BBC in Beta

If you haven’t seen it yet, the BBC has been working hard bringing their vast online empire up to web2.0 speed. Although currently in BETA, the new version has all the bells and whistles you’d expect from any big corporation in the post Facebook/Google online world. It’s fully customisable in layout and content, and you can even drag the little windows around the screen and place them exactly where you want.

The debate has been raging on the Sitepoint forums with opinions on the new layout and design surprisingly varied. Some think the new layout is ugly and the Beep are moving from pioneer to follower, jumping on the Web2.0 bandwagon and not really adding anything new, original or particularly useful to the new design. Others think it’s a vast improvement, bringing the Beep bang up to date and reviving their brand in a world where they are an aweful lot of competition.

The Highs

There are definately a lot of plus points about the new layout in my opinion.

1. The design is contemporary and fresh.
2. There are plenty of widgets and options to play with.
3. The analog clock is iconic and original.
4. It’s centre aligned, which is much nicer in my opinion than the left aligned current version.

The Lows

1. They haven’t really innovated. There are lots of new features, but none that can’t be found on any other web2.0 website. Nothing that makes you go WOW that’s clever.

Conclusion

I think it’s a very good attempt at creating a modern and contemporary website. Hat’s off to the Beep, they may not be original, but what they’ve done looks great to me.