AOL is hiring Twitter co-founder as social adviser

INTERNET PORTAL AOL is hiring one of the co-founders of Twitter, Biz Stone, to act as an adviser on its social notworking strategy.

Reportedly Stone will offer the ailing AOL advice on its social impact and help with volunteer initiatives that highlight philanthropic efforts, such as the recent vows of support from technology companies for Japan.

In a statement, Stone pointed out that his role in AOL will be particularly focused on the Huffington Post, the online news and blogging website AOL recently acquired for $315 million. AOL has been in a frenzied hiring mode recently for its Huffington Post Media group, which it will be integrating into its service over the coming weeks and, probably, months.

Stone was also keen to point out that his advisory role will be a solo act and won't involve Twitter at all, but it could be difficult to separate the two and AOL might be hoping that it can learn a few things from Twitter to regain lost ground.

While Stone will be taking on this new role in AOL, he's not leaving Twitter, according to the Wall Street Journal.

This latest round of hiring won't do anything to console the whopping 20 per cent of AOL's workforce that's set to get the axe, but if AOL can take a leaf out of Twitter's book then it might be able to halt its sharp decline in revenue and return to growth. µ