Dear Arianna:

I read your announcement about the HuffPo-AOL deal. I read the Bloomberg article, the Mashable article, hundreds of comments Web-wide and tons more. I have a blog, so it’s obligatory I say something about the deal, even though the chance of you reading this is something approaching zero.

I don’t think anybody has any clue where this deal is headed, but one thing is for sure: There’s a lot more buzz around the AOL brand today than there’s been for years. As we all know, though, one day of buzz does not a renewed AOL make: Turning the brand around is like turning the economy around; it’s going to take a lot of time and hard work and tough choices.

So as you forge ahead in your new role as Goddess of AOL Content, allow me to toss in my $.02; after all, I was an AOL content provider back in the day when the service charged by the hour, so I figure I’m entitled to devote my blog post today to this sort of blather.

Standards, standards, standards! Many of us saw the leaked document that had details about the so-called AOL Master Plan — but this deal needs to deliver something that about more than just page views. While AOL at its best was still pretty much about the quantitative game; HuffPo at its best was very much about the qualitative game. Balance the two, but don’t skimp on quality. You’ve got Patch, which is a really interesting initiative, and you may want to think about Examiner.com as your next acquisition. But the worst thing that could come from this merger is if AOHuffPoL becomes some sort of  ‘roid-raged demon offspring of eHow and About.com. Don’t go there.

Make it easy for all of us to help. Content comes not just from your content providers, but from those of us who operate one degree of separation from those providers. Think about the countless organizations and interest groups and non-profits and passionate practitioners of countless niche interests who want to reach out to those writers and tap into their AOHuffPoL networks. Help us reach them. Help us help you.

Change AOL, don’t let AOL change you. Don’t let yourself or HuffPo be assimilated by the AOL Borg. Let’s face it: As a brand, AOL gains more by being associated with HuffPo than HuffPo gains by being associated with AOL. Don’t forget that.

There’s a time and a place for politics. You’re building a new way of publishing and interacting with content in the digital age. You’re not building an anti-Fox media empire. Don’t go there, either.

Be the tortoise, not the hare. In your announcement on HuffPo, you wrote that “this moment will be for HuffPost like stepping off a fast-moving train and onto a supersonic jet.” But don’t forget that even though you’re building something that needs to be nimble and responsive, you’re also building something for the longer term. It’s a tough balancing act, but you’re as well-equipped as anyone to make it happen. Just keep reminding yourself to move ahead on your terms, not AOL’s.

Best of luck, Arianna … you’ll need it.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 8th, 2011 at 1:02 pm and is filed under Internet Stuff, Rants 'n' Such, Social Media.