AOL Shifts From Masses To Niches
Associated Press:
A company rooted in bringing the Internet to the masses, AOL is shifting its focus toward serving niche audiences with the launch of dozens of specialty Web sites.
The latest — ParentDish for parents — formally launched Friday, with The Boot for country music and The Boom Box for hip hop and R&B to follow on Tuesday.
Time Warner Inc.’s AOL, branching out in hopes of doing a better job attracting crucial advertising revenue to offset its rapidly declining Internet access business, calls the niche sites “passion points.”
The sites reflect a growing sophistication of Internet users, who are spending less time at portals like AOL.com and Yahoo.com. and directly seeking specialized content at more focused sites. Examples outside AOL include Boing Boing, which keeps tabs on technology and the Internet; The Sartorialist, on street style; or Mom Logic, on parenting and being a mom.
“The consumer market is clearly fragmenting,” said Bill […]
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