CNET has made an acquisition today, purchasing FindArticles from its parent company, LookSmart. The acquisition totaled about $20.5 million. With its online resource archiving approximately 11 million articles from 3,000 sources, FindArticles is a search tool that dates back nearly 10 years to 1998.
As LookSmart’s primary consumer service, FindArticles was an important part of LookSmart’s suite of online properties. But as we saw less than two months ago with the phasing out of WiseNut, LookSmart seems determined to trim down its services in order to focus on its core advertising network and publisher service operations.
So what’s got people scratching their heads is the fact that CNet, which has also been in the process of refocusing its direction with the selling of Webshots for $45 million, has taken on another large acquisition. Perhaps this is part of Cnet’s attempts to enhance its core structure, as an online resource for information. Not to mention, FindArticles has a very high SEO value for Google and other search engines, so this is likely a major consideration for CNet as well.
As IAC goes through its own restructuring, the changes going on at CNet and other companies like AOL emphasize the shifting, weeding out and return to core competencies that many are currently experiencing.
Post a Comment