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Weblogs, Inc.

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Weblogs, Inc.
IndustryInternet
FoundedSeptember 2003;20 years ago(2003-09)
Founders
Defunct2011;13 years ago(2011)[citation needed]
SuccessorAOL
ProductsBlogs
Parent

Weblogs, Inc.was ablog networkthat published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90blogs,although the vast majority of its traffic could be attributed to a smaller number of breakout titles, as was typical of most large-scale successful blog networks of the mid-2000s. Popular blogs includedEngadget,Autoblog, TUAW,Joystiq,Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks.

Today, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining brands from the company, now existing as part ofYahoo! Inc.

History

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The company was founded in September 2003 byJason CalacanisandBrian Alvey,in the wake of Calacanis'sSilicon Alley Reportermagazine, with backing from investorMark Cuban.By early 2004, Weblogs, Inc. andGawker Mediawere establishing the two most notable templates for networked blog empires. Initially, Weblogs, Inc. consisted of a few dozen blogs, all residing as subdomains of weblogsinc. The exception wasEngadget,a stand-alone site covering new technology in blog format. Engadget was co-founded by Peter Rojas, the former editor of Gizmodo in the Gawker Media network. Eventually a plethora of independent brands were established, including 26 stand-alone sites and over 50 sub-blogs. A few of the company principals also maintained personal blogs on the network, including Mark Cuban.

Weblogs Inc was sold to AOL for a reported $25 million in October 2005.[1][2]The move came as AOL was preparing to become an independent division withinTime Warner.Weblogs Inc continued to operate independently from AOL's other content websites for many years, until AOL began phasing out the Weblogs Inc branding in favor of its own, consolidating to a few of the strongest titles, and integrating more closely with its namesake media division, which included AOL News, AOL Autos, AOL Tech, etc.

The emphasis on AOL branding was increased following the spin-off of AOL from Time Warner in 2009. Up until mid-2010, Weblogs, Inc. branding remained subtly alongside AOL's, on titles like Engadget and Autoblog,[3]but in late 2010, the name was dropped and the official website was redirected to AOL,[4]approximately coinciding with a major redesign of AOL branded properties.[5]Around the same time, AOL also acquired tech industry blogTechCrunch,at a time when it had less than a dozen remaining blog brands.

Following AOL's $315 million acquisition ofThe Huffington Postin February 2011, the former Weblogs Inc blogs, along with TechCrunch and many of AOL's other content brands, were reorganized under a new division called the "Huffington Post Media Group."[6][7]Under the arrangement, the Huffington Post editorial team took responsibility for editorial oversight of AOL's other blogs and news sites. Months after the acquisition, AOL further consolidated its total count of content websites to just 20 brands, of which Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and TUAW were the only remaining former Weblogs, Inc. titles.

The Huffington Post Media Group branding was never used in any significant public-facing capacity, but the Huffington editorial team was put firmly in control of AOL's news websites. This led to numerous controversies over editorial direction, including the departure of TechCrunch editor and founderMichael Arrington.[8]

Joystiq and TUAW were shut down and folded into Engadget in February 2015. Around the same time, AOL Autos and AOL Tech were shut down and redirected to Autoblog and Engadget, respectively.

In 2015, AOL was acquired byVerizon.In 2017, AOL's content business, along with that ofYahoo!,which was also acquired by Verizon, were combined into a new online media subsidiary. Then Verizon sold that to private equity firmApollo Global Management.[9][10]

Currently, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining former Weblogs Inc. titles.

Blogs

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Engadget

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Main article:Engadget

Launched in March 2004, Engadget is updated multiple times a day with articles ongadgetsandconsumer electronics.Engadget is awebzinethat looks like a blog.[11]

Autoblog

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Launched in June 2004,Autoblog[12]is anautomotivenews and car shopping website based inBirmingham, Michigan.[13]A winner of a 2014Webby Awardfor its original video seriesThe List,[14]Autoblog produces daily articles and videos covering all facets of the auto industry, as well as a weekly videopodcastfeaturing the editors of the site. Autoblog is also home to vehicle shopping tools and research pages where users can search for new and used vehicles for purchase. Autoblog's current Editor-in-Chief is Greg Migliore[15]and its General Manager is Adam Morath.[16]

Joystiq

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Main article:Joystiq

Joystiqwas aweblogcovering video games and video game culture. It was shut down on February 3, 2015.

