AOL Latino has relaunched, offering access to outside sites and services including Yahoo and Google's Gmail as well as social networks Facebook, MySpace and Bebo. The move is part of AOL's wider
efforts to open up the portal to third-party content and follows similar changes to the AOL home page.
Since being revamped in September, the AOL homepage has increased page views 7%,
unique visitors, 16%, and total minutes, 34%, compared to a year ago. AOL Latino also launched www.intimos.com, a new blog focusing on relationships and sexuality that's part of AOL Latino's women's
network, Tu Vida y Mas. It's the second of some 30 niche-oriented sites AOL's MediaGlow publishing unit plans to introduce this year.
Earlier this month, Time Warner reported subsidiary AOL had
a 6% decline in ad revenue in 2008 and an operating loss of $1.1 billion compared with an operating income of $2 billion in 2007. Prior to its earnings release, Time Warner announced AOL would lay off
700 workers as it struggles with the ad slump.--Mark Walsh