As rumored, AOL is turning Netscape.com into a Digg-like site of links to news articles submitted by users - but edited, fact-checked and expanded upon by a staff of bloggers/editors (called "anchors"), reports the New York Times. AOL's plan to keep and expand Netscape's audience of some 11 million users - and so attract advertising - is in line with AOL's strategy of building ad-supported websites. The Netscape undertaking was cooked up by Jason Calacanis, founder of Weblogs Inc., which AOL bought last year.

The new Netscape site offers a preview version today and will have 30 categories, including technology, politics, music, science and religion. "We want to marry the great editorial skill of humans and what systems and software can do to create something that is different and better," said Jonathan Miller, AOL's chief executive.

Netscape has a staff of eight full-time anchors, who add original material to the news accounts that are of most interest to the audience. "The goal is to keep the conversation going," Calacanis said. He called the approach "meta-journalism," saying he hopes audience participation would result in scoops.