IM’ing with a friend tonight about the NYTimes acquisition of About.com.
W agreed the ad revenue and inventory was the big thing, but moved on to more speculative thoughts:

  • Could integrating online classifieds into About.com and geotargeting local search around the content be a way for the Times to distribute their data to a more diverse audience (ie beyond their online news readers?)
  • Is there also an integrated listings play?
  • And would the NY Times want to be in the directory business and/or integrate more paid listings and services into About?

Any other big(read wild) ideas out there?

Update: — Rex Hammock: “The NYT is paying $410 million for a network of 500 weblogs that collectively have 22 million visitors each month. $410 million / 500 = $820,000 per weblog.” (Via Paid Content)

IM’ing with a friend tonight about the NYTimes acquisition of About.com.
W agreed the ad revenue and inventory was the big thing, but moved on to more speculative thoughts:

  • Could integrating online classifieds into About.com and geotargeting local search around the content be a way for the Times to distribute their data to a more diverse audience (ie beyond their online news readers?)
  • Is there also an integrated listings play?
  • And would the NY Times want to be in the directory business and/or integrate more paid listings and services into About?

Any other big(read wild) ideas out there?

Update: — Rex Hammock: “The NYT is paying $410 million for a network of 500 weblogs that collectively have 22 million visitors each month. $410 million / 500 = $820,000 per weblog.” (Via Paid Content)