MTV or CNN. But some celeb can. That is the advantage they have. That is why, in "old media" their opinions/thoughts/ideas had such an increased weight over the opinions/thoughts/ideas of Average Joes like myself.
But on the Internet, they do not hold a captive audience. So their "advantage" in the MSM is mooted.
And therefore, this attempt will ultimately fail.
7 - Dave Nalle
I didn't mention it in my article, but the more I think about it the more awkward and kind of idiotic I think the name of the blog in question is. We already have the Washington Post and the New York Post - the title implies that Huffington is some sort of town. Now I realize a lot of people have vacationed in the scenic locales of Huffington, but that doesn't make her a city.
Dave