PaidContent has an interesting interview with About.com’s CEO and President, Scott Meyer where he talks about some of the recent (and future) changes at what is probably the world’s biggest blog (it uses MovableType). About.com sold for $410 million – kind of makes the blog networks that we always talk about as being the biggest look tiny!
It looks like there are serious changes happening at About.com.
‘About is doubling its editorial team from six to 12 and implementing — carefully — new content forms across the guides. Video continues to play an important role. Following a pilot this summer, About will introduce limited flash video and podcasts in September. The investment in guide training is increasing — in part, to add those features. Some user blogs are already in place, sharing experiences like pregnancy or quitting smoking and including photographs. Asked if About would be making a deal with a photo service, Meyer said he couldn’t talk about it. ‘
The value of about.com, that gets little publicity here in the UK, is astonishing. It looks like businesses are realising the huge potential there is in the internet, now that the boom and bust of the dot.com era has passed.
Well, About.com is a really useful site,especially for regular people (ie non technophiles). I don’t know about 410 M, but then I am a small-timer and that just seems like such a large amount… Probably is really worth it. I’m not a good judge of value, just yet.
Unbelievable that anyone would see or realize a profit for that kind of money.
On the other hand, it makes small publishers (i.e. MOST of us) realize that internet marketing is not going away anytime soon.