AOL to Buy Blog Site In Bid to Expand Reach
America Online will create more of a presence in the blog community with its acquisition of Weblogs, a leading blogging company.
AOL will inherit 85 blogging sites where users can read about everything from travel to gadgets and debate on topics like parenting and movies. The agreement is expected to close next week. The deal will make Weblogs a wholly owned, stand-alone subsidiary of AOL, operating with full editorial control and independence.
AOL is paying $25 million in an all-cash transaction. The move will give AOL users access to an array of unfiltered content.
Weblogs hosts more than 100 independent, freelance expert bloggers producing more than 1,000 blog postings weekly. Some of its most popular blogs include topics such as luxury, technology, automotive and gaming. Blog links will be embedded and integrated across the AOL service, such as the Autos Channel and Games Channel. Weblogs content will also be incorporated within AOL properties such as Moviefone and Netscape.
AOL.com users will be able to connect to Weblogs via the LiveWeb and People Connection links on the homepage.
