WebProNews

AOL has introduced a new feature on its homepage that allows users to access multiple email services from third parties.

The company says it is revamping AOL.com to offer users more choice and customization in an effort to attract more traffic.

The new email feature gives users access to email services from Yahoo, Gmail and Hotmail, along with AOL and AIM Mail.

"We know that consumers today have multiple email accounts on different services to keep tabs on daily, and we want to make it easier for them," said Bill Wilson, Executive Vice President of Programming, AOL.

"This is an important first step in opening up AOL.com and giving users the ability to populate the AOL.com homepage with content and services they use on a daily basis."

A Mail Preview Panel will allow users to look at their various email accounts and see new messages as they arrive. Users can click on an individual message to go directly to it. There is also a link for each email provider to launch a window to write a message.

AOL says over the next two months it plans to open the site to more third party content and services such as social networks that will allows users to manage their social networking feeds from one place.

"For a portal to be relevant to consumers today, it has to recognize that users seek a variety of different experiences and connections with their various networks and information sources," said Wilson.