Global by Design

In May, I wrote about AOL’s ambitious plan to launch sites in 14 markets in just 18 months. Today, AOL launched its portal for Italy at www.aol.it.

Now one might argue that AOL is too late to the game. Yahoo and Google and many locals are already entrenched in Italy. But I would argue that all it takes is one new killer app to pull a few million people to your portal. So it’s important to first have that portal in place.

As a Yahoo user, I’ve often wondered what it would take for me to dump it in favor of a new portal, such as AOL. Right now, AOL looks a lot like Yahoo, so I’m not sure there is any compelling reason to switch, other than the fact that I really detest Yahoo’s use of stock photos, as shown below:

So I’m glad to see AOL going after Yahoo, not just here but abroad. What country will be next for AOL? Stay tuned to this blog for updates…

• Yahoo Launches New Portal for Oz
• Does .com = USA? Yahoo! Thinks So
• AOL: 14 Countries in 18 Months
• Yahoo! Struggles in China
• SDL Asks Companies to “Switch”
• Googling China
• The Localization of iPhone