Is trial-and-error the best
position after all?

After a year of experimentation in earnest, AOL is dropping its social news functionality from Netscape, reports the Associated Press.

For a wrinkle in time, Netscape functioned as a digg-like social news site, with visitors submitting story links and voting on their importance. Those stories were vetted by "Navigators" or editors who cleared out spam and occasionally wrote longer commentary.

AOL announced it would keep social news "somewhere" in its online portfolio without further clarification. The online giant said it wanted to match consumer expectations for the Netscape brand name, which ran toward email service and mainstream news delivery.

The new Netscape can be previewed here before the formal switchover - or switchback, depending on a user's history with the brand.