A homepage redesign has been in the works for months

Jun 11, 2010 16:04 GMT  ·  By

Google’s mission is to make the world’s information easily accessible and, for many, news is one of the most important type of information. But Google’s dealings with news organizations, especially the ‘traditional’ kind, haven’t always been great. The company is trying to rectify that and, at the same time, to offer its users a better experience. Google News is now running a couple of experiments addressing both issues, one that allows human editors to pick the stories they deem interesting or important, and the second one consisting in a complete overhaul of the site along with a new sharing feature.

[admark=1]Adding humans to the mix is not something that Google does lightly. The company is very proud of its algorithms and rightly so. It also believes that computers and smart software are the answer to most problems out there. But it looks like even Google recognizes that plain old humans may still have their uses in some cases. According to a report by the Nieman Journalism Lab, confirmed by Google, the company is experimenting with enabling editors from various publishers to pick the stories they believe should be highlighted.

It’s experimenting with the feature on a small scale, but those that are part of the test can see a new section inside the Top Stories dubbed “editor’s picks.” The stories are from an editor’s own publication, but they have complete freedom in choosing which stories to promote. The feature may not become a permanent fixture in Google News, but the simple fact that Google is toying with the idea is interesting enough.

Meanwhile, Search Engine Land noticed another experiment over at Google News, a new homepage layout. Google has been testing a new News homepage for months now and, as is the case with these big redesigns, it’s taking its time with it. But recently it added an interesting new feature, granted, one that plenty of other sites have had for a long time, the possibility to share a news story with your friends on Twitter, Facebook or even Google Buzz.

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