Hack a Day

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Main article:Hack a Day

Founded in September 2004,Hack a Day(also known asHackADay) is aweblogcovering hacks, mods, and projects popular among computer enthusiasts. It was not included in the sale of Weblogs, Inc. to AOL,[17][18]but remained a separate entity until it was sold to SupplyFrame in 2013.[19]

TV Squad

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TV Squadwas atelevisionweblogfounded on March 10, 2005. By 2006, it was one of the most popular on the Internet.[20]TV Squad was originally conceptualized to allow any Weblogs, Inc. blogger to write about the television shows they watch. Eventually, a core group of bloggers for the site was realized, with several other Weblogs, Inc. bloggers contributing on an irregular basis. TV Squad had about 20 regularly contributing bloggers. Writers include Adam Finley, Keith McDuffee, Bob Sassone, Jane Boursaw,Jay Black,Wil Wheaton,andPaul Goebel,and the site's maintelevision criticis formerChicago Tribunecritic Maureen Ryan, who came to the site in 2010. During the2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike,while some industry blogs stopped or wrote articles in support of the strike, TV Squad continued to publish material normally.[21]

TV Squad operated as a separate, independent site until May 2011, when AOL merged TV Squad with AOL. This meant all of the old TV Squad content would then be found on AOL TV. Originally, TVSquad was automatically redirected to AOLTV.[22]Just seven months later, AOLTV became HuffPost TV, moving the content once again.[23]

The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)

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TUAWcovered tips, reviews, news, analyses, and opinions onApple Inc.'s products. Founded in 2004 and one of the most successful blogs from Weblogs, Inc., TUAW was shut down February 3, 2015[24]and its archives republished on Engadget.[10]The blog was revived in mid 2024, publishingAI-generated articles.Many are AI-generated summaries of old posts from the original staff, often incorrectly attributing the wrong author and includingAI-generated imagesof people alongside theirbylines.According to TUAW's website, the brand was acquired by Web Orange Limited in 2024, "without its original content". Web Orange Limited says on its website to be aHong Kong-based "advertising services" company.[10]

Download Squad

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Download Squad was a popular blog following web-based and downloadable software and news for desktop and mobile platforms. Consistently cited among popular software blogs, it was named amongComputerworld's list of the ten best-written blogs on the Internet in 2008.[25]Download Squad, along with sister blog Switched, was shut down on April 12, 2011, by parent company AOL.[26]

References

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  1. ^Graham, Nicholas (October 6, 2005)."America Online Acquires Weblogs, Inc".RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  2. ^Arrington, Michael(October 5, 2005)."AOL Acquires Weblogs, Inc".TechCrunch.RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  3. ^"Autoblog — We Obsessively Cover the Auto Industry".autoblog.Archived fromthe originalon 2010-11-14.
  4. ^"Weblogs, Inc. weblogsinc".Archived fromthe originalon Oct 13, 2005.Retrieved2005-10-08.
  5. ^Kopytoff, Verne G. (October 30, 2010)."With New Home Page, AOL Tries to Entice Advertisers".New York Times.
  6. ^Fishman, Rob (March 14, 2011)."The Huffington Post Media Group Makes Key Announcements".The Huffington Post.RetrievedApril 2,2011.
  7. ^Pitney, Nico(February 7, 2011)."AOL Agrees to AcquireThe Huffington Post".Huffington Post.RetrievedFebruary 7,2011.
  8. ^"Does the AOL 'Crunchgate' spat mark the end for TechCrunch?".The Guardian.September 7, 2011.
  9. ^Lee, Edmund; Hirsch, Lauren (May 2, 2021)."Verizon Near Deal to Sell Yahoo and AOL".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2021.RetrievedJuly 11,2024.
  10. ^abcKoebler, Jason (July 9, 2024)."A Beloved Tech Blog Is Now Publishing AI Articles Under the Names of Its Old Human Staff".404 Media.RetrievedJuly 11,2024.
  11. ^Till, Francis (May 8, 2005)."Bill Gates and the alternative future of news".National Business Review.RetrievedJuly 15,2008.
  12. ^"New Cars, Used Cars for Sale, Car Reviews and Car News".
  13. ^"About Autoblog".Autoblog.RetrievedOctober 13,2017.
  14. ^"The List | The Webby Awards".RetrievedOctober 13,2017.
  15. ^"Announcing our new Editor-in-Chief".Autoblog.RetrievedOctober 13,2017.
  16. ^"Adam Morath - Autoblog General Manager".Autoblog.RetrievedOctober 13,2017.
  17. ^Calacanis, John (October 11, 2005)."HackADay stays indie!".RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  18. ^Ali, Rafat (October 11, 2005)."AOL-Weblogs Inc Deal: Some Futher [sic] Details ".RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  19. ^Bradic, Aleksandar (July 25, 2013)."Hello from SupplyFrame – your new evil overlords!".RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  20. ^Berr, Jonathan (March 16, 2006)."Netscape Is Back".TheStreet.
  21. ^Ingram, Matthew (November 14, 2007)."TV blogs go dark in support of writers".The Globe and Mail.RetrievedJune 25,2014.
  22. ^Faith Merino,AOL relaunches AOL TV, TV Squad is no more,Vator News,(May 26, 2011)
  23. ^Ariens, Chris (December 14, 2011)."So Long AOL TV. Site Becomes HuffPost TV".AdWeek.RetrievedJanuary 13,2022.
  24. ^Sande, Steven (February 3, 2015)."So long, and thanks for all the fish".TUAW.RetrievedFebruary 4,2015.
  25. ^Brandon, John (October 17, 2008)."The top 10 best-written blogs".Computerworld.RetrievedJune 4,2009.
  26. ^Houston, Thomas (April 12, 2011)."Farewell, Internet".Download Squad.RetrievedApril 13,2011.
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