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AOL launches magazine-style website Digital City

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AOL announced the launch of Digital City, a new, magazine-style site that enables readers to stay on top of the latest entertainment trends and stories from around the world. Digital City takes a new approach to geo-blogging by showcasing original content with a local slant, but global appeal.

In addition to daily posts on topics ranging from the arts to fall festivities, Digital City has weekly features focusing on news and trends in entertainment, concerts, nightlife and dining. The monthly blogazine “Drink World” is devoted to the global culture of drinking.

Digital City is part of the AOL Local Network, an online local network with a monthly reach of 60 million unique visitors. The site will be monetized through advertising packages that will be sold exclusively through Platform-A, AOL’s digital advertising business.

Originally posted on September 29, 2008 @ 10:40 am

AOL Purchases SocialThing!

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It’s official: After only five months in private beta, lifestreaming service SocialThing! has been acquired by AOL.

Look out FriendFeed.

You can expect SocialThing! to be integrated with Bebo, AIM, and other community properties.

Despite recent blog cuts due to “budget,” it seems AOL’s pockets are deep enough to buy new products, just not pay the content folks to keep it fresh.

The price tag has not yet been revealed.

What makes SocialThing! special is its “smart algorithm” that can figure out who you’re friends with, making the need to define a friend list unnecessary.

Originally posted on August 15, 2008 @ 9:52 